Sauze d'Oulx: Ski area guide

Via Lattea’s hub in Piedmont

Sauze d’Oulx is the beating heart of the Via Lattea, the largest ski area in Piedmont and one of the biggest in the Italian Alps. Perched at 1,509 metres on the Italian side of the Cottian Alps, a few kilometres from the French border, the village has built a reputation that reaches well beyond Italy. Skiing here happens on a large scale, in an open, bright landscape where the favourable aspect of the slopes means plenty of sunny days in winter.

Sauze d’Oulx is part of the Via Lattea together with Sestriere, Sansicario, Cesana, Claviere and, across the border, Montgenèvre in France. All 400 km of runs are covered by a single ski pass, making it one of the largest cross-border ski areas in the Alps.

You cannot realistically ski it all in a week. The sectors vary in character, aspect and difficulty, with enough variety to please skiers of every level and style.

The ‘Balcony of the Alps’

Sauze d’Oulx did not get its nickname by chance. From many of its runs and mountain huts the view is unusually wide: the Grandes Rousses massif to the east, Mont Chaberton with the old military fort on its summit, and the whole chain of peaks along the Italian-French border stretching north as far as Mont Blanc on the clearest days. The view stays with you all the way down, so even the most technical days feel a little like a scenic walk at altitude.

The most popular runs lie above 2,000 metres, where the snow tends to stay in good condition all season. Favourites include the Moncrons run and the descents towards Sportinia, a plateau at 1,800 metres reached by cable car. They suit groups looking for long cruising runs as well as stronger skiers heading for the steep slopes of the Clotes sector.

International atmosphere and nightlife

Since the 1970s Sauze d’Oulx has drawn British, Irish and Scandinavian skiers looking for an alternative to more formal alpine resorts. That international following has shaped the village: bars open late, pubs with live music and restaurants with menus in several languages are the norm, not the exception.

The nightlife is famously livelier than at most Italian alpine resorts, which makes Sauze especially popular with young groups and with travellers who see après-ski as an essential part of the holiday.

There are quieter options too. Traditional Piedmontese restaurants serve fonduta, Fassona beef and Piedmont wines that balance the resort’s party side nicely.

The Turin 2006 Olympics

Sauze d’Oulx has its place in Olympic history: during the Turin 2006 Games it hosted the freestyle skiing events, namely moguls and aerials. The facilities built for the occasion left a legacy the ski area still benefits from today. If you are into freestyle skiing or snowboarding, the parks at Sauze d’Oulx are among the best equipped in Piedmont.

Getting there

Access from Turin is direct and quick: the A32 Turin-Fréjus motorway reaches Oulx in about an hour. From there you go up by cable car or by the mountain road, which takes another 15 minutes to the village. Door to door, the trip from Turin to the slopes takes about 1 hour 15 minutes on average, so Sauze d’Oulx works even for day trips from the cities of Piedmont.

From Turin Caselle airport, the transfer takes about 1 hour 30 minutes by car or private shuttle.