Resort Overview for Sestrière: One of the world's pioneering ski areas, and certainly Italy's, Sestrière was built by the Fiat car company in 1934. The mountain-top Possetto hotel first opened through the winter a decade earlier and more lifts and hotels opened before 1934. It was one of the earliest and still one of the highest purpose- built ski stations and was established in Valsusa, an area on the French border where downhill skiing was first taught in Italy by a Swiss engineer, Alfredo Kind.
Today the resort where those lessons took place a century ago, the border village of Clavière, is linked by lift to Sestrière itself in the huge Milky Way. Also connected are its nearest neighbour, Sauze d'Oulx and a dozen small centres on the way over to Montgenèvre over the border in France. Sitting on a sunny plateau, snow cover is guaranteed thanks to both altitude and one of the world's most extensive snow making operations. At the time of its creation it was one of the first resorts in the world with modern hotels and a ski lift system where it was possible to take a family on a relatively economic ski trip - the model copied by the French purpose built centres of thirty years later.
Although a very hi tec and modern ski centre, Sestrière is located in an area of great history and culture, dating back to neolithic sites, but rich in Roman and later remains. Of more interest mid-winter however are the excellent sports, leisure and off-slope facilities this resort offers as well as an excellent lift system and snow conditions made some of the world's best by a combination of altitude and one of the world's largest snow making installations - 900 snow guns in strength. No wonder the resort was selected to stage the Alpine World Championships in 1997 and the 2006 Winter Olympics when it was host to some of the Alpine ski competitions.
The resort has a long history of ski racing from the first Kandahar contests of the 1930s through to the world Championships, nearly 100 international world contests have been staged. The list of great racers who have won here over the decades is astonishing and includes Jean-Claude Killy, Ingemar Stenmark, Pirmin Zurbriggen to name but a few. Alberto Tomba won his first ever World Cup race at Sestrière. The World Championship race runs on the Kandahar Slalom and Kandahar Banchetta are open for good recreational downhillers to enjoy.
The Skiing in Sestrière: The central point of a vast trail network which extends over to Sauze d'Oulx and has a more tenuous connection via Sansicario, Cesana and Claviere over to Montgenèvre, Sestrière's skiing has been well designed from the start. The vast snowy bowl, largely above the tree line, gave the planners a blank sheet to play with.
Beginners runs fan out above the ski school meeting point in the resort' centre. and a special lift tickets given relevant limited lift access for beginners only is also available.
Intermediates will enjoy Sestrières skiing the most, using the two main local areas of Banchetta and Sises. There are runs of all kinds from short steep moguls to long wide motorway cruisers. It's easy to get over to the pleasant wooded trails above neighbouring Sauze d'Oulx. The trails over to Montgenèvre can be tackled by intermediate skiers via blues and reds. It is an exciting trip as you have the feeling of travelling from village to village. A full day should be allowed and some sectors, notably around the village of Cesana may not have adequate snow cover except at the height of the season.
Experts have fewer trails just for them but heli-skiing is popular in the area. Runs in the Amphitaeatro bowl and the blacks at the top of Sises and Motta are also highly regarded.
A run good skiers should not miss in Sestriere is Mount Sises (which also gives access to excellent off piste from the slopes of Valle Ripa and Vallone del Chisonetto). This is the World Cup and World Championships giant slalom run. You reach the top (2600m) with the four passenger chair-lift Cit Roc and then a ski-lift. The run is steep but wide in the highest part then flatter around the Mount Alpette and becoming once again quite "vertical" under the chair lift where the old ski lift once passed.
In Sestriere its possibile to ski at night on the floodlit run where many ski champions have battled it out in World Cup competitions
Après Ski in Sestrière:The resort is known for its cosmopolitan but also lively nightlife - especially at weekends when the relatively sophisticated crowds from Turin and Milan arrive en masse. There are two piano bars and the Tabatha discothèque.
For a lively evening there's live music and karaoke some nights at Dreamers bar and the Brahms Pub has a reputation for its range of imported Irish beers.
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For more information on Sestrière please visit the resort's website http://www.montagnedoc.it |
