Worldwide Ski Resorts • Italy • Sauze d’Oulx
Overview
The resort of Sauze d’Oulx lies within the massive Milky Way ski area. It is a somewhat unprepossessing town, consisting of large numbers of rather ugly modern hotels and apartment blocks built to cater for the annual influx of winter tourists who are attracted by this resort’s reputation as an inexpensive and fun place to come and ski. In fairness, the old part of Sauze d’Oulx is very attractive.
The centre is where the vast majority of the bars, hotels and restaurants are situated and in consequence gets very crowded and noisy — especially in the evenings and at night. Accommodation is plentiful and while there are a couple of decent four star establishments, the hotels and self catering blocks tend more towards the ‘cheap and cheerful.’
Profile
The town stands at 1510m and provides convenient lift access from its edge to the 300 km of local slopes that are served by 51, rather ancient and slow lifts. Sauze d’Oulx does not have a very good snow record. As well as its lack of altitude, many of the slopes are affected by the afternoon sun and patchy and icy conditions are common and despite this, the resort has not invested in sufficient effective snow making facilities. Expert skiers will be hard pressed to find enough on piste challenges to keep them interested here. There is however some good off piste country to explore and if all else fails the resorts of Sansicario, Clavier and Montgenèvre can be easily reached either by a long ski or a short car journey.
Intermediates on the other hand will find masses to do here (depending on the conditions). The whole resort appears to have been built with the intermediate skier in mind and there is an extensive range of wide cruising ground as well as some delightful wooded slopes to suit all skill levels. Beginners are not so well served. The nursery slopes are not great and the ski schools do not have the best reputation. Child care facilities are reasonable.
Mountain Information
The local slopes spread across a wide tree covered bowl. The highest point is at Monte Fraiteve which provides the link down to Sestriere and then on (should you wish) to the French end of the Milky Way system. Monte Fraiteve is also the location of the best off piste country that may attract the experts. Intermediates should head for the Belvedere and Moncrons sectors above Sportina, where some of the exceptional cruising country can be found. Sansicario’s higher slopes below Motta also provide excellent sport. There are plenty of mountain restaurants to choose from.
Apres Ski
Although Sauze d’Oulx has a reputation for being wild and woolly, there are reports that it has cleaned up its act over the past few seasons. While a good time can still be had here, the days of the rampaging lager louts has gone, to be replaced with a more sophisticated and dignified breed who enjoy the extensive variety of bars and clubs such as the Cotton Club, Paddy McGinty’s and the Grotta. Many of the clubs still run fun theme nights and live music bars are a regular feature.
Italian Resort Guide
Resort Information • Sauze d’Oulx
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Resort Height | 1382m |
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Top Station | 2823m |
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Bottom Station | 1382m |
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Vertical Descent | 1330m |
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Drag Lifts | 11 |
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Chair Lifts | 11 |
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High Capacity | 0 |
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Opening Dates | Dec - April |
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Rating Expert | 4 |
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Rating Intermediate | 8 |
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Rating Beginner | 5 |
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Apres Ski Rating | 8 |
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Snow Reliability | 7 |
