Guide to Sauze d'Oulx, Italian Alps

Sauze d'Oulx is a charming small village is known for its good sunshine record and beautiful views. The modern ski resort is built near the slopes at the edge of the Milky Way (Via Lattea), one of Europe's great ski circuits. The Milky Way ski pass covers Sauze d’Oulx, Sestriere, Sansicario, Cesana Claviere, and Montgenevre in France. Sauze’s own skiing is mostly on wide intermediate level slopes below the tree line, so there is thick forest all around, but Italy’s high altitude purpose-built centre at Sestrière is just over the mountain. Beginners can start on the nursery slopes in the village or go up to the mountain clearing at Sportinia. Advanced skiers like the numerous off piste opportunities at Fraiteve or Moncrons, or take the challenging trip to Montgenevre.

Mountain Information Sauze d'Oulx

	Resort Altitude	1500 m
	Vertical Drop	1300 m
	Top Lift	2823m
	Lifts	22
	Total Runs	41
	Longest Run	6 km
	Advanced Runs	6
	Intermediate Runs	28
	Beginner	7
	Cross Country	13 km

Getting to Sauze d'Oulx

The best and cheapest way to travel to Sauze d'Oulx ski resort is to first find one of the many cheap flights to Turin, or Milan Linate from about £40 return.
Sauze has one big advantage over many other resorts as it is only 50 miles from Turin, the nearest international airport, which means it is possible to arrive in Turin in the morning and be on the slopes in the afternoon. Other possible airports are Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate. Hourly trains get you to the station at Oulx, journey time about 1 hour from Turin. Regular buses run to the resort from this station. Using public transport to transfer to the resort is the cheaper option, but the journey can take more than 3 hours by bus and train. Alternatively you could splash out on about £90 for taxi transport. By car there is easy easy access to Sauze d'Oulx via the motorway Milan-Turin-Oulx.

Accommodation in Sauze d'Oulx

Skiers can choose from a variety of good value accommodation, from simple 2 star value hotels to budget self catering, apartments and chalets. Most of the hotels are centrally located and much used by package tour operators. There are also chalets and apartments for rent. Good 4 star hotels are Il Capricorno and La Torre, 2 stars are the Hermitage or Bianceve, or try Chalet Faure for B&B close to the centre of town. Stella Alpina is a pleasant budget hotel with great views. Alternatively, nearby Sansicario is a smaller ski resort with modern apartment blocks built around a shopping precinct, and is well placed for exploration of the Milky Way ski area.

Bars, restaurants and apres ski

There is no shortage of apres ski here, with the bars and restaurants catering for all tastes, from lager to cocktails and fast food to smart international restaurants - Sauze has got it. The La Griglia and the Black Sheep do good reasonably-priced food, McGinty's for large steaks, Ristorante Del Falco for fresh pizzas. Sauze has a good selection of lively bars and clubs and apres ski hotspots are Crowded House, Paddy McGinty's, Bandito's and The Schuss club. The Ghost Bar offers food and cheaper drinking.

Activities

The old part of Sauze has charming cobbled streets, little boutiques, pizzerias, and plenty of bars and discos. Apart from skiing and ski schools, there are plenty of other fun activities to choose from in Sauze d'Oulx. A well organised slalom race for all levels of skiing abilities is held on Thursdays, on one of the runs down to the Sportina lifts. Other winter activities are ice skating, sauna, heli skiing, hiking, mono skiing, ski touring; snow shoeing, skidoos, cinema, and a weekly market. Snowboarding is very popular in the resort and there is a snowboarding school.