Sestriere

Holiday in the heart of Italy's biggest ski area, the Milky Way

One of the world's pioneering ski areas, Sestriere was built by the Fiat car company in 1934. Located in an area of great history and culture this resort offers an excellent lift system and snow conditions, considered some of the worlds best because of a great combination, firstly it's altitude and secondly Sestiere has one of the world's largest snow making instillations, made up of 950 snow guns. This resort has staged the Alpine World Championships in 1997, and has a long history of ski racing from the first Kandahar contests of the 1930s through to the World Championships, all together nearly 100 international world contests have been staged here. On top of this Sestriere also hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006.

Located at the core of the vast Milky Way ski circuit, the traditional skiing tracks in Sestriere are Banchetta, Sises e Fraiteve and Rio Nero. The slopes directly above Sestriere are divided into 2 main areas, the Sises and Motta sectors, with both offering a good variety of terrain and for beginners, the nursery slopes at village level will soon have you pulling off those silky smooth stops and turns. Also from here novice skiers can revel in the long blue runs around Sestriere. Intermediates have a good range of runs on both the Sises and Motta sectors and there is of course the 140 kilometres of piste to explore in the whole Milky Way area. Expert and advanced skiers have a good mix of the steep powder and off-piste opportunities, as well as the world cup Kandahar run and the back country sections accessible from the top of Monte Fraitere. Snowboarders can take their pick from a good range of free riding to the new snow park in Sestriere where they can pull off all the tricks.

Cosmopolitan and lively, with many overseas visitors in addition to Italians and British this resort has a fantastic international atmosphere. Try Pinkies Pizzeria for après ski drinks, Irish Igloo for great music, Spotties Bar for cocktails, Tabata disco, the Cavern for a more international menu and Osteria Barabba for typical local foods. Other activities in the resort include ice skating, cross-country skiing, squash, aerobics, fitness room and a Turkish bath/sauna.

Resort Information
Altitude of resort:	2035 metres
Top elevation:	2823 metres
Largest vertical drop:	1550 metres
Total length of slopes:	400 kilometres
Longest run:	5 kilometres
Cross country trails:	13 kilometres
Beginner:	30%
Intermediate:	40%
Advanced:	20%
Number of lifts:	20 (Milky Way 90)
Snowboard:	Snowpark