Sestriere, Italy
01 skiing 02 SKi tips 03 how to get there 04 Where to eat 05 Where to stay
Something you will never learn until you hear a ski instructor shouting at some of their students while skiing down a steep mountain.
“When skiing you can’t talk or sing. Don’t ask questions. If you want to ask questions, you can go to Rome and help the government” -Italian ski instructor
Most of the ski schools were taking little kids down black diamond runs or in the backwoods. It was really impressive. The slopes were amazing and incredibly cheap. 240 runs plus you can ski into France from Italy. Located all over the alps are cute little places to eat and even some hotels.
01 SKIING
It is a lot cheaper than the states and a lot more runs. However, if you want a student discount, you need to register online beforehand to get that discount. Buying several days at a time is much cheaper and if the weather is bad the next day they will refund you for that day.
02 SKI TIPS
Renting - Is very cheap + good quality of gear. You can pay for the half/full-day or rent for several days at a time. (SNOWBOARDS OR SKIS)
Waxing - You can get your stuff waxed and sharpened for 20 EU in a rental shop next to the main ski schools. They will do it in about 10 minutes so you don’t have to worry about leaving your stuff there for the day.
03 HOW TO GET THERE
There are a couple of ways to get there.
1. Train to (taxi or bus) you can take a train from Torino, Italy, for about 7 euro to Oulx. Then either take a 50 EU taxi or take the city bus 3 EU (that you will have to change buses half way) or a direct bus 12 EU.
2. Direct but from Torino, however, this bus isn’t always on time and has difficulties when there is a lot of snow.
3. Driving
EXTRA TIP:
If you are doing a day trip or just don’t want to be in the center of Sestriere. You can drive to one of the other cities and just ski over. It tends to be a little quieter in the other towns.
04 WHERE TO EAT
Bar Ristorante Alpette - Located at the top of one of the first ski lifts. It has a beautiful view on a clear day. They also serve venison that is to die for.
QB - Is a really nice bar located behind all the ski schools so you get a little piece from the crazy amount of people. The food is great and the staff is really fun. In the northern regions, they sometimes serve food on rock sheets that are common in this part of Italy.
Il Centro - Get the flaming pizza. It is a house specialty. I would recommend just about everything at this restaurant. The sweets are made at home as well and unbelievably good.
Dieci HP Restaurant and music - Great calm place on Sundays but Saturday it is packed. They bring in a live band on the weekends. It is only open during the winter.
05 WHERE TO STAY
I wouldn’t suggest staying at the Olympic village of Sestriere. They aren’t as high tech or as nice as they once were. The only cool thing is that you can literally ski from the lifts to your room. Find somewhere cheap and then spend more money on the food in the city is my suggestion.
FUN FACT
The longest run they have is 5k long.