Skiing in Sestriere

Sestriere: Olympic Kandahar, 85 slopes and the gateway to the Vialattea

Sestriere on the Vialattea: 85 official slope rows, Kandahar night skiing, 2026–27 pass prices, Oulx train and bus, where to stay and snow history.

Slopes listed for the Sestriere area

85

Lifts at Sestriere (operator count)

20

Sestriere village altitude (m)

2035

Vialattea skiable slopes (km, whole international area)

400

Skiing & terrain in Sestriere

Every row of the Sestriere list in Vialattea's official slopes-and-lifts bulletin, checked 18 October 2026 (pre-season): 75 pistes and 10 links (Racc.), with the bulletin's own colour. The other Vialattea bulletin areas — Sauze d'Oulx, Cesana-Sansicario, Cesana-Claviere and Montgenèvre — are added at the end as area rows only and are not counted.

Rows in the official Sestriere slope list

85

Pistes in this table (excluding links)

75

Links (Racc.) listed separately

10

Highest point of the Vialattea area, Monte Motta (m)

2800

• Blue pistes in the table: 27
• Red pistes in the table: 34
• Black pistes in the table: 14

Names are copied as the bulletin prints them, including the § symbol that the list does not explain. The bulletin assigns no sub-sector, so every row is labelled Sestriere; it includes the Pattemouche run and lift that link Pragelato. Rows whose official name starts with Racc. (raccordo, link) are shown as connections. The operator publishes no per-run lengths in this list, so lengthM is empty. The Vialattea-wide totals (400 km, about 300 slopes) cover the whole international area, not this table. This is not a live opening report.

Sestriere pistes: Sises, Banchetta, Fraiteve and the Vialattea links

Vialattea's Sestriere page counts 85 slopes and 20 lifts for the resort, and the live bulletin lists every one of those slope rows under a single Sestriere label: 75 pistes (27 blue, 34 red, 14 black) plus 10 named links. Lifts in the same list range from the Sises and La Motta drag lifts and the Banchetta, Nuova Nube and Trebials chairs to the TC8 Sestriere–Fraiteve gondola and the Pattemouche cable car.

Sestriere is also the hub of the wider Vialattea: the operator describes 400 km of slopes, 73 lifts and an altitude range from 1400 m at Cesana to 2800 m at Monte Motta, with 80% of the area above 1900 m. Monte Fraiteve connects Sestriere with Sauze d'Oulx and Sansicario, while the Monti della Luna link Cesana, Claviere and Montgenèvre.

The racing pedigree is real. Sestriere held one of the first World Cup races in 1967 — Jean-Claude Killy won the downhill on the Kandahar Banchetta — and has staged 70 World Cup races, the 1997 World Championships and the 2006 Turin Olympics. In 2025 Mikaela Shiffrin took her 100th World Cup win on the Kandahar Giovanni Alberto Agnelli slope.

Sestriere for beginners: the First Steps Area and easy blues

Sestriere has a reputation for steep, technical racing slopes, so beginners should start in the right place. Vialattea's new First Steps Area in Sestriere has a beginner slope, a snow-play and bob area and a sun terrace; the bulletin lists its own magic carpet (TP. Area Primi Passi) alongside the Jolly, Principi and Anfiteatro carpets.

When you move on, the official list includes blues such as Jolly, La Blu, the Principi runs and Boulevard Golf, but colours here are the bulletin's own and some neighbours are red or black. Book a lesson, ask the school which lift and slope the group will use, and check the day's bulletin before following a blue down an unfamiliar route.

Italian rules also apply to beginners: since 1 November 2025 a certified helmet is compulsory for every skier and snowboarder, and civil-liability insurance is required by law — it can be added when you buy the pass.

Getting to Sestriere: Turin airport, the Oulx train and the bus up

Sestriere has no airport. The operator names Turin-Caselle (TRN) as the closest, about 90 km and slightly under two hours away by road. Compare flights into Turin with your full onward journey; travellers from further afield often weigh other Alpine gateways against the extra transfer time.

By train, the nearest station is Oulx on the Turin–Bardonecchia line, about 1.5 hours from Turin; direct trains from Paris Gare de Lyon also reach Oulx in under five hours. From Oulx a regular bus climbs to Sestriere in about 30 minutes — check the current winter timetable and plan around the last bus with ski bags.

Drivers from Turin take the A32 towards Bardonecchia, exit at the Oulx bypass and drive about 20 km up to Sestriere (95 km, about 1 h 30 in total). From Pinerolo it is 50 km on the SR23, and from Briançon 30 km via Montgenèvre, Cesana and the SR23. Carry winter equipment and check the col road before leaving.

Sestriere with kids: First Steps Area, baby pass and ski schools

For young children the starting point is the First Steps Area in Sestriere: a beginner slope, a snow-play and bob area and a sun terrace, so a non-skiing parent can stay close without skis. The operator also points families to the many ski and snowboard schools across Vialattea — ask each school about teaching languages, minimum age, group size and where lessons meet.

Children born in 2018 or later qualify for the Vialattea Baby pass (2026–27 online price €15.50 a day in low season, €16 in high and peak season), bought at ticket offices with ID. Under-16 prices apply to children born on or after 1 December 2010. Babies up to 24 months may ride only on lifts that carry pedestrians, in a front carrier with a free ticket.

Choose a base that keeps the walk to the lesson short: carrying skis and a child from the far end of the village can take longer than the lesson warm-up. Pets may ride only certain lifts, including the Sestriere–Fraiteve gondola and the Pattemouche–Anfiteatro cable car.

Where to stay in Sestriere: the col, Borgata or Pragelato

Sestriere village on the col (2035 m) is the most practical base: the Sestriere–Fraiteve gondola leaves from here, the First Steps Area is here, and evening night skiing on the Kandahar needs no transport. The trade-off is a modern, purpose-built resort feel and higher-altitude cold; check whether your property is near the lifts you will use most, as the village spreads along the slopes.

Borgata Sestriere is a smaller hamlet below the col that the operator lists among Sestriere's places. It suits skiers who prefer quiet evenings, but it has far fewer services than the main village; ask the host exactly which lift you can reach on foot or on skis and how you get to the main village in the evening.

Pragelato (1580 m) in the Val Chisone hosted the 2006 Olympic Nordic events and is linked to Sestriere by the Pattemouche cable car, and the operator sells a Pragelato–Banchetta day pass valid from 10:30. It is a valley base rather than a ski-in village: confirm the walk or shuttle to the Pattemouche station, and remember the link depends on that lift running.

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Sestriere ski pass 2026–27: Vialattea prices and what each pass covers

The Vialattea pass covers Sestriere, Pragelato, Sauze d'Oulx, Sansicario, Cesana and Claviere; Montgenèvre needs the Vialattea International product. Checked on 18 October 2026, the 2026–27 online price for an adult Vialattea day pass is €52 in low season, €58.50 in high season (23 January–14 March) and €60 in peak season (24 December–6 January). Six days cost €261, €305 or €312. Buying online saves €2 a day versus the ticket office.

There is also an afternoon pass from 1 pm (from €38.50) and a cheaper Pragelato–Banchetta day pass valid from 10:30 (from €36). The 6-day Vialattea pass adds one day each at Montgenèvre and Bardonecchia. Insurance is extra (€3.50 a day) unless you already have civil-liability cover.

The Vialattea International and Vialattea//Bardo season passes cost €990 until 8 November 2026 and €1,300 from 9 November; holders also get the 2026–27 night skiing on the Kandahar included.

Best time to ski in Sestriere: snow history, 2026–27 dates and night skiing

Historically February and March are the best snow window in Sestriere, with January and early April as the shoulders. A SkiPair calculation from ARPA Piemonte's official daily records for the Sestriere station (2016 m, winters 1996–97 to 2025–26) gives an average snow depth of about 49 cm in December, 69 cm in January, 82 cm in February and 81 cm in March, falling to 41 cm in April; new snow is spread fairly evenly, about 50–75 cm a month from November to April. That is village-level data: the upper lifts on Motta and Fraiteve sit far higher. Historical averages do not guarantee any particular season.

Vialattea plans the 2026–27 season from 5 December 2026 to 11 April 2027. Low-season pricing runs 5–23 December, 7–22 January and 15 March–11 April; the peak and high seasons cover the Christmas holidays and 23 January–14 March.

For 2026–27 the operator will floodlight the Kandahar in Sestriere for night skiing, with dates and times to be announced on its official channels. Before travelling, check the live bulletin for open slopes and links, the forecast for wind on the high connections, and the col road conditions.

Find Sestriere ski partners for the Kandahar, Fraiteve or a Vialattea tour

Sestriere works well for a solo trip: the train to Oulx and the bus up mean you need no car, and the village is compact. On SkiPair, add your dates, base (Sestriere, Borgata or Pragelato) and level to find people skiing the same days — for laps on Sises, a Fraiteve day towards Sauze d'Oulx and Sansicario, or an evening on the floodlit Kandahar.

Agree the plan first: which pass everyone holds (the Italian Vialattea pass does not include Montgenèvre), where you meet — the Fraiteve gondola or the Pattemouche station — and when you need to be back on the Sestriere side, because high links can close in wind. Keep a local option ready for days when the connections stop.

Ski pass prices for Sestriere

Check the operator’s current prices for your ski dates, ticket duration, age group and the area covered by the pass.

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Weather and snow

A clearer view of the snow in Sestriere: recent snowfall, what is forecast next, and an outlook for your dates.

Snow and temperature are model estimates. They do not confirm that lifts or pistes are open. Further-ahead dates show seasonal patterns rather than a weather forecast.

Flights & getting to Sestriere

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Common airports for Italy: Milan (MXP) or Venice (VCE).

Sestriere is better with your kind of people

A destination in common is a good start. Find skiers and snowboarders whose dates, ability and idea of a great day match yours.

A glimpse of Sestriere

Archive photos · cropped for display

Questions about this resort