- The village685m above the median of 1,350m across the 55 resorts we cover.
- 2,035m
- Lift-linked from the village159km above the median of 146km across the 24 resorts we have a connected figure for. That is piste you can reach from the village without a bus, not what the pass covers.
- around 305km
- Top of the skiing91m above the median of 2,697m across the 55 resorts we cover.
- 2,788m
- SeasonThe standard Alpine season, shared by 42 of the 55 resorts we cover.
- December to April
Is Sestriere right for you?
Sestriere was one of the first purpose built ski resorts and sits high on the vast Via Lattea, or Milky Way, which sprawls across the French and Italian border. The village sits at 2,035m and the skiing tops out at 2,788m, and the season runs December to April. On the piste it is a real strength for improvers moving from blue into red and confident intermediates.
Sestriere at a glance
- Ski area
- Via Lattea
- Best for
- Snow sure · Mileage chasers · Families with teenagers
- Fly to
- Turin, Milan Malpensa or Geneva
- Transfer
- About 1h45 by road from Turin
- Doorstep skiing
- Widely available
Who Sestriere suits, and who it suits less
Best for
- Snow sure. Sestriere sits at 2,035 metres, we measure 91 percent of its piste above 1,800 metres, and the skiing reaches 2,788 metres.
- Mileage chasers. The Vialattea links Sestriere with Sauze d'Oulx, Sansicario, Cesana and Claviere, about 305 kilometres on the standard Italian pass, with long runs between the villages.
- Families with teenagers. Teenagers can test themselves on the 2006 Olympic slopes and the steep Banchetta, with four snowparks across the area and floodlit night skiing on the Kandahar.
Less good for
- Beginners. There are only seven green runs across the whole Vialattea, against 120 red, so nervous first timers have a small choice of the gentlest runs.
- Non skiers. Sestriere is purpose built and mostly about the skiing, so non skiers will want the day trip down to Turin for museums, cafés and food.
Skiing from 1,840m to 2,788m, village at 2,035m.
Where these heights are
- Lowest skiing
- 1,840mSestriere Borgata. The linked Pragelato sector goes down to 1,580m.
- Village
- 2,035m
- Top of the skiing
- 2,788mOur measurement of the highest marked piste.
- 50km blue31%
- 92km red58%
- 18km black11%
We found no official split by colour for Sestriere, so this is our own measurement of the marked runs around it, from the piste map.
No green: Italian pistes are graded from blue.
- Black piste
- 18km, 11% of the pisteLess than the median of 11% across the 55 resorts we cover.
- Off piste itinerary
- 11kmMarked routes, not pistes, and never added to the piste figures.
- Ski area
- Vialattea, 305kmThe Italian lifts on the standard pass. Montgenèvre, in France, needs the International pass.
Sources
- Village height: vialattea.it
- Lowest skiing: vialattea.it
- Top of the skiing: our measurement of the highest marked piste
- Piste by colour and the steep end: our measurement of the OpenStreetMap piste map
The published figures were read on 29 October 2026.
Around 305km, and you can ski all of it.
- 50km blue31%
- 92km red58%
- 18km black11%
Plus 11km of off-piste itinerary, kept out of the piste total.
- Improvers, blue into redA real strength
- Confident intermediatesA real strength
- Strong skiersFine
The spreadIt scores 0.84 for evenness, where 1 is a perfect three way split between blue, red and black. The largest share is red, at 58%.
Longest pistePattemouche, 3km of red with 472m of vertical.
Via Lattea is one lift-connected domain, so around 305km is what you can ski from Sestriere without a bus. The pass is marketed at 400km. Around 305km is our figure for what the standard pass covers from Sestriere.
Our own measurement of the run geometry around Sestriere comes to 160km of graded piste, and that is what the profile below is drawn from.
Sources: vialattea.it
Sestriere among its Italian peers
Of these five, Sestriere has the second highest village, 2,035m. The median across the 55 resorts we cover is 1,350m.
The far side is on a pricier pass, so the standard pass does not cover the whole area.
Snow-sure at 2,035m. The village is functional rather than pretty, and some people mind that more than they expect to.
Who should look elsewhere
If you want a village with a heart
Val Gardena or Bormio will suit you far better.
Know the mountain before you go.
The skiing
The terrain is extensive and mostly intermediate, with the option to ski across to Sauze d'Oulx, Sauze and even into France at Montgenèvre. It hosted Olympic events and has the pistes to prove it.
The village and the evenings
The village is functional and high rather than pretty, but it delivers snow reliability and value. It is a strong choice for groups who want a lot of skiing without a big bill.
Getting there
Turin is only about an hour and a half away, one of the shorter Italian transfers.
- Turinabout 1h45 by road
- Milan Malpensaabout 3h by road
- Genevaabout 3h by road