Another favourite is piste number 12 to Jouvenceaux - a 1,000m drop on natural snow, half of it rarely pisted and bumpy at times - a real treat for pure skiers.Sansicario is the place to be seen in the world of Italian skiing! Jouvenceaux is served by a new chairlift, which takes you directly to the beginner's area of Sauze Sportinia, which connects to the wider Sauze and ViaLattea ski area.This eastern section of ViaLattea includes a fabulous selection of interesting runs from the top of Monte Fraiteve (2,680m) down to the villages of Sansicario, Jouvenceaux and Sauze d'Oulx. It's quicker to take the new 4 man chairlift (43) then ride the next chairlift to back down to the valley - there's no piste on the bottom stretch.The local buses to the centre of Cesana, Sauze and Sestriere depart from this area at the bottom of the lift, and on the opposite side of the road you will see the Pariol gondola, which takes you to Sansicario and the eastern side of the ViaLattea.From the village of Claviere the Col Boeuf chairlift (50) takes you to the more exciting ski area of Montgenevre. The ski area is reached from the village centre, or by taking the succession of chairlifts from Cesana to Colle Bercia (2,393m).

There is no easy way down from Monte Banchetta - all the runs have a steep finish.To connect with the neighbouring resorts, take the Col Basset gondola (15) from Sestriere Borgata towards Sauze d'Oulx, or the Fraiteve gondola (32) from opposite the Olympic Village, towards Sansicario.Overall Via Lattea's 90 ski lift system is modern and high speed and with an uphill capacity of 90,000 riders per hour, though for some reason they don't believe in covered chairlifts in this area!You are unlikely to have to queue for the lifts and the pisted runs are generally well marked, making getting around fairly straightforward, but boarders should be aware that the return connection from Sauze to Sestriere/Sansicario will not be easy for them due to some long steep drag lifts.Non skiers will generally be allowed on the lower lifts out of the villages without skis, the exception being Claviere where, if you would like to visit the Mon Soleil restaurant, you will need to go on foot!The ski lifts are open from early December until mid-April.The full Via Lattea ski lift pass covers all 90 lifts in the Via Lattea resorts of Sestriere, Sansicario, Sauze d'Oulx, Pragelato, Cesana and Claviere, and also allows a day in the connected French resort of Montgenevre.

Though largely modern in appearance, the historic centre retains some of the original charm of the village and features an attractive 16th church and some interesting old buildings. Pragelato offers 50 kilometres of well-tended snow-covered pistes with panoramic views of incomparable beauty, for beginners and expert skiers alike.

The hamlet is very quiet and relaxing but has its own informal pizzerias, restaurants and bars, meaning that there is no need to travel to nearby Sauze d'Oulx (unless you wish to!).

There are restaurants and bars but this is not a resort for hard-core night clubbers.There are a number of ski hire options.

A seulement 200m des pistes, avec une vue imprenable sur le domaine skiable et ses sommets. For afternoon skiing choose the two short but interesting pisted runs to Capanna Gimont (95 and 97). En piste, direction Pragelato ! The through road is now buried which has hugely improved the ambience. It has a decent range of skis and boards for every standard and This is a quiet resort over the border in France and on the Western edge of the Via Lattea ski area, featuring some pleasant bars, pizzerias and restaurants. After the Turin Olympics a gondola was built to connect it to the 400km (250 miles) of the Vialattea ski pass at Sestriere.

Jouvenceaux is a small hamlet of character, just 1½ km south of Sauze d'Oulx. Popular pizzerias include Lo Scoiattolo in Sestriere (Tel: +39 0122 750811), The Kilt in Claviere (Tel: +39 0122 878051) and La Lambretta in Fenils (Tel: +39 0122 897257)Sauze d'Oulx has a number of good restaurants including Il Cantun (Tel: +39 0122 858593), the Old Inn (Tel: +39 0122 858541) and the Chalet del Sole. If you want fresh powder, however, go to Montgenevre: it’s much more snowy and its off-piste is well worth exploring.Claviere lies in a snowy bowl at an altitude of 1,760m on the border between Italy and France and is centrally situated in the Via Lattea. Sauze d'Oulx is most lively for apres ski and offers a choice of numerous bars and good nightlife as well as plenty of restaurants.In comparison with other ski resorts, eating out in the Via Lattea is still reasonably priced. The piste back to Claviere from La Coche is the preferred ski school run for first week skiers and often busy.Whatever you do in Claviere, be sure to go to the Colle Bercia where you can enjoy superb views. Via Lattea (Milky Way) Ski Lifts & Lift Passes A full Via ski lift pass covers all 90 lifts in the Via Lattea resorts of Sestriere, Sansicario, Sauze d’Oulx, Pragelato, Cesana and Claviere, and also allows a day in the connected French resort of Montgenevre. (A better option might be visiting the There is a good range of ski hire shops but you will be charged a full price if you just turn up at the shop at the start of your holiday. The Skiset concession gives about the biggest discount, Sauze d'Oulx, at an altitude of 1509m, is a lively resort that has long been popular with both young British skiers and Italian weekenders from Turin.

A lovely blue run (3) leads you to Sestriere Borgata from where you can access Monte Banchetta (2,555m) and Monte Motta (2,823m), which is the highest point in the ViaLattea. From Col Bassett a long red run takes you to the Sestriere Borgata gondola middle station (15 - Col Basset). The eastern side of the ViaLattea area is easily accessed from Claviere and in addition you have the option to ski Montgenevre in France.From central Claviere your starting point is likely to be the slow four man chair lift up to the sunny area of La Coche. Pendant la saison d'hiver les informations sont mises à jour tous les jours. Beginners can buy point lift passes for individual rides on specific lifts and there are also local, village specific, day passes available in all resorts.Children under 8 and senior's (over 75) are entitled to a free ski pass, though to qualify for the free children's pass, an accompanying adult needs to purchases a pass of the same duration. La région bénéficie d'un bon enneigement de novembre à mai et des canons à neige assurent la bonne qualité de la poudreuse. It's illegal to land on mountain tops in France, but not in Italy, regardless of which side of the border you took off from. Parmi les stations qui le composent se trouvent les villages de Sestrières, Sauze d'Oulx, Cesana, Clavière et San Sicario. Each resort has its own Tourist Office with plenty of useful information including resort maps, bus timetables, events and activities, information on weather and snow conditions etc.

You can reach Colle Bercia by any of three modern chairlifts, Serra Granet (number 48 on the ViaLattea map), Gimont (47) and Colle Bercia (44). In Jouvenceaux both the Etoile des Neiges (Tel: +39 0122 858422) and La Fontaine (Tel: +39 0122 858150) offer good home cooked food at reasonable prices.Rist. The Capret is in a central location at a junction of 3 lifts in Borgata Sestriere, and offers good food in a friendly atmosphere. All Rights Reserved.