Winter is the time of snow, mountains, and winter sports. If you love to ski, snowshoe, snowboard, sunbath in a chalet, relax in a spa or enjoy good food, you should know that the ESCP Turin Campus is the perfect place for you! The city of Turin is surrounded by the Alps and very close to several lovely ski resorts, many of which hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 2006. They are perfect getaways for your weekend in the snow or for the winter holidays.
If you already imagine yourself with skis on your feet, waiting for the next downhill run to be made, surrounded by snow and mountains, get your equipment ready. Here are the ten most beautiful ski resorts near Turin that you absolutely must not miss!
- Bardonecchia is one of the most famous Italian ski resorts. It can easily be reached in one and a half hours by direct train from Turin. Bardonecchia is located in the centre of a basin where four valleys converge, offering a breathtaking landscape and over 100 km of slopes. It is the most western municipality of the peninsula. Every winter, it fills up with young people thanks to the numerous tourist facilities, such as restaurants, clubs, sports fields, and ski slopes.
- Courmayeur is located in Valle d’Aosta, on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. With its 100 km of pistes from 1210m to 2755m, Courmayeur caters for all levels of skier. Even if its slopes are best for intermediate skiers, beginners have plenty of opportunities here, and experts can enjoy the off-piste terrain as well as heliskiing. The large village, steeped in history and stunning landscapes, is well equipped for tourists with shops, restaurants and bars. It is just a 1-hour and 40-minute train ride from Turin.
Turin is easily linked to the Vialattea, one of the largest ski areas in Europe. It offers 400 km of slopes and modern lift facilities. This French-Italian ski area includes the seven resorts of Val di Susa (Oulx, Sestriere, Cesana, Claviere, Sauze d’Oulx, Pragelato and San Sicario) and the French resort of Montgenèvre. Among them, we recommend the following:
- Sestriere is the Vialattea resort par excellence. It regularly hosts World Cup and major ski events, as happened in December 2022, and was home to Alpine skiing at the Olympics in 2006. Sestriere offers snow enthusiasts slopes of the highest technical level immersed in a panorama of evocative beauty. It is the highest municipality in Italy, at 2035 metres above sea level. The 164 km of Sestriere’s skiable area is divided into 5 black slopes for alpine skiing for 20 km and 10 for beginners for 42 km, while most tracks are ideal for intermediate skiers: 20 for 102 km. Our community usually chooses this resort to host the ESCP Ski Event: a 4-day event in the mountains that includes Sports, Fun and Networking and represents the highlight of the winter season for ESCP students from all our campuses.
- Pragelato is at the foot of the Albergian, in the Alta Val Chisone. Freeride enthusiasts especially love the resort for its interesting off-piste itineraries. At the same time, cross-country skiers can choose from seven routes, some of which lead into the Val Troncea Natural Park, a vast area served by the Conca del Sole chairlift and the Smeraldo lift. Val Troncea is entirely dedicated to freeriding, snowshoeing, running and ski mountaineering. Pragelato is small but is well connected to other resorts by lifts up Mount Morefreddo.
- Oulx is a charming mountain town and the gateway to the Vialattea ski resort thanks to its strategic location. It is easily accessible by train and car and only 79 km from Turin. Oulx allows skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Shuttle services connect Oulx to the Vialattea and Bardonecchia Ski resorts.
- Sauze d’Oulx is located in a panoramic basin sheltered from the winds and well exposed to the sun, among fairy-tale woods, at the end of the 400 km of slopes of the Vialattea. In Sauze d’Oulx, there are 8 chairlifts and 4 ski lifts serving mainly medium-difficulty alpine ski slopes. The resort also offers the possibility of ski mountaineering trips, snowshoeing, ice climbing and off-piste skiing.
- Cesana is excellently connected with all the other ski areas. Located in the Upper Susa Valley, only 10 km from the French border, it has a strategic position, connecting Claviere and San Sicario in a few minutes thanks to the ski-lift systems. In the Cesana ski area, skiers will find various slopes: 16 red, 9 black and 11 blue slopes for alpine skiing.
- Sansicario is a hamlet of Cesana Torinese, from which it is 3.4 km away. The lifts start from Sansicario Alto, on the western slope of Mt Fraiteve. The alpine ski slopes wind almost exclusively through the woods and are connected upstream with Sestriere and Sauze d’Oulx, and downstream with Cesana. Expert skiers can climb up to the 2700 m of Monte Fraiteve, while those who want to experience their first thrills on the snow can ski on easy slopes near the village.
- Claviere is the last ski resort on Italian territory before crossing the French border. From the 1760 m of the village, you go up to Colle Bercia, at 2293 m. Beautiful scenery and slopes are surrounded by larch and fir forests: 17 red, 6 black and 10 blue slopes. For cross-country skiers, there are 3 loops of increasing difficulty for a total of 10 km. Claviere offers ski mountaineering and snowshoeing enthusiasts itineraries of every type, length and altitude. The ascent to Mount Chaberton and the traverse towards Bardonecchia are just two of the great classics that can be tackled from Claviere.
- Montgenèvre, located on the border, is the only ski resort of Vialattea that is part of the French area, and it claims to be one of the first ski resorts in the country. Montgenèvre offers 49 slopes, 70 km of cross-country skiing terrain and several snowboard facilities. The ski slopes of Montgenevre run between 1,800 and 2,590 m above sea level on predominantly wooded and hilly terrain. They offer a great variety of difficulties and landscapes and will satisfy the expectations of skiers of all levels. The high altitude guarantees the ski area excellent snow quality throughout the season. Montgenevre is home to perhaps some of the most beautiful slopes in the Vialattea, with also numerous freeride itineraries for off-piste skiers.
Bonus tips:
A little further from Turin but not too far, we recommend Mondolè Ski and Limone Piemonte, in the province of Cuneo, Alagna Valsesia and Monterosa Ski, in Vercelli province.
There are so many ski resorts in the Alps, each offering exclusive fun opportunities.
One of the advantages of living in Turin is having the ski slopes less than two hours from home. You can go skiing for the day and come home exhausted and satisfied in the evening!
