Sauze d'Oulx

Sauze d’ Oulx is a resort that clubs together with a host of other areas to form one of the biggest rideable areas in Europe, known as the Milky Way. The resort played host to the freestyle skiing competions during the 2006 Winter Olympics. Located in the northwest of Italy, Sauze doesn’t have the greatest snow record, but does have a long history as a holiday camp style resort. It's the sort of place where certain lowlifes come to get drunk near the snow. In truth, things aren’t quite as bad as they sound and nowadays the place is inhabited by more Italians than package groups from afar.

At one end of the Milky Way is Sauze d’ Oulx, perched at 1500m and at the other end is Montgeneve in France, which together offer over 285 miles of rideable terrain, linked by a hectic lift system all covered by a single pass. This vast area that takes in the slopes of Sauze, Sansicario, Borgata, Sestrieres, Claviere and Montgenevre provides an area of mostly intermediate and beginner terrain, with enough stuff for advanced riders to take on too. There are a few black-graded knuckle rides up on the Borgata and Sestrieres areas to test the best, particularly freeriders.

The biggest cluster of runs are found on Sauze d’ Oulx’s own slopes, where intermediate freeriders will find loads of interconnecting red runs that weave through tight trees.