Where to go skiing in Piedmont: ski areas, locations and ski slopes

Are you wondering where to go skiing in Piedmont? This region is the ideal destination for ski and winter sports enthusiasts or those who are dreaming to spend a relaxing holiday or a weekend in the snow.

Piedmont, as the etymology of its name suggests, is surrounded by mountains on three sides: north, on the border with the Aosta Valley and Switzerland (Canton Valais), west on the border with France, and south on the border with Liguria up to the Apennines.

Thanks to its morphology, all the activities related to the mountains are rooted in history and culture: here the Italian Alpine Club was born on 23 October 1863 and this region was also one of the first to attract tourists interested in winter sports.

In Piedmont you can choose from about fifty ski resorts and over a thousand kilometers of slopes, both downhill and cross-country: large areas such as the Via Lattea or small stations with a single chair lift and a cozy environment suitable for families with children and their needs.

Winter in Piedmont is not only skiing: it is an opportunity to venture into exciting snowshoeing, ice skating and many other sports and practice activities to discover.

The Via Lattea is one of the largest ski areas in Italy and extends over the territory of 8 different locations, one of which in France: Sestriere, Cesana, Claviere, Sauze d'Oulx, Oulx, Sansicario, Pragelato and Monginevro in France, for a total of 249 slopes (7 green, 80 blue, 120 red and 42 black) and 70 lifts.

It is located in Val di Susa about eighty kilometers from Turin and is easily accessible by motorway. Public transport, both trains and buses are very efficient: in addition to being all the locations in the area perfectly connected to each other, there are also frequent connections to Turin and Briancon.

There are over 400 km of slopes with every level of difficulty to suit all needs: the Olympic slopes for experienced skiers (here were hosted the Olympic Winter Games in Turin 2005 and the Alpine Ski World Championships, also periodically held Ski World Cup races) or the Fun Park for children in Sansicario and Sauze d'Oulx, equipped with treadmill and inflatable facilities to learn ski having fun. There are also itineraries in the middle of larch woods and at high altitude, skimo or freeride trails with heliski.

The area is also very rich in shelters where you can take a break, maybe enjoying local dishes in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Here the official website of Via Lattea.

Ancient origins location, borderland between Italy and France: located in upper Val di Susa, not far from the Mont Cenis pass, has seen the passage of peoples and armies through centuries of history. It preserves a charming ancient village, a church with two bell towers, an important archaeological site and many chapels with valuable frescoes. Bardonecchia was one of the first ski resorts in the early 900. Today the slopes are spread over four areas: Campo Smith, Colomion, Melezet and Jafferau, a total of 100 km, mainly among the trees facing north that well preserves the snow. As many as 5 of these slopes are black, 18 red and 16 blue and develop on a total drop of 1400 meters. Freestyle enthusiasts will find a snowpark at 2200 meters, suitable of all levels riders: both experienced with facilities created for the Olympics and beginners with a dedicated area.

Here the official website.

The ski area of Mondolè Ski is spread over the territories of Artesina, Frabosa and Prato Nevoso and is located in the Maritime Alps.

The ski resort is from the 60s, but was renovated in the early 2000s and today can boast over 130 kilometers of slopes and 30 lifts, distributed on a height difference of about 1100 meters and all connected to each other "skis on foot".

In Prato Nevoso is available one of the largest Snowpark in Piedmont, the area is also well organized for excursions with heliski on major peaks, such as Monte Mongioie (2,630 m.), Pian Ballaur (2,604 m.), Monte Mondolè (2,382 m.) and many others.

The variety of offers and the cost of the ski pass makes it probably one of the best resorts in Piedmont in terms of quality/price ratio.

Here the official website.

Limone Piemonte is located at 1000 meters and is the main town of the Vermenagna Valley in the Maritime Alps.

Its location on the border with France makes it historically a land of passage and ideal for winter tourism since the first decades of the last century.

Investments in recent years have the goal of transforming it into an eco-friendly tourist resort, with the development of sustainable mobility and digital infrastructure and technologies, to transform the resort into a modern "smart city".

The area of the Limone Piemonte White Reserve covers a total of over 80 km of slopes served by seventeen lifts. It also has a modern Snowpark, and 5 km of Cross-Country Ski trails.

Here the official website.

The charming Walser village of Alagna is located in Valsesia at the foot of the majestic south wall of Monte Rosa, the second highest mountain in Europe (4,634 meters) after Mont Blanc and the largest mountain range in the Alps.

Very close to the border with Aosta Valley and Switzerland, Alagna was colonized at the end of 1200 by Valais populations and preserves almost unchanged the typical architecture of the huts in stone and wood. The ancient language spoken by its inhabitants (Titschu) also reveals the Germanic origin of German Switzerland.

Its territory, connected with the lifts to the Valdostan towns of Gressoney and Champoluc, is a real paradise for those who love to practice off-piste skiing and skimo, for this reason has been named "Freeride Paradise". It is frequented by many foreign tourists skilled in these disciplines, in particular from the nations of Northern Europe.

The slopes in Alagna are 8 for a total of about 15 kilometers, but the overall development of the entire area is 180 km distributed over three valleys and two regions. It reaches 3,275 meters and it is the highest in Piedmont.

Here the official website.

Macugnaga also tells the story of an ancient Walser settlement: located at the foot of Monte Rosa and very close to the border with Switzerland, it is the most famous tourist resort of Anzasca Valley.

Here you can choose between two distinct ski areas: the Monte Moro, facing the enchanting view of the east face of Monte Rosa and the slopes of the Belvedere at the foot of the glacier, a very popular ski mountaineering area that also houses a snowpark. The total development of the slopes is about thirty kilometers, served by 7 lifts and located at an altitude ranging from 1,327 to 3,000 m.

Macugnaga also offers some cross-country ski trails in Pecetto and Isella, immersed in a very suggestive natural landscape: from here it also starts a slope to the Val Quarazza, a wild valley that ends at Passo del Turlo, an ancient mountain pass between Valle Anzasca and Valsesia.

Here the official website.

Bielmonte is a small ski resort immersed in the enchanting setting of the Oasi Zegna: a balcony overlooking the Po Valley and the Pennine Alps, dominated by the imposing silhouette of the Monte Rosa massif.

It has 11 slopes, mostly exposed to the south and 9 lifts for a total development of about 18 km. 20 km of cross-country trails complete the offer.

There are also many trails ideal for snowshoeing, surrounded by the wild nature of Val Sessera.

Here the official website.

Caldirola is the only ski resort in the province of Alessandria: it is located in upper Val Curone, at the foot of Monte Giarolo and Monte Panà, on the border with Val Borbera. Here the vocation for winter sports has a rather ancient history, already in 1929 had been founded a Ski Club: today there are about 6 kilometers of slopes served by a chair lift, a total of three slopes and a school camp spread over 350 meters of altitude.

Unfortunately also Caldirola is suffering from lack of snow and rising temperatures in recent years, but despite the climate has been able to differentiate the proposals. From the end of March until the end of November the ski slopes are transformed into a fully equipped Downhill Bike Park, with different degrees of difficulty slopes, suitable for beginners and more experienced bikers:  it is active every weekend and everyday in August.

Here the official website.