Is there anywhere in Italy like this?

I can also thoroughly recommend Sauze - I was there for a fortnight in January and also a week in January 2008 and the skiing is fantastic (mostly reds, some of which are a lot easier than others.)

You should be able to ski back to the village, weather permitting (it can be a bit hit and miss as Tony pointed out), and if the snow is really good (like it was this year), there is also a run back to Jovenceaux which is the village below (although there's a chairlift which goes both ways if it isn't.) It's also not too expensive and a fairly short transfer (just over an hour from Turin.)

Here's a couple of pics of some of the skiing below the tree line:

This is one of the runs back to Sportinia (one of the more taxing reds)



This is the run down to Jovenceaux



Hope this is some help )

Lynn

Thanks for the feed back everyone, + the pics look great Lynn. Coincedently enough, last March I went to book a late deal at Sauze but by the time I'd okayed it with my ski buddie, it was sold :cry: Hotel splendid if I remember correctly.
Will keep your advise in mind & watch the snow conditions as we approach nect season.
Thanks again.

On a side issue, Tony H; which do you prefer? Austria or Italy

frostbite wrote:Thanks for the feed back everyone, + the pics look great Lynn. Coincedently enough, last March I went to book a late deal at Sauze but by the time I'd okayed it with my ski buddie, it was sold :cry: Hotel splendid if I remember correctly.
Will keep your advise in mind & watch the snow conditions as we approach nect season.
Thanks again.

On a side issue, Tony H; which do you prefer? Austria or Italy

Sorry Frostbite - that late booker who knicked your place to Hotel Splendid might have been me - we stayed there, on a late booking, in the last week of March.
Had a great time !
I agree with the other posters on skiing conditions.
This was my fourth week of skiing and the slopes were ideal for my level and to develop my technique. Some steepish reds, but wide and well maintained.
Most chairlifts are a bit old, but the longest queue we encountered all week was 12, and the slopes were the quietest I have encountered.
Sestriere is an easy visit by gondola with similar types of slopes and a few more testing, including a couple of 'Olympic' runs.
Montgenevre, part of the Milky Way, is worth the bus ride.
Conditions were getting a bit slushy into the village towards the end of the week and I believe the resort 'closed' after the first week of April - not even staying open for Easter.
Historical snow reports suggest snow depths are 'erratic' and I would not book early but would wait for confirmation of a big dump before booking, and on repeat visit would book for January or February.

Coincidentally I was in Austria - St Anton - in January.
My preference between the two resorts was for Sauze - the accommodation, ski and boot hire, and mountain restaurant/bar food were all much cheaper, although beer was on a par at 4 to 5 euros.
Ski slopes in St Anton were more demanding, both blues and reds being more difficult, to me, than the Sauze equivalents.

La Thuile and Courmayuer both fit the bill and you can ski both on one lift pass

courmayeur doesn't provide you with ski in- out though! However i did find it quite nice going up the cable car in trainers, with no ski equipment as it was all up in the hire shop on the slopes! Took all the lugging around problems out of the equation!

Sauze = Unreliable snow 8)

frostbite wrote:

On a side issue, Tony H; which do you prefer? Austria or Italy

Thats a tough call, as I have only been to Sauze in Italy for skiing. I have been to several resorts in Austria, and would have to say that generally the whole ski experience is better in Austria. But I love Sauze, and would go back there again for sure.
I dont think you can make direct comparisons between countries. I enjoyed Sauze, and hope to go back sometime, and also to visit the Dolomites too. I have also had 5 trips to Mayrhofen and would recommend it to anyone, and having been to St Anton in January, I would say I found it a fantastic ski area. Yes, I guess Austria is a little more pricey in resort, especially St Anton which is at the top end of prices, although still cheaper than most of France. St Anton came across as the "real deal" to be fair, a big ski resort with huge mountains, large area, good snow, and a different kind of feel to it altogether, and it was full of people who just looked like very serious skiers!!!
I think you have to try both for yourself.

Ciao its Max here from www.skiwithmax.com
Gressoney, Champoluc and Alagna could be the solution for you.
Let me know if you are still interested to find an ideal ski resort.
Ciao
Max