The skiing resort of Bardonecchia is situated in the Susa Valley, Italy, Piedmont, in Turin. There is 100km of slopes available for skiing and snowboarding. A total of seventeen lifts carry guests. The winter sports area is located between 1.312 and 2.800 m elevations. The Vialattea ski area, known as the Milky Way is nearby.
What are the ski resorts in Bardonecchia?
The first area is the Colomion-Les Arnauds. It is connected to another skiing area known as Melezet: here, there’s a wide range of runs that wind down through the woods. The starting point is at Campo Smith (1300 m) in the centre of the resort, and the lifts take skiers up to the highest point of 2400 metres where you ski above the stunning treeline, serving up spectacular views.
Just 5 minutes from the centre there is the third ski area called Jafferau. A free ski bus that runs from the city to Jafferau, where the skiing is mainly on open runs with fantastic views over the surrounding mountains. Here the highest point is 2800 metres, and through winter into spring, there are endless possibilities for off-piste skiing.
Bardonecchia ski resort info
Bardonecchia is part of the Valle di Susa in northwest Piedmont which borders France. Well connected by road, train (both domestic and international), and airport connections (Milan, Turin, Chambery, and Geneva are all within easy reach). Bardonecchia is approximately 50 minutes by highway from Turin, 1 hour by train from Turin, and 2 hours from Milan. The Turin Caselle International Airport is about 1 hour away.
1.312 – 2.800 m elevations
Easy runs: 54 km
Intermediate runs: 38 km
Difficult and advanced runs: 13 km
Ski lifts: 17
General season: the beginning of December – end of April
Snow-making (artificial) facilities
50% of the slopes have the potential to make snow
Available is a valley ski run
Snow parks
Pleasant park and snow park
Halfpipe is available
Ski resort towns/villages (distance from the city centre) Bardonecchia (1.7 km) Melezet (0.4 km) and Les-Arnauds (0.5 km)
Is Bardonecchia snow sure?
Bardonecchia has an erratic snowfall record, but its slopes reach a good height and are well served by snow-making. The lower slopes are not the most reliable, but all sectors have a mid-station, making it easy to stay high if conditions dictate. Bardonecchia, which is in Italy’s Piedmont region, hosted the snowboarding events for the Turin Winter Olympics.
Is this ski resort busy or quiet?
It’s very quiet here, which is great for skiing but not ideal for the region, the area would like a few more visitors. The pistes only perk up around 3 pm, when local after-school clubs don skis and get into the classic follow-the-leader formation.
However, this could be because of its close proximity to Vialattea ski area, not many Brits ski on Bardonecchia’s quiet slopes. Bardonecchia with its mainly intermediate pistes offers lots of good skiing to occupy you for a week. Also, the resort is conveniently located for a day trip to the better known Sauze d’Oulx or Sestriere.
Italy’s ski resorts
The region has had a generous amount of snow, and there is a frisson of excitement at the welcoming sight of big, impeccably groomed pistes that can be seen as you catch your first chair of the day, mainly since there is virtually no one on them. The fight for the first tracks that you eventually lose in a French mega-resort could be won here with minimal effort and persistent failure to rise in time to get the first lift. With bright blue skies overhead, the day dawns bright and clear, adding the pristine slopes of hard-packed snow underfoot, and any day is the perfect day to go skiing in Italy.
