Morningstar Ski Tour’s 26th Annual European Alps Fest.
Second ski week: fly out March 13- March 21, 2020
Italian Alps Ski Week for
$1,089*
For all trip deposits, final payment, minimum size surcharges, go to Ski Week logistics page linked below.
Click for SKI WEEKS LOGISTICS PAGE
Click for description page of our expert guided backcountry skiing offered every ski day.
Sestriere, Italy.. The Milky Way
Site of a past Olympics. Our sixth tour to this amazing complex.
6 interconnected resorts in Italy / France
One of the largest ski complexes in the world.
249 miles of groomed trails and 72 lifts
~5 Italian ski resorts, 1 French resort, all connected, all on one lift pass, all awesome.
~7 nights three-star ski-in / ski-out hotel with breakfast and 4 course dinner included daily. Roll out of bed and onto the lift.
~Private charter bus transfers to/from Milan airport to your hotel.
~Special: Wine-paired dinner: We will have a local wine expert pour selected wines with each course.
~Special: Wine tasting with wines of the region one night before dinner with local expert.
$1,089* / Single occupancy +$299
The Milky Way offers spectacular HUGE skiing. We have had fresh powder on every one of our four ski weeks there.
Our 10 day Ireland post trip after Sestriere week
Details of our preceeding ski week
Les Arcs / La Plagna, France
Columbia employees CLICK for information page.
* Price subject to adjustment up or down based on change in the Euro / Dollar exchange rate, t.b.a. at time of final payment.
*If trip size is below 30 participants, a small-group surcharge of $58 will be added to the final cost per person.*Price does NOT include: air, small local lodging tax of a few euros per night, lift pass (@$45 a day!), which is about 1/3 the cost of U.S. resorts
MINIMUM TRIP SIZE OF 15 HAS BEEN REACHED as of October 30 2019. This trip is a GO!
Trip insurance: Never leave the country without it. It not only covers trip cancellation, but it covers $100,000 of emergency medical, medical evacuation, trip interruption and delay, baggage, and more. We never do a trip without it. Trip insurance page
Photos of what we experienced last year, March 2019, in the French Alps Click for Morzine and Trois Vallees 2019 photo gallery
Click for ski pics from past Sestriere tours we have done. You will see why we are headed back.
Click for ski pics from Italy 2018 Powderfest… Courmayeur and Monte Rosa
Have a look at our 2015 tour to Mont Blanc / Courmayeur, Italy pics
$$→Read all the financial details pertaining to the tour(s) on the Trip Logistics page.
The skiing terrain in Sestriere is limitless. The off-trail skiing is as good as it gets. We will include a heli day option during our week for experts. This was a heli day three years ago…. epic.
The Milky Way is a massive ski region comprised of five Italian resorts and one French resort.
How about a trip to the Milky Way? Morningstar is going there in March 2020. But it is not a journey to the stars. It is a journey to the Italian Milky Way…a ski complex surrounding the resort of Sestriere, Italy, site of the Olympics. Consisting of 5 Italian ski resorts and one French resort, it offers 249 miles of groomed trails. You won’t ski it all in a week. Every day you can ski a different resort.
Skiing in the Milky Way of the Italian Alps is spectacular. This photo was on our last visit 3 years ago. We cannot wait to return. It is one of the best ski resorts in the Alps.
With this much skiing, there is plenty of variety to keep skiers of all levels happy. And for the experts, the off-trail possibilities are limitless. As always on our European Alps tours, we will offer guided off-trail skiing for the entire week. The backcountry of the Alps is why Skiman has gone back year after year for 25 years now. We are also going to add another off-trail guided option for those who want to ski off the trials but at a more mellow pace than the expert group. Deb and a group of ladies did this on both of our ski weeks last year in France and everyone loved it. Many said it was the best skiing experience of their lives. So we plan on offering that same opportunity to everyone for this Sestrsiere tour.
Andrea Mazon and Skiman a few years ago. He will be our head guide. He knows every inch of this region and is a wonderful guy.
Our head guide for the off-trail skiing is a good friend of Skiman. Andrea knows every inch of this region and is one of the best guides anywhere. We have skied with him for two weeks in the past and he is as good as they get. Once you see the vast ski terrain in this region, you will understand why the 2006 Olympics were held here. Morningstar has organized five ski weeks in this huge ski region and every one of those weeks offered fresh powder skiing. We have yet to go to Sestriere without fresh pow. Some of our most wonderful memories come from our ski days in Sestriere. It is not surprising that we are going back for the fifth time. And, it is off most American skier’s radar… perfect!
Milky Way Region Statistics
72 lifts
246 miles of groomed trails
4-star ratings for:
Extent / Snow / Intermediate
The off-trail guided possibilities make this one of the biggest regions in the world.
Note on guided skiing: One big advantage going with our tour is the affordability of off-trail skiing. On your own, the guides are expensive per day. But with our groups, we can split the cost up, allowing for outstanding backcounty skiing for @$70 a day. Intermediate guided ON-TRAIL days. For those of you who want to enjoy the skiing on trail but would like to have a guided experience with a local guide, we will organize one or two such days for you. Especially with a resort this size, it is a great idea to spend a day with a local guide who can show you around the area, point out the best restaurants, and give you some instruction tips as well.
The Olympic Hotel is in the middle of the village and the lift system… everything a short walk away.
The Olympic hotel is a rarity, offering ski in / ski out convenience at a great value price for your stay.
Things near by: Turin is only one hour away and makes for a perfect day trip. Turin has some very interesting attractions, especially its Egyptian museum which is the second-best in the world… definitely worth a day trip if you want a day off from skiing.
Ruins of an entire silver mining village that was wiped out by an avalanche over 100 years ago. We skied through this place on one of our guided days. What a fascinating area to ski!
Off-trail memories: Crazy good ski days have been had in Sestriere. Tree runs that last 1.5 hours…Huge offtrail ski runs, so big that on one ay we skied 6 hours and did only two runs…… Skiing thru the ruins of a mining village that was wiped out 110 years ago by an avalanche…. Skiing to our guide Andrea’s house so he could check on his pregnant cow. The house was built in 1410… Lots of great Sestriere memories… let’s go make some more!
Why go with Morningstar to the Alps?
*Convenience. You show up at the airport, we do the rest.
*Assurance. Nice to know if something goes wrong or you get injured, there are a lot of very
nice folks to lend a hand.
*Our experience. We have taken @5,000 people to Europe over the past 25 years. We know
how to put the nuts and bolts of a trip to the Alps together. We know the potential pitfalls
and mistakes that can be made when planning a European ski holiday.
*We save you money. Keep in mind it is not just the package that is a good value. If you
are joining one of our expert guided groups or intermeiate guided groups, you save a huge
amount. A guide costs $500 a day. On your own or with a friend, that makes for a pricey
day. With us the guide cost is divided by up to 8 skiers and is therefore afforable.
*It is great to make new friends from all over the U.S. We have some of the nicest skiers around!
Sestriere region is an intermediate parasdise, with hundreds of kilometers of groomed trails connecting 6 resorts and two countries.
Intermediate On-Trail skiing: This region is perfect for intermediate and expert skiers who prefer to stick to the groomed trails. There are 249 miles of groomers that will keep you busy and happy for the entire week. You can journey all the way to France on skis, have fondue for lunch, and ski back to Italy on the same day. Each morning you can chose your own adventure. It is one of the best resorts for intermediates.
Our British friend George enjoys a heli day run on our last Sestriere tour. We plan on offering one heli ski day this year as well.
Olympic Hotel offers nice modern rooms and excellent cuisine. Breakfast and 4 course dinner included daily in your tour.
Doing both ski weeks (Sestriere and Les Arcs, France): Many of our skier friends do both ski weeks. If you have the resources and the time, this is a great idea. You have to pay to fly over to Europe and back, so the longer you stay, the more value you are getting out of your ticket.
Note: For all skiers doing multiple weeks, there will be an additional charge for the connecting ride between the ski weeks. This cost will be determined at time of final payment and is dependent on the number of participants using this service. Contact us for all the details about doing multiple weeks.
The air for this tour: You arrange air so that you are at the Milan Malpensa airport by noon on March 14, 2020. That means you must leave the U.S. no later than March 13.
No matter what segments you are doing, your air must arrive into your European airport by noon. It must not depart before 10:30 AM.
Sestriere only: Arrive and depart Milan MXP airport.
Les Arcs only: Arrive and depart Geneva GVA airport.
Doing both ski weeks: Arrive in Geneva GVA and depart Milan MXP.
Doing Ireland as well? Make your departure from Dublin DUB
Get your Italy Mojo going!
Signing up for this tour
→Decide how many segments you are doing. This ski week only?Both ski weeks? Extension tour to Puglia, Italy?
→Single occupancy upgrade? Let us know at sign up.
→Make an initial deposit of $375 BY NOVEMBER 15 per person/ per trip. This deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable. (Note: We highly recommend you purchase trip insurance from us at the time of depositing to ensure the return of any monies deposited on the tour(s) if cancellation is necessary.
→Make SURE that you have a valid passport and that it does NOT expire within 3 months of your trip return date.
We offer trip cancellation insurance directly to you for a good savings.
$$→Read all the financial details pertaining to the tour(s) on the Trip Logistics page.
Click HERE for ski pics from past Sestriere tours we have done.
All our ski tours offer the savings of group pricing while still affording you as much autonomy and individual freedom as you desire. We do NOT offer micro-managed group tours. It is your ski vacation and there is great flexibility withing the parameters of our tours. Of course, we always offer opportunities to participate in special events and activities, but none are mandatory. It’s your week to do with as you please.