Club Med Pragelato-Sestriere is the kind of place where skiing or snowboarding stops being an optional holiday activity and becomes the entire reason for being there. In fact, the idea of travelling to Club Med Pragelato-Sestriere is that you can’t not ski nor snowboard. The mountains have a way of taking over your schedule. To borrow a line from The Devil Wears Prada, “I plan my whole year around this.” After a week here, I understood exactly what that means.
The resort sits in the heart of Piedmont and has direct access to Via Lattea, or the Milky Way, one of Europe’s largest ski domains. The network stretches across 400 kilometres of pistes linking seven villages between Italy and France, with runs that hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics. Whether you are stepping into skis for the first time or looking to test yourself on steep black runs, there is more than enough terrain to keep you occupied from first lift to last descent.
Club Med includes group lessons as part of the stay, and the Italian instructors are exceptional. Ski classes (and we heard from the snowboarders too) here were among the best we have experienced anywhere. What is different here is the precision and technique, with instructors adamant that you get them right, which makes for fewer injuries and accidents. In Italy, it is mandatory to wear a helmet whenever you are on the ski slopes.
Lessons are organised in small groups by ability, and you usually stay with the same instructor throughout the week, which means they quickly understand your strengths, your hesitations, and exactly where you need to improve. It is a ski boot camp, but more fun. The progress can be surprisingly dramatic. There is a real sense of achievement by the end of the week, helped by instructors who know when to push and when to reassure.
One particular moment stayed with me: while riding down one of the slopes, I saw an instructor guiding a blind boy down the mountain. The patience of the instructor and the determination of the student were remarkable to watch. It was a simple but powerful reminder that these sports are far more accessible than many people imagine. With the right support, almost anyone can experience the exhilaration of gliding down a mountain.
The resort itself is designed as a small Alpine village, with wooden chalets scattered around winding paths. This makes sense, as it used to be the Olympic Village during the 2006 Winter Olympics. The rooms are comfortable and functional, with warm wood finishes and a forest-print feature wall. With a little balcony outside, any time you need a cool breeze, it is charming to look out over the other village chalets.
As with all Club Med resorts, everything is included. Il Piemonte, the main restaurant, offers generous spreads of handmade pasta, local cheeses, charcuterie, international favourites and a gelato station (score!). La Trattoria serves excellent wood-fired pizzas (they’ve got pizza topped with fries) and very good tiramisu, while La Tana provides a more intimate setting for fondue and stone-grilled meats paired with various Italian wines.
One of the best features of Pragelato-Sestriere is that lunch on the mountain is also taken care of. In addition to the resort’s three restaurants, several partner restaurants on the slopes are included, allowing you to stop for a proper Italian meal on the slopes before heading back down. A little shot of Genepy with the instructors before heading back up the slopes is a bonus too. An added bonus is getting to exchange stories with the instructors, who mention that they started learning to ski when they were three or four years old and that it is a way of life for them here.
When you need a recharge after outdoor activities, the wellness options here are well-equipped. Housed in a separate chalet, the spa includes a heated indoor pool, sauna, and gym. At this point, a massage will also do you good.
Even though it is ski this, snowboard that, there are still various other activities that are less adrenaline-rushing but equally interesting. One of them is snowshoeing: a two-hour, leisurely paced hike on the snow with a mountain guide who will tell you more about the geography and terrain. Or mountain biking, sledding, Pilates, or just an easy stretching class to end your evening.
If you are up for an hour’s drive to the city, Pinerolo carries history. First recorded in 996, it later came under the House of Savoy and served as the capital of the Princes of Acaia from 1295 to 1418. Its fortress became famous in the 17th century as a state prison, holding figures such as Nicolas Fouquet and the mysterious Man in the Iron Mask. Pinerolo became a bishop’s seat in 1748.
What one can really appreciate is how liberating the all-inclusive format proves to be. Ski passes are handed to you on arrival, equipment can be pre-booked and waiting in your locker, and lessons are scheduled in advance. There is very little to organise, which leaves you free to enjoy the activities available, whether indoors or outdoors.
Club Med Pragelato-Sestriere is ideal for anyone who wants to make genuine progress on the slopes while enjoying excellent food and the ease of having every detail arranged for them. You come for the skiing, but you leave with something even more satisfying: the confidence that you are capable of far more than you thought when you first stepped into your boots.
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