Via Lattea’s cross-border lift and football pitch mark a broader post-Olympic push

Work at Claviere and Sauze d’Oulx is intended to improve the Italian–French ski connection while adding to the area’s summer-sports offer. Officials are targeting completion before the coming winter season, though the schedule remains dependent on construction progress.

A lift project in Claviere and a football pitch under construction in Sauze d’Oulx may seem like separate investments. Local officials present them as part of the same strategy: use the Via Lattea’s post-Olympic infrastructure program to strengthen both winter access and year-round tourism.

During a site visit, the post-Olympic works commissioner, regional public-works officials and representatives of S.C.R. Piemonte inspected the former Col Saurel lift site in Claviere, along with projects in Sauze d’Oulx. These include the football field, improvements to the lower end of the Clotes piste and changes to the Clotes chairlift boarding area. The stated aim is to complete the works before the next winter season, subject to progress on site and the planned timetable.

At Claviere, the relocated Col Saurel chairlift is intended to create a direct, high-altitude connection with Montgenèvre in France. The project is part of a longer-running effort to make the cross-border ski area easier to navigate. Vialattea and Montgenèvre renewed their collaboration agreement in 2025 for five years, covering joint promotion and the coordination of lifts and pistes along the border. The agreement identified the Col Saurel relocation as a project that could enable the direct connection.

That link has strategic value beyond a single lift ride. Claviere sits where the Italian and French sectors of the Vialattea meet, and the wider ski product is marketed across both countries. Easier movement between the two sides could make the international character of the area more practical for visitors, rather than simply a feature of the trail map.

The Sauze d’Oulx works address a different part of the visitor experience. The Clotes piste terminal and lift-boarding area are being reorganized alongside construction of a football field. The pitch is intended to broaden the resort’s offer beyond skiing, reinforcing a summer tourism strategy that local authorities say is part of the post-Olympic investment program. The October report does not specify the pitch’s dimensions, facilities or planned opening date.

The projects are being coordinated through the Union of Mountain Municipalities of the Olympic Via Lattea, with S.C.R. Piemonte and regional technical offices involved. Sauze d’Oulx mayor and union president Mauro Meneguzzi praised the cooperation among the institutions and described the works as an investment in the mountain communities’ future.

The delivery deadline is the immediate test. The local report says officials hope to finish before the coming winter season, but does not confirm that the lift or associated works will be ready for opening day. The longer-term test is whether the infrastructure delivers on its dual promise: a more seamless border-crossing ski experience in winter, and a stronger reason to visit the area in summer.