It's very difficult to find someone in Biella, who has never skied: we're so close to the mountains, that it's hard to resist to the temptation of spending long days on the snow with a pair of skis. From December to April (sometimes even in May) the snow offers a great choice to sportsmen:

Downhill Ski:
In Bielmonte, in Oasi Zegna Park, you can find a dozen of skilifts and chairlifts, connected by some 20Km. slopes of all levels: from beginners to ski-moguls.
Snow is guaranteed, thanks to the "snow-cannons", ready to "give the season a start". To see a map of the slopes, please visit the section dedicated to Oasi Zegna.
In Oropa, at the back of the Sanctuary, there is one of the first cableways ever built in Italy, which brings you from 1,200 mt. of the Sanctuary to the 1,900 mt. of Mucrone Lake, and then, through a smaller cableway, to the 2,400 mt. of Mt. Camino, the most panoramic point in Biella region: from the top of this mountain you can see a breathtaking landscape of Western Italy: from Mont Blanc to Matterhorn, all the highest mounts in Europe are in front of you, and then you can see also the mountains of Lombardy and Liguria, hundreds of km. away.
From here you can put your skis on and, through a long (around 7km.) and scenic slope, you can go back to Oropa.

Cross Country Ski:
In last years the number of cross country ski fans has constantly increased; Biella area can offer you a large choice:
Bocchetto Sessera, in the very heart of Oasi Zegna, a few Km. from Bielmonte, can offer you around 20 Km. of signed and beaten tracks and some more 20 Km. of "wild tracks", which bring you to Mera, in Sesia Valley. To have a clearer idea of what Bocchetto Sessera can offer you, please visit its official website, with the map of the tracks and all the information you need about snow, roads, and so on (unfortunately, it's in Italian only).
Oropa, on its side, offers a very good track (about 10 Km.) in the woods around the Sanctuary, very changing and very scenic. Not to be missed.

Uphill skiing:
You just have to choose between the easy climbs and some "extreme" paths: Biella mountains are very popular among off-slope lovers. If you decide to try out some path, we recommend you to contact the local guides to have detailed information about snow and avalanche risk.

Snowboard:
2001-2002 winter season is promising great news for all snowboarders: Bielmonte, in fact, will open its snowpark with different tracks and jumps, whilst Oropa offers more "technical" tracks, especially in the powder.

Ice Skating:
For those who visit Oasi Zegna, in Trivero you can find a good ice skating rink: to have more information, please contact the Information Office of the park.
In Biella, in December and January there's an ice skating rink in front of the central city park, near the Tourist Information Office.