Karellis Ski Resort France
Les Karellis is a high-altitude ski resort above the Maurienne valley that keeps a very low profile with international visitors and could be a worthy destination for families & powder hounds. Whilst never on our radar, we spied its snow-laden slopes during a dry spell, first in the distance from Cime Caron at from Val Thorens, and then again from Col du Télégrapheas as we drove up to Valmeinier. The amount of snow and apparent lack of anyone skiing it (at least as we viewed it through the long lens!) certainly drew our attention.
Fully established as an integrated ski resort & village in the mid-1970s, the name of the resort had us intrigued. Seems 'Karellis' is based on a local word, 'karel', which refers to the old pastime of young shepherd's sliding on slopes using wooden boards. That's cool. What else is cool is that it appears mostly uncrowded, has most of its terrain over 2,000m, is snow sure and, unlike its opposite number across the valley at Val Thorens, ridiculously affordable to all and sundry.
Pros & Cons for Les Karellis Ski Resort
Pros
- Snow sure north to north-east aspect skiing on 930m of vertical with 70% of the terrain above 2,000m
- A good mix of groomed runs for all abilities
- Fun freeride terrain for all abilities, including trees & easy access sidecountry.
- Loooong groomed runs for novices & beginners.
- Uncrowded.
- Unbelievably affordable lift pass price for all ages.
- Accessible by train & bus possible via Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
Cons
- Aging ski lift infrastructure.
- Bus from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to the ski area only runs on weekends.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Limited snowmaking capacity & coverage.
- Numerous J-bar surface tows but there are only a couple that are important to anyone other than beginners.
- Tasteful resort-style village at the ski lift base but it still may not appeal to all. (Options in nearby traditional villages available though).
- A ski resort that you and your family/friends have likely never heard of, so convincing them to come here may be a task!
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain
The skiing & snowboarding terrain at Les Karellis includes a full skiable vertical of 930m from the highest lifted point of about 2,480m near Pointe des Chaudannes all the way down to the car park run at the bottom of Granges chair below the resort’s main village at 1,550m. A total of 60km of piste trails exists, with much of it above the treeline which sits around 2,000m. Terrain aspect is mainly north to north-east. The longest trails (snow-covered summer roads) are up to 10km in length from top to bottom and are rated for novices and beginners. The off-piste her looks to hold fresh lines for days after a storm.
The 17 ski lifts at Karellis are aging gracefully. Of the 6 chairlifts, there is one 6-seater, 4 quads and a short double (that is effectively a car park transfer). The newest major lift is the Vinouve, a high-speed 6-seater chair, put in during 2006. The other chairs date from the ‘80s to early noughties. One of the original lifts at the ski area dates from before the full resort development occurred. Tête d'Albiez 1, a J-bar in the upper alpine, allegedly dates from 1969; such is the longevity of surface tows! The village of Albanne is connected into the ski area via a short J-bar tow.
Before we get there to see it for ourselves, check out Les Karellis Ski Trail Map below.
Lift Passes
Lift tickets at Karellis are in the category of ‘it is too good to be true’, but the reality is many of the Maurienne ski resorts is like that. Provides an easy excuse to come and ski here. Note that The Junior rate applies to all students too (but you gotta prove it).
Where is Karellis France?
The Karellis ski resort is high on the southern side of the Maurienne valley, Savoie, France. The ski resort is 177km (2¼hr drive) east of Lyon airport, 91km (1¼hr drive) southeast of Chambéry and 176km (2¼hr drive) south of Geneva.
The closest gateway airports for intercontinental travellers are Geneva (GVA) & Lyon (LYS), or if you are keen on wrangling yourself through the hectic weekend crowds, travellers from within Europe or the UK can use Champery (CNF), Grenoble (GNB).
For anyone staying for a week at Les Karellis, public transport may be useful to you. Regular high-speed trains along the main line between Paris & Milan often stop at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, and if not, local trains do the journey from either Chambéry or Modane (two stops that all the high-speed trains use). Buses on the S34 line from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne train station run direct to Les Karellis in a journey time of 45 minutes. HOWEVER, they only run on weekends (and presumably holidays too!) from the opening of the resort pre-Christmas in December to the closing of the ski area around the second weekend of April. Seven services from early morning to early evening run on a Saturday (clearly a classic changeover day!) and five services (from mid-morning to early evening) on a Sunday. Search & book train tickets to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
If hunting out a sneaky powder day, driving a rental car is straightforward via the A43 motorway through the Maurienne valley. Once you leave the motorway the drive to Les Karellis is about 15km, climbing steeply with many hairpin bends via the village of Montricher.
Karellis Accommodation
Les Karellis ski resort offers the option of staying in a full-on resort style village at 1,600m altitude with ski-in ski-out convenience at the base of the lifts & pistes or in a more authentic French Alps environment in the villages of Albanne or Montricher. Albanne village (also at 1,600m altitude) is connected into the ski area by lift & piste, but Montricher is not.
The resort village’s most reliable, quality apartments & facilities are at Villages Clubs du Soleil les Karellis. In Albanne, just across from the ski tow & piste, the guesthouse private rooms & dorm beds of Alesina are rated as exceptional. In Montricher, the one building holds both hotel rooms & fully self-contained apartments at Les Sorbiers Hotel and Les Sorbiers Appartements.
Search & book a place to stay via the Les Karellis Ski Accommodation Listings.
Reviews & More Info
The Powderhounds will review Les Karellis next season. More information about this European ski resort will come after our visit. Stay tuned for our sparkling repartee, new photos & insights.
See how Les Karellis compares to the rest of the French ski resorts on the France ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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If you have a question about skiing & snowboarding in Karellis or elsewhere in Europe, CONTACT US.