Les Carroz Ski Resort Guide | Grand Massif
Les Carroz may be my favourite of the Grand Massif ski resorts. The resort is well-located within France’s fourth-largest ski area ensuring from Les Carroz you can explore everything the Grand Massif has to offer. The local Les Carroz ski area offers everything from pristine pistes, to fantastic off-piste and the best terrain park in the Grand Massif. Les Carroz is a great base for any Grand Massif ski holiday.
Looking over Les Carroz from the Tete de Saix
Located in the heart of the Grand Massif ski area in the French Alps, Les Carroz village is a charming alpine destination that offers a perfect blend of traditional Savoyard architecture and modern amenities. Surrounded by stunning mountain scenery, Les Carroz is the perfect base for skiers and snowboarders wanting to make the most of their trip to the Grand Massif. From world-class skiing and snowboarding in the winter to hiking, mountain biking, and paragliding in the summer, Les Carroz delivers for everyone.
LES CARROZ FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Arriving at Les Carroz village had a different feel to many French ski resort villages. The traditional town square with restaurants and bars was welcoming and the access to the ski area was easy. Depending on your base in the village, a free navette shuttle will take you to the base of the Kedeuze gondola. When on the slopes my overriding first impression was how good the groomed pistes were with plenty of blue and red runs to keep the majority happy.
LES CARROZ SKI AREA
Les Carroz ski area is part of the Grand Massif ski area in the French Alps, offering a variety of terrain for skiers of all levels. Les Carroz offers access to 265km of pistes inclusive of the wider Grand Massif resorts of Samoëns, Flaine and Morillon.. Locally, Les Carroz offers 37 km of slopes, including some of the best red and blue-graded trails across the entire Grand Massif.
It’s fair to say that Les Carroz is well-suited to intermediates with 15 blues and 7 reds on the piste map. This matches nicely with the rest of the Grand Massif which caters well for skiers and snowboarders who are looking for nicely groomed pistes, however, Les Carroz is much more than this. There are 4 black trails which offer substantial challenge and the off-piste and tree runs here are incredible. Don’t believe me? Well check the videos here and here which were both filmed in Les Carroz. Beginners will find a Magic Carpet at the base of the Kedeuze gondola with a mellow learners slope. Additionally, the Coin Coin area at the top of the Kedeuze gondola has another Magic Carpet and drag lift with an ideal learners slope.
BEGINNERS TERRAIN LES CARROZ
Beginners heading to Les Carroz will not be disappointed. Never evers have two dedicated learner areas within Les Carroz at the bottom and top of the Kedeauze gondola. As beginners find their legs, the Plein Soleil piste is perfect for testing your skills on its rolling terrain. As confidence grows, beginners should consider heading to nearby Morillon to take the fantastic Marvel ski run.
INTERMEDIATES TERRAIN LES CARROZ
Les Carroz delivers for intermediates with the majority of its terrain red or blue-graded. Intermediates visiting Les Carroz will have fun exploring under the Gron and Les Molliets chairs where there is a good mix of trails including the the short Rhodos red (my favourite) and the long Marmottes blue (long but busy).
Intermediates who want to test themselves should try the Chamois red, near the Tete de Saix, which has a prolonged steep section and leads to the Oasis Snowpark. Timalets is another favourite red in Les Carroz but can suffer later in the season as it is closer to the base area.
Intermediate skiers and snowboarders should certainly make the most of the effective links between Les Carroz and Samoëns and Morillon where there are further exceptional red and blue runs.
ADVANCED TERRAIN FLAINE
With only four black trails on the piste map it is fair to assume that some advanced skiers may not get too excited about a visit to Les Carroz. This would be unfair as there is certainly challenge to be found within Les Carroz and the wider Grand Massif ski areas.
Corbalanche black is popular with many as soon as there is fresh snowfall, possibly because you can view skiers and snowboarders enjoying their pow turns from the Tete de Saix lift. This run is great after fresh snow but equally, it offers another challenge when the powder has turned to large moguls. The area close to Cobalanche is also home to some fantastic tree-skiing and those who know head here when the snow falls.
Felire Run Les Carroz
Elsewhere the Felire black trail is tucked away and is easily missed, which can make it a great place to test yourself away from the crowds. Advanced skiers should venture to Samoëns and Flaine to test themselves on Aigle Noir and Diamont Noir respectively.
WHERE TO SKI IN LES CARROZ DURING A STORM
Snowboarding in a whiteout sucks, so it is important to find your context. The best place to head in a storm is always the trees; luckily, Les Carroz has a few options. Able skiers and snowboarders can enjoy the trees of Corbalanche but for a mellower experience, Plein Soleil is lined with trees. For the best experience, consider heading to Morillon which has fantastic tree-lined pistes that are a great refuge in whiteout conditions.
ACCESSING THE GRAND MASSIF
From Les Carroz it is simple to head to the neighbouring Grand Massif resorts. Taking the Tete de Saix chair from Les Carroz you will find yourself at the crossroads of the Grand Massif. From the Tete de Saix it is possible to ski directly into Samoëns and Morillon without taking additional chairs. To access Flaine, head from the Tete de Saix to the Vernant chair which will take you over to Flaine.
FREESTYLE TERRAIN LES CARROZ
Freestyle in Les Carroz is pretty decent. Les Carroz is home to the Oasis Snowpark which offers a full spread of freestyle features with everything from airbag jumps, boarder cross tracks and jump and rail lines. The Oasis Terrain Park is accessible from the Tete de Saix or via its own drag lift that runs along the side of the park.
The Oasis Terrain Park has everything from tiny ride-on features up to larger jumps. To learn more about Freestyle in Les Carroz, watch the video above where you can skip to 3:50 to see the Oasis Snowpark.
LES CARROZ SNOW HISTORY
Les Carroz has a good snow record but you need to consider that the lower slopes will vary in conditions greatly to the upper slopes in early or late season. The Kedeuze gondola runs even when Les Carroz’s lower slopes are lacking which means you can still access some great skiing in the resort. I have experienced some incredible conditions snowboarding in Les Carroz, but sadly I have also experienced the worst. Luckily when you are in Les Carroz, you have the option of riding in neighbouring Flaine when the conditions suck where you will generally find more consistent snow conditions.
LES CARROZ LIFTS
The main entry point to the Les Carroz ski area for most will be the Kedeuze gondola. Kedeuze leave the village and drops skiers and snowboarders at 1800m. Elsewhere in Les Carroz, you will find Les Molliets, Tete de Saix Express, Gron, and Plein Soleil serving skiers. These four lifts vary greatly with the Tete de Saix being a modern six-seater that whisks skiers up to the mountain, whereas Gron is a slower 4 seater than gently ambles its way.
SEASON DATES
The Grand Massif is open between December and April with Flaine having the longest season. Les Carroz closes a week or so earlier than Flaine (conditions dependent).
LES CARROZ PISTE MAP
To see the interactive piste map click here
GETTING TO LES CARROZ
Getting to the villages of the Grand Massif is simple with lots of Transfer companies available from Geneva Airport. The short transfer time means that self-drive is also fairly straightforward forward however my personal thoughts are that you do not need a car when in the resort so transfer makes the most sense.
TRANSFER COMPANIES
Most of my transfers to Flaine have been with GO MASSIF. Go Massif have been fantastic for shared transfers between Geneva and the Grand Massif and having used their service multiple times I would recommend them.
Alpin Bus are a company that I have used for private transfers between Geneva Airport and the Grand Massif. The communication throughout has been fantastic and service came in cheaper than Go Massif for the private option.
SELF-DRIVE
If you would prefer to self-drive there are numerous counters available at Geneva Airport where car-rental is possible. From Geneva, you can expect to drive for 1 hour depending on the conditions.
ACCOMMODATION
Les Carroz Village offers many different styles of accommodation with a range of hotels and self-catering apartments. The village is a great base for families and even those without young children due to the many amenities on offer. I have always enjoyed a self-catering option when staying in Les Carroz as there are many nice restaurants to enjoy in the evening.
LES CARROZ LIFT PASS
Lift passes in Les Carroz represent exceptional value. If you think you will ski more than one week in a season then consider getting the Grand Massif season pass, if purchased online before 30th November you save 50% meaning a whole season of skiing for €552. You can even add summer access so you have access to all the summer hiking and mountain biking.
If you are only visiting for one week then you can see all the options for lift passes here. I would always recommend getting the Grand Massif pass rather than the local area pass as it represents better value.
LES CARROZ PROS
Les Carroz is central to the Grand Massif ski area meaning it is very easy to access the whole of the wider ski area from Les Carroz.
Les Carroz has several modern lifts including the Tete de Saix and Kedeuze.
Les Carroz ski resort offers a good variety of terrain to suit all-abilities
The beginner’s ski areas in Les Carroz are great with Magic Carpets and gentle drag lifts.
The tree-skiing in Les Carroz is fun with further challenges found near Corbalanche.
LES CARROZ CONS
The lower slopes in Les Carroz can have dodgy snow conditions in early and late season.
Les Carroz doesn’t offer ski in ski out accommodation like Flaine, Morillon Les Esserts and Samoëns 1600.
Locally Les Carroz is the smallest of the Grand Massif ski areas.
LES CARROZ VIDEOS
NEARBY SKI RESORTS
FINAL THOUGHTS
Les Carroz may be my favourite of the Grand Massif villages. I love its central location to the other ski areas and how easy it is to explore the wider Grand Massif from here. But Les Carroz itself is home to some of my favourites… Rhodos red is one of my favourites across all the resorts despite its short length, The Oasis Terrain Park has more going for it than freestyle in Flaine, and the off-piste near Corbalanche is among my favourite in the whole Grand Massif. Les Carroz and it’s village have lots to offer and I would head back without hesitation.
