Trail run routes
Come and explore our new Les Karellis trail runs. Whether you are a trail running beginner or expert, with our three routes you can explore the mountain in complete safety.
Route 1 - Trail Run / Cret de la Parenche No. 10
Features and information:
9 km
220 m variation in altitude
Looped circuit
3/4 forest tracks
1/4 paths
Follow the No. 10: “CRET DE LA PARENCHE” trekking sign posts.
Description:
An accessible itinerary providing a good introduction to Trail-Trekking, this will mainly take you along wide, rolling forest tracks and doesn’t present any major technical difficulties. From Les Karellis, set out towards Albanne through the cross-country skiing area, along a very pleasant, undulating track. When you reach the end of this section, there are two short stretches on the road (150m each) that connect you to a spot known as “Suiffet” where you come to a wide forest track. Sometimes covered in scree, this takes you uphill and is quite steep towards the end. Next comes prairie landscape where herds graze in the summer (partly protected by an electric fence), at the end of which is the orientation table. There is some wonderful landscape to be enjoyed along the way, including the Grand Galibier and the Fort du Télégraphe. Once you reach the Col d’Albanne, there is a lovely path, after which you cross the road to find yourself back at the cross-country ski area where you started. The trail begins to climb again but in an undulating way until you reach the Bellecombe sector. The return to the resort again takes you along wide, rolling forest tracks.
Route 2 - Trail Run / Pain de Sucre Grande Boucle No. 17
Features and information:
13km
550m variation in altitude
Looped circuit
2/3 paths
1/3 forest tracks
Follow the No. 17 “PAIN DE SUCRE Grande Boucle” trekking sign posts.
Description:
A route that will take you to the southernmost tip of Les Karellis, right to the panoramic viewpoint on the top of the Pain de Sucre. This trail alternates between paths that offer technical challenges - steep climbs, descents and undulations - as well as sections on wide tracks that also vary in nature. The route offers delightful vistas of the valley and surrounding mountains from start to finish. You will need at least some trail running experience for this course. From Les Karellis, head towards Pramol Lake on the very pleasant Blanchon path which has some steep parts at first and then becomes undulating. This is followed by two rather steep sections, just before you get to Belvédère and then La Plagne (a charming hamlet in the middle of nowhere). A downhill section then takes you to Pont du Vé. This bridge, which can become oily and slippery during wet weather, is the starting point for the Pain de Sucre/Gros Mélèze (a tree several hundred years old) loop. A wide, downhill track will take you back to the resort; starting with a balcony path above Albanne, it then takes you through the forest via the cross-country area.
Route 3 - Trail Run / Montricher Grande Boucle No. 21
Features and information:
10km
550m variation in altitude
Looped circuit
3/4 paths
1/4 forest tracks
Follow the No. 17 “PAIN DE SUCRE Grande Boucle” trekking sign posts.
Description:
This route is 100% forest and takes you to the village of Montricher, at an altitude of 1,200m. Most of the trail is on forest paths although there are some technical passages which may be humid. The downhill part comes at the beginning of the route before you then climb back up to the resort. Dive into the area’s history as you follow in the footsteps of bygone slaters and rustics. You will need at least some trail running experience for this course which can be tough in places.
From Les Karellis, a short, steep climb brings you to the spot known as “Les Fraches”. After this it is downhill to Montricher. The path takes you through woodland. There is a series of technical sections with rocks, roots and soft ground (schist fines) until the upper part of the Combe Noire. A lovely forest path then takes you to Montricher. You cross the village, passing in front of the church and the bread oven, before going back uphill towards the botanical path and the old water mills (some sections are slippery). The incline varies between steep and gentle, taking you past “Beaumollard” until you rejoin the undulating forest tracks of the cross-country ski area and make your way back to Les Karellis.