Courchevel on Visit Karma

Courchevel's Longest Top-to-Bottom Blue/Green Ski Run: Lac Creux–Pralong–Bellecote from Vizelle

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This is the whole thing in one unbroken descent: up the Vizelle gondola, then Lac Creux to Pralong to Bellecote, all the way down to Courchevel 1850 — a 17-minute top-to-bottom POV with on-screen captions marking every junction and landmark. The on-screen elevation readout drops from about 2660 m at the top to about 1805 m at the finish, and it really is the easy cruise it promises: mostly wide blues and greens you can ski at your own pace. Here are the notes we took along the way.

The route: Verdons to Vizelle

The video’s first instruction is the only real planning you need: take the Verdons lifts up to the Vizelle gondola. From there the route runs Lac Creux – Pralong – Bellecote, top to bottom. The video overlays the line on the piste map early on — it’s one long continuous blue/green thread down to Courchevel 1850, passing the altiport’s Cap Horn restaurant roughly two-thirds of the way down.

Setting off from the top

At the top of Vizelle the caption calls it “the easiest cruise down from the top of Courchevel,” and that sets the tone for the whole video. There’s a wooden mountain hut right at the start area, and plenty of skiers funneling off in different directions — it feels like a proper high-alpine crossroads up here.

Lac Creux: the wide upper section

The first junction comes early and it’s a good one to get right: left to Courchevel, right to Méribel. There’s a proper “COURCHEVEL” sign at the split — the caption warns you, but the signage does its job too.

The opening stretch of Lac Creux is wide and open, with views across the peaks and lots of room to turn. Honest caption on this part: “the beginning is more wide red than blue” — it’s not steep, but it’s broad and fast enough to feel more like a confident red than a nervous blue.

Staying left for Courchevel 1850

A bit further down comes the junction the video flags explicitly: “stay left for the blue to Courchevel 1850.” The right-hand line heads off elsewhere, so this is the decision point for the long top-to-bottom route. Stay left and the piste just keeps rolling on.

Mont Blanc views and easy cruising

This middle stretch is where the run earns its “easiest cruise” billing. The caption promises Mont Blanc views throughout — and on a clear day the big dome of the massif sits on the skyline for a long while. The piste here is freshly groomed corduroy, easy blue/green, and the speed gauge on the overlay shows a relaxed 25–30 km/h: the kind of pace where you’re just enjoying it.

Passing the altiport

Around the two-thirds mark the route passes the Courchevel altiport — the famous mountain airport — and the caption points out the Cap Horn restaurant there, one of the resort’s better-known lunch spots. This is a good mental milestone: you’ve left the high alpine behind and you’re into the lower mountain now, with the gradient staying gentle but the pace picking up — the overlay touches 44 km/h on this stretch.

Merging onto the Bellecote green

The last section merges onto the Bellecote green run for the final descent into the resort. Greens in France are the easiest grade, and it shows: the piste flattens out, skiers of all levels share the wide slope, and the trees close in on both sides.

Skiing into Courchevel 1850

The run finishes the way it should — skiing right into Courchevel 1850, past the chalets and hotels, and arriving at the Hotel Carlina. If you’re staying in the village, this is the dream: a full top-to-bottom run that ends at your hotel door, no lifts or shuttles required.

Hotel Carlina Review — Ski-In/Ski-Out Luxury in Courchevel 1850

Sat, 02 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Visited February 2024 • Courchevel, France

You can watch our full hotel tour and experience here:

Overview

On our recent ski trip to Courchevel 1850, we stayed at Hotel Carlina, a 5-star ski-in/ski-out property located in one of the most prestigious ski destinations in the world.

Courchevel is arguably France’s most famous ski resort, known for its luxury hotels, extensive terrain, and seamless alpine experience. Naturally, expectations for a 5-star stay here are extremely high.

This review breaks down what worked—and what didn’t.

📍 Location — ★★★★★

The hotel’s location is one of its strongest assets.

Just a couple of switchbacks from the village center
Direct ski-in/ski-out access to the Bellecôte green piste
Easy run down to the main lift and ski school area

For families and convenience, this setup is hard to beat. You can get on the slopes quickly without dealing with long walks or crowded transport.

🎿 Ski Experience — ★★★★★

The in-house ski shop is excellent.

Skis are prepped every morning
Staff are helpful and efficient
Overall seamless experience

This is exactly the kind of service you expect—and want—when skiing in a destination like Courchevel.

🏨 Room & Stay Experience — ★★☆☆☆

We stayed in a family suite with a terrace overlooking the slopes. On paper, this sounds ideal—but execution fell short.

Issues we encountered:

Terrace snow was never cleared during the entire stay
A persistent leak lasted most of the week
Buckets placed in the room detracted significantly from the experience

These are not minor inconveniences—they’re fundamental service failures, especially for a hotel positioning itself as 5-star.

🚐 Shuttle Service — ★★★☆☆

The hotel offers complimentary shuttle vans around Courchevel 1850, which is useful:

Great for getting back after ski lessons or dinner
However, availability is inconsistent
During peak (February holiday week), vans were often unavailable

🍳 Breakfast — ★★★★★

Breakfast was a standout highlight.

Yogurts, smoothies, cereals, pastries
Eggs made to order
Wide, high-quality selection

We were consistently well-fed and ready to hit the slopes each morning.

🏔️ Common Areas — ★★★★☆

The hotel leans into a traditional alpine luxury aesthetic.

Large lounge with slope views
Relaxing and well-designed shared spaces
Slopeside lunch available (not tested during our stay)

🏊 Pool & Spa — ★★☆☆☆

The pool area looks great but doesn’t deliver in practice:

Good size and nice slope views
Pool temperature is too cold
Hot tub is only warm—not hot

For a ski hotel, this is a major miss. Après-ski recovery is a core part of the experience.

🚗 Departure & Logistics — ★★☆☆☆

Our departure highlighted operational issues:

Not enough staff to assist guests
Driveway was not ploughed after snowfall
Cars were buried in snow and struggling to exit

Parking costs €40 + tax per night, supposedly for a covered garage—making this even more frustrating.

⚖️ Final Verdict

Despite a prime location and strong breakfast and ski services, the overall experience fell well below 5-star expectations.

Ratings:

Location: 5★
Breakfast: 5★
Ski Shop: 5★
Service: 3★
Rooms: 2★

Bottom Line

We would not stay here again.

The fundamentals—room quality, maintenance, and service consistency—need significant improvement to justify the price point and 5-star positioning.

🎥 Video Review

If you’d like to see the experience visually, check out our full walkthrough on YouTube (linked above).

For more luxury travel reviews, follow along on our journey.