The snow has gripped the mountain with a polar white cold.
Motionless, in an interlacing of white pines and frosted by a greedy winter, a cross-country skier.
Spatulas in the trail, sticks under his arms, he crosses the plain of Jura to disappear silently in the immensity of a forest resembling a taiga.
We imagine it sliding towards another valley which borders the next village.
The image is soft.
It invites you to discover the reliefs of the Jura.
Here, no peaks over 2000 m, “urbanized” glaciers.
Just an authentic colorful nature of wild forests, valleys and frozen lakes.
The massif draws its identity from these differences.
The Jura offers a gentle geography suitable for Nordic activities.
Maud Humbert / Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Tourism
Another element makes up the seasonal DNA of these landforms which stretch for nearly 340 kilometers in a large arc across three French departments, Ain, Jura and Doubs: Nordic activities and, more than anything, the cross-country skiing.
A quasi-religion on these cold lands which border with Switzerland.
"
On Sundays in the Jura mountains, the churches are empty, the slopes full",
traces with a touch of humor Vincent Defrasne, Olympic biathlon champion in 2006, and native of Pontarlier (Doubs).
Read alsoCross-country skiing: our 10 favorite resorts in France
We have been skiing in the Jura mountains since the end of the 19th century.
It was originally to facilitate the movement of schoolchildren, postman, peasants from one village to another.
The pleasure replaced the useful and the 1970s transformed the practice, which became tourist.
More than 3,000 km of groomed and marked Nordic ski slopes are now suitable for skating or alternative (in the tracks), accessible to all levels and spread over 21 areas.
In Nordic ski touring (or "backcountry") on the heights of Métabief.
Here on the crest of Mont-D'Or, with a view of the Alps.
AMB Photo library / Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Tourism
The sporting aspect also feeds the notoriety of the massif.
The idea of the Grande Traversée du Jura (GTJ) broke out in 1978. It materialized a few years later, by offering, in its winter variation, more than 180 km of demanding cross-country skiing trails between Doubs and Ain.
In 1979, the birth of the Tranjsurassienne, one of the most famous long-distance cross-country skiing events in Europe, which brings together more than 4000 skiers every year in February, gave a little more depth to the myth
"Jura, terre Nordic ”
.
Read alsoOslo, the city where you go skiing by metro
Where to go cross-country skiing in the Jura?
our selection
Redheads
Les Rousses, crossing point of the Grande-Traversée-du-Jura, has more than 180 km of slopes.
Its 6 green runs make it accessible to all levels.
Stephane Buisson
Erected at the foot of the Dôle (1678 m), to the south of the “Jura Mountains” (tourist name given to the territorial entity of the massif), the Rousses resort, made up of four villages (Bois-d'Amont, les Rousses , Prémanon, Lamoura) is one of the most famous French Nordic ski areas.
There are many possibilities on the 200 km of slopes: the area is linked to those of Hautes Combes, Bellefontaine or even French-speaking Switzerland ...
Our advice:
from the Prémanon slopes, it is possible to access the Massacre forest.
Between undergrowth and valleys, the playground is extraordinary.
Read the fileSkiing and winter sports: the
Figaro guide
Lakes and mountains of Haut Doubs
Saint-Point lake.
IS F
The “Lakes and Mountains” territory of Haut Doubs is one of the largest Nordic areas in France with more than 500 km of groomed and signposted cross-country ski trails between the villages of Métabief, to the north, and La Chapelle-des -Wood, to the south. Thanks to the Grande Traversée du Jura (GTJ), the skier will be able to navigate from one village to another without taking off their shoes. The slopes offer remarkable views of the geographical riches of the massif with splendid views of the Mont d'Or (highest point of the Doubs with its 1463 m), the snow-capped valleys of Mouthe (the coldest village in France) or the shores of Lake Saint-Point, the third largest natural lake in France after those of Bourget (Savoie) and Annecy (Haute-Savoie).
Our advice:
from the La Chapelle-des-Bois stadium, take the direction of Mouthe.
After a few kilometers, a long descent borders the departmental.
It takes you to Chaux-Neuve at the foot of the ski jumps which regularly host a stage of the Nordic combined World Cup.
Read also10 hotels to enjoy cross-country skiing or snowshoeing in the Jura and the Vosges.
Pontarlier
The domain of Gounefay, one of the three accessible in a few minutes from the city center of Pontarlier.
Maud Humbert / Burgundy -Franche-Comté Touisme
Perched at an altitude of 850 m to the north of the massif, Pontarlier (22,000 inhabitants in the agglomeration) embodies the “city in the mountains”.
Less than 5 minutes by car from its center, three Nordic sites - Malmaison, Larmont / Gounefay, Verrières de Joux - are accessible, totaling more than 90 km of slopes.
Our advice:
in Larmont / Gounefay, the track called the “Franco Suisse” (red) allows you to reach the small village of Cernets in the canton of Vaud, crossing the border on skis.
Attention, good level required.
Where to hike with snowshoes?
La Vattay
The area offers 50 km of marked and secure trails.
Nicolas gascar
Nestled in the heart of the Haute Chaîne du Jura national nature reserve, in the south of the massif, La Vattay is one of the most beautiful areas in France with its panoramas of Lake Geneva, Mont-Blanc and the Jura plateau.
Renowned for its cross-country ski trails, it also offers 50 km of marked and secure trails for snowshoeing.
Local guides offer accessible thematic walks to get off the beaten track and discover the riches of the region.
Our advice:
lovers of hiking?
Test the balconies of Lake Geneva.
From Mont-Rond to Reculet via Crêt de la Neige, the top of the Jura massif and Colomby de Gex, you will discover magnificent, very wild nature.
PRACTICAL NOTEBOOK
How to get to the Jura massif?
The Jura mountains stretch over 350 km in length and spread their massif, from the Ain, at the gates of Lyon, to Montbéliard, via the Jura and the Doubs.
Located near Switzerland and major highways, the Jura massif is easily accessible.
By train
: Bellegarde (Ain) and Frasne (Doubs) are the two nearest TGV stations.
Allow three hours for the journey from Paris.
By plane
: Geneva (Switzerland) and Lyon - Saint-Exupéry are the two closest airports to the massif and the best served.
By car
: by the A36, A39, A404, A42 and Lausanne / Vallorbe E223, E25 highways.
Please note, traffic on Swiss motorways requires the purchase of a sticker (approximately 35 euros).
2022 tariffs for Nordic practices
The Jura Mountains weekly pass, valid for 7 consecutive days in all the Nordic areas of Ain, Doubs, Jura and in French-speaking Switzerland, allows access to all Nordic cross-country ski and snowshoe routes.
Count 46 euros from the age of 16 (30 euros for a child under 15).
There is a second weekly pass which only gives access to marked and secure snowshoe-pedestrian areas.
It is priced at 22 euros (10 euros for a child under 15).
Useful sites
https://www.montagnes-du-jura.fr
www.bourgognefranchecomte.com
www.espacenordiquejurassien.com
Published in January 2021, this article is subject to an update.
