The Jura is a large massif stretching over 150 km between France and Switzerland. As elsewhere, there's no such thing as a single " Jura ", and its landscapes are varied, with plateaus, narrow valleys, wooded combes and lakes.
From its peaks, you can admire the Alps! Especially in winter, when the snow whitens the contours of the horizon.
There are three good reasons to go there in winter, and it's in the Les Rousses resort that you can make the most of them.
Winter in the Jura: cold and snow!
If you like cold and snow, you're in for a treat. On the high plateaus above 1000m, temperatures often reach -10°C, or even -20°C. The record cold in France was reached in Mouthe, a few kilometers from Les Rousses, where the thermometer broke the -40°C barrier.
In the Jura, you'll find plateaus surrounded by wooded heights, and apart from in the extreme south of the Jura, above Lake Geneva, where the highest peaks exceed 1,700m, the other regions barely exceed 1,400m, allowing everyone to put on cross-country skis or snowshoes and go for a walk, to discover this sublime country...
In Les Rousses , the snow usually appears just before Christmas and lasts until spring: the cross-country ski trails in the forest and the downhill ski trails on the northern slopes of La Dôle make it easy to enjoy winter sports.
The forests of the Jura: a Far North atmosphere
A Canadian or Finnish atmosphere is guaranteed, especially when the stormy wind slams the snow against the trunks and branches of the tall fir trees. The densely forested hillsides are havens of peace and silence, ideal for long walks to discover the local wildlife.
Forests are everywhere, and it's no coincidence that wood crafts, sawmills and wooden toy factories play a major role in the local economy.
Cross-country ski trails run through these forests, providing a geographic escape that lets you experience the sensations of trappers in Quebec. Especially when the trails run alongside long frozen lakes, such as Lac des Rousses or the even larger Lac de Joux.
Apart from certain parts of the Vercors and Chartreuse mountains, there are no other high altitudes in France so vast, so wild and so sparsely populated.
Jura landscapes: a balcony overlooking the Alps
As soon as you leave the forest and find yourself on a ridge or summit, you can see far into the distance, especially towards the Alps.
The most beautiful scenery is that which can be seen from the crest of the Monts Jura, between the resorts of Les Rousses and Lélex-Monts Jura. The summit of La Dôle, in Swiss territory, is easily reached by ski lift and overlooks Lake Geneva, just north of Geneva, with a view of the French shore topped by the mountain giant, Mont Blanc. It's a breathtaking sight, and one you absolutely must see in fine weather!
The Jura in winter is the discovery of a mountain within everyone's reach; an ideal place to recharge your batteries and enjoy landscapes that are very different from the plains that are so close by. In the short time it takes to drive up the slopes of the Jura to the resort of Les Rousses, you go from a cityscape to a landscape of the Great North, and it's this snowy atmosphere warmed by welcoming forests that makes you want to return again and again to see these landscapes and these very aerial panoramas of the Alps.
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