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Nordic Skiing- Jura

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I'm thinking of doing a multi day trip in the Jura on the Piste Du Fond, staying in gites or small hotels. Looking at a three or four day trip. Has anyone done something similar and can recommend routes etc.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi Jbob
There are regular articles in the French ski magazines about traversing the Jura. Are you on cross country skis or nordic skis (metal edge)? I can maybe send you an article if I can find one.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Sounds a great idea - you can do this tour http://www.jura-tourism.com/offre/fiche/le-tour-de-nos-villages-3-jours/J|PI4CT3|PI4CT3

You'd need to watch out for snow cover though - has sometimes been really poor in the Jura in recent years.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
@davidof, cross country. If you have something that would be most appreciated.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
jbob wrote:
@davidof, cross country. If you have something that would be most appreciated.


I'll pm you later when I'm home. Are you on classic or skating?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
@davidof, Classic.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
This should inspire you


http://youtube.com/v/5z6q_Ix3kWI
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@davidof, I'm sure that's pretty much what jbob had in mind....
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@pam w, I'll need to get some of those red trousers.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
pam w wrote:
Sounds a great idea - you can do this tour http://www.jura-tourism.com/offre/fiche/le-tour-de-nos-villages-3-jours/J|PI4CT3|PI4CT3

You'd need to watch out for snow cover though - has sometimes been really poor in the Jura in recent years.


Every time the Jura is mentioned, you talk about bad snow cover. The Jura has an excellent snow record and is the home of (in our area) over 220km of nordic trails. Why is the French centre for Nordic skiing based in Les Rousses? I know, because of the excellent snow record and amazing trails through the nature reserve. The Jura's unqiue geography usually leads to MORE snowfall than the alps most years. The Jura have had poor snow early in the season this year and in 2011, but its is massively disingenuous to describe the jura as having poor snow cover v the alps. If you compared like for like (alps @1000 metres v jura @1000 metres), I'd be very confident that the Jura would beat the alps for precipitation on average every year. People don't need to be warned off the Jura, please stop.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Quote:

If you compared like for like (alps @1000 metres v jura @1000 metres), I'd be very confident that the Jura would beat the alps for precipitation on average every year. People don't need to be warned off the Jura, please stop.

that's not really like for like in terms of choosing resorts though, is it? Most skiing in the French Alps is above 1000m - even in so-called "low" resorts such as Morzine, or Les Saisies. I drive regularly through the Jura and snow has sometimes been very thin on the ground - or non existent, driving through Les Rousses.

I didn't say the Jura had poor cover compared to the Alps, I said it had sometimes had very poor snow in recent years. And so it has. Nor did I warn the OP off the Jura - on the contrary I said his plan sounded great. Why so grumpy?

I'd say that advice to check snow cover is reasonable. I'd definitely be warning anyone heading for 1000m in the Alps to check snow cover too, and have commented in my snow reports on the Espace Diamant that the lower areas have been in pretty rubbish condition.

I can't comment on whether the Jura gets more snow than the Alps. I look at the Meteo France avalanche bulletin to compare snowcover (and to satisfy myself that as usual the Beaufortain has more than the Haute Tarentaise wink ) but the Jura doesn't seem to be included. Where would you find that information?
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
http://www.about.ch/geography/climate/mount_la_dole.html

There's the link, it's roughly twice the annual precipitation of many alpine locations. Am grumpy, mainly as you didn't need to add the 'check the snow' bit, it's fairly standard to 'check the snow' before you go on a ski holiday. The ski du fond in the jura has an excellent record, better than most. It is still disingenuous to suggest otherwise.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:

The ski du fond in the jura has an excellent record, better than most

yes, I can well believe that, as so many nordique tracks are on the flat bottoms of valleys. And the idea of a tour in the Jura still seems great to me.

As for the Mont Dole stats, of course the biggest mountain in any given range will collect more precipitation than lower ones. But I still don't believe that at the average altitude of the Jura stations they get more snow than at the average altitude of Alpine stations. You might be right but the evidence of my own eyes suggests otherwise. I do drive through the Jura two or three times a season, and have done for the last 12 years.

I don't know what you mean by saying a warning to check snow is "disingenuous". Do you simply mean "mistaken" or do you ascribe some nefarious motive?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Nope, no nefarious motive implied! Just do not think that every jura thread needs a 'snow cover is poor' warning, when clearly it isn't!
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Took my kids on their first ski holiday to Morbier and Les Rousses in the Jura, hlaf term 2011. Had a wonderful time, snow was pretty good despite it being a poor year. Friendly, unpretentious resort that was great value. Will definitely return sometime.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I've done a quite a bit of ski touring in the Jura. There are some moderately steep bits. The problem with ski touring is that snow can be a problem at trail head level - that is 600-750 meters but it is certainly colder than the French Alps. The coldest annual temperatures are in some of the Jura valleys. It is more suitable for cross country skiing as the departs are frequently higher - at the ski resorts and cols and you can have snow on the tops into May. Somewhere like la Dole can be ski toured from St Cergue in April. One issue is that the tops catch the wind and can frequently be very icy.

Here are a few pics. 22 Jan 2009



ok I'm on 66mm wide skis, not much wider than x-country skis!

Cret de Chalam, this was a great tour in early March 2009, you can cross country to the summit from the other side



le Reculet west side March 2009



a Reculet before work in 2009



a Reculet before work in November 2008



la Dole in 2008

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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
davidof wrote:
This should inspire you


http://youtube.com/v/5z6q_Ix3kWI


Man, that is fabulous - that is my absolute ideal idea of what skiing should be about.

Can you do all that snazzy turns on traditional xc skis, or only on the skating ones ?

On my one go at xc on traditionals skis I had a fab time, athough my downhill ability left a lot to be desired, and my last 2 trips haven't had any snow in the valley so haven't been able to get any lessons in Sad
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@davidof, great pictures - looks like a fun place to be!
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davidof wrote:
This should inspire you


http://youtube.com/v/5z6q_Ix3kWI


Man, that is fabulous - that is my absolute ideal idea of what skiing should be about.

Can you do all that snazzy turns on traditional xc skis, or only on the skating ones ?

On my one go at xc on traditionals skis I had a fab time, athough my downhill ability left a lot to be desired, and my last 2 trips haven't had any snow in the valley so haven't been able to get any lessons in Sad
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Hi Jbob
Can you send me an email? I've found a couple of articles that may be of some interest although more focussed on the Nordic side of a Jura tour
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You'll need to Register first of course.
@davidof, thanks will PM you.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
sev112 wrote:

Man, that is fabulous - that is my absolute ideal idea of what skiing should be about.

Can you do all that snazzy turns on traditional xc skis, or only on the skating ones ?

Sad



You can if your good enough but it's not easy, you'd have to be exceptionally fit to do it like that guy in the vid.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I sent the articles to jbob, now I've scanned them if anyone else needs info about a trans-jura cross country ski tour email me (for preference).
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