Self-guided Traverse of the Swiss Jura Cross Country Ski

La Vue des Alpes

Traverse of the Swiss Jura

Crossing the French-Swiss border!

La Vue des Alpes

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Self-guided Traverse of the Swiss Jura

Discover stunning and remote mountain landscapes on this cross-country ski traverse
6-day point-to-point ski tour
154 kilometres of prepared trails

Why Choose Cloud 9 Adventure

Excellent self-guided itineraries
Maps, route notes and GPS tracks included
Carefully selected local hotels
Full luggage support

Self-guided Traverse of the Swiss Jura Cross XC Ski: Overview

The Traverse of the Swiss Jura is a challenging traverse of the beautiful Jura mountains. It is a route that was first completed in 1976, on classic cross country skis, and crosses the Haut-Jura Regional Natural Park. You'll cover roughly 154 kilometres on mostly prepared and pressed trails, taking in the rolling landscapes that set this region apart from the more jagged mountains of the Alps. The Swiss route is quieter, and feels quite remote in places - it is possible to ski all day without seeing other skiers, creating a real sense of tranquility, and a glimpse of traditional mountain life.

What to expect

On this trip you will stay in small hotels and guest houses on all 7 nights, enjoying traditional local food, wine and hospitality. There is full luggage support, enabling you to travel light carrying just daypacks. Your main bags will await each night on your arrival at that evening's carefully selected hotel.

Each day you will aim to cover around 25-30 kilometres of trails, with a fair amount of ascent and descent, so you will need to be able to ski for around 6 hours per day, at a good pace. This self-guided trip is suitable for those with previous cross-country or Nordic skiing experience, and a good knowledge of cross-country skiing techniques is required, particularly the snowplough for steeper descents. If you have any questions at all about whether this self-guided trip is right option for you, just ask.

Which traverse of the Jura is right for me?

Both of our Trans Jura trips are for experienced cross-country or Nordic skiers, looking to cross the Upper Jura mountains on a point-to-point ski tour.

The Trans Jura French trip is perfect for a first cross-country ski trip in the Jura mountains. It covers roughly 146km of pistes, and 2600m of ascent/descent. Accommodation is in charming small hotels and auberges along the way, with a night in Switzerland. Due to the nature of the accommodation there are limited single room options.

This Self-Guided Traverse of the Swiss Jura trip spends its first night in France, before you cross the border to traverse the quieter Swiss route. It is more challenging than the traverse on the French side, with 154km of trails, and 3600m of ascent/descent. This route has higher elevations, sometimes above the tree line, and therefore has a more remote feel about it. Accommodation is in hotels throughout, with more options for single rooms.

AT A GLANCE

7 nights

6 days' skiing

Luggage delivery

Join: Les Rousses, France

End: La Vue-des-Alpes, Switzerland

Nearest airports: Geneva & Zurich

ACCOMMODATION

7 nights in hotels

DIFFICULTY GRADING

8

Challenging

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TRIP NOTES

Self-guided Traverse of the Swiss Jura XC Ski: Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Les Rousses

Arrive at your hotel in the French ski resort of Les Rousses, leaving time to organise ski hire and make any last minute purchases if required.

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Day 2 - Les Rousses to the Col du Marchairuz

Your trip starts with a short transfer to La Givrine, just over the border, where you can buy your ski passes for the week. After donning the skis you'll start with a short climb to join a network of well-maintained tracks through the woodland and meadows. You'll keep to a ridge at a height of 1300m until reaching the pastures of Les Pralets, a nice spot for a picnic lunch. You'll then continue along the ridge, with a final climb up to the Col du Marchairuz at 1447 metres, where you'll check into your hotel for the night.

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Skiing: approx 6 hours

Distance: 21km

Altitude gain / loss: +460m / -230m

Day 3 - The Col du Marchairuz to the Col Mollendruz

Today you will ski across open countryside beneath Mont Tendre (1678m), on the trails that link these high pastures in the summer. You can stop at the Refuge Bon Accueil for lunch - it's an old railway carriage that has been converted into a charming mountain refuge at a height of 1500m. After lunch there's a descent to the Col Mollendruz (1200m). You then take a taxi to the hotel in the village of Pont (1100m), next to Lac de Joux.

Accommodation: Hotel (dinner included if the hotel restaurant is open)

Luggage access

Skiing: approx 6 hours

Distance: 17km

Altitude gain / loss: +340m / -700m

Day 4 - Pont to Métabief

Today is one of the longest days so you will need to start promptly after breakfast. Leaving Pont, continue along the TJS route, through the village of Les Charbonnières, and up through the Forêt du Risoux, to Le Porteau on the French border. Here you will find a 5km untracked section where you will need to make your own trail. Once you've met the tracks again, you'll finish the day with a fabulous 300m ski descent below Mont d'Or, then on to the small ski town of Métabief. You may need to take a transfer from Métabief to Malbuisson as accommodation in Métabief can be booked out. This will be confirmed before departure.

Accommodation: Hotel (dinner not included)

Luggage access

Skiing: approx 8 hours

Distance: 29km

Altitude gain / loss: +740m / -755m

Day 5 - Métabief to Les Cernets

Today is another long but satisfying day spent along the French/Swiss border. You rejoin the trail at Métabief, and follow it through the forests and into open farmland, before stopping for lunch at Les Fourgs. After lunch you will take up the well-maintained tracks again, until you reach a small section where you'll need to remove your skis and descend on foot across the border at Verrières-des-Joux. There's then a final climb of around 200m to make on foot, to reach your hotel in the hamlet of Les Cernets.

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Skiing: approx 6-7 hours

Distance: 33km

Altitude gain / loss: +800m / -730m

Day 6 - Les Cernets to La Brévine

Today is a slightly shorter day, so you can start a little later. The trails around Les Cernets are first-class, and regularly used for national and international cross-country ski races. You'll pass through hamlets and farms as you enter the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel, on your way to La Brévine. This is your base for the night, and is famous for having recorded Switzerland's lowest ever temperature of -40 degrees. They celebrate with an annual Fête du Froid (Cold Festival), but luckily for you it was just a one-off, and certainly is not the norm!

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Skiing: approx 5-6 hours

Distance: 19km

Altitude gain / loss: +470m / -570m

Day 7 - La Brévine to La Vue des Alpes

This is the last day of your self-guided ski tour, but also the longest, as you cross two valleys. Leave La Brévine on flat open trails to La Chaux-du-Milieu, then ascend up and over La Grande Joux, where you will enjoy views of Val de Morteau in France to the north. We recommend a lunch stop at Som Martel, before a brilliant descent through the woods to La Sagne, and down to your second valley crossing. A final 300m climb brings you to the Tête de Ran col, with its views of Chaux-de-Fonds. It's then an easy ski down to La Vue des Alpes and hopefully, if you're blessed with a clear day, views of the Jura and the Alps. Stay the night in La Vue des Alpes, and enjoy a well-earned meal to celebrate the end of your epic adventure.

Accommodation: Hotel, dinner included

Luggage access

Skiing: approx 8-9 hours

Distance: 33km

Altitude gain / loss: +790m / -540m

Day 8 - Departure day

Congratulations, you made it! Your self-guided trip finishes after breakfast. we choose to finish at La Vue des Alpes thanks to the wonderful views and good transport links. If you would like to add the final day from La Vue des Alpes to finish the route in Les Bugnenets-Savagnières, just let us us know and we'll tailor your itinerary to suit.

Included