Farms of the Jura in winter: Haunt Mont

Dwight Peck's farm photos

Farms of the Jura in winter

The Jura mountains run in a southwest-northeast direction along the border between France and Switzerland, from Geneva (Genève) to Basel (Bâle), holding at about 1300-1400 meters altitude (4350-4500 feet), and peaking in the range of 1650 meters (5450 feet). These photos of high alpage farms in winter are mainly from the southwestern end of that range, between the cities of Geneva and Vallorbe.

Haut Mont

Haut Mont farm lies at the end of the paved road leading up northward from the Col de la Givrine (on the rail line between St Cergue and the French frontier at La Cûre). In winter the route is mechanically tracked both for cross-country skiing, on the through-route northeastward past Marchairuz to the Col du Mollendruz, 36km, and for walkers some 5km to the farm Le Vermeilley, which serves as a restaurant montagnard for hardy hikers.

At 1343m altitude, the Haut Mont farm lies in pastures between the ridges of Carroz to the north (1508m) and another just to the south at 1479m. This scene was taken on a snowy 10 February 2002, with the photographer hobbling along on a broken TSL-brand snowshoe.

Hiker Dr Pirri sipping a restorative beverage whilst exulting in the photographers one-snowshoed plight in the mushy snow.

There it is! One of those snowshoes is defective and ought to have gone back to the factory (a French factory, let it be said), but instead got wrapped all about with baling wire and seems still to be going strong a month later.

Heading back to civilization, we pass . . .

La Genolière farm, functioning as a buvette-restaurant alongside the ski trail, still 10 February 2002.

Back to Haut Mont farm, a sunnier day a week later, 17 February 2002, still before our first good snow of 2002 unfortunately. Good picnicking weather.