Farms of the Jura in winter: Les Pralets

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.

Les Pralets

Les Pralets lies at 1271m in a broad meadow along the main Marchairuz-to-Givrine crosscountry ski track, between Le Vermeilley to the SW and La Bassine (1261m) to the NE, at the top of the paved road from the village of Bassins. It's seen here from the SW in a vigorous snowstorm on 4 January 2003.

Les Pralets hosts a cozy restaurant montagnard for hikers in summer and, in winter, for skiers along the ski du fond trail -- though it's about 8 km up from the trailhead at the Col de la Givrine and about 10km from the trailhead near the Col du Marchairuz.

Les Pralets, in addition to its specialties of fromage dishes, is also a working farm in the summer, of course.

On this day, 4 January 2003, the proprietor seemed just to have had himself driven up the road in a 4x4 as the first serious snow of the winter began to close the place off.