A cross-country ski holiday in the French Jura, from one house

The closest is Foncine-le-Haut, about 10 min from the house by car, where Jura Tourisme lists 110 km of trails, 9 of them graded green. Mouthe, around 20 min away, offers 59 km according to the regional tourist board. Chapelle-des-Bois, about 30 min away, is a village given over to nordic skiing in winter; guides give it 127 km of trails. The Station des Rousses, around 30 min away, adds up to 148 km across its four villages. Drive times come from a route planner, without snow or traffic.

A good week alternates. Start gently on the green loops close to the house, with ski hire and lessons available on site. Move on to a longer day at Chapelle-des-Bois or Les Rousses once everyone has found their rhythm. Keep one day for snowshoes or a rest, and finish with your favourite trail. Groups of mixed ability can split in the morning and meet for lunch. Evenings are for the stove, a long dinner and an early night: cross-country skiing is tiring in the best way, and the house is quiet enough for proper rest. The details of the nearest area are set out, trail by trail, on the Foncine-le-Haut Nordic ski area page.

The Grande Traversée du Jura, or GTJ, is a long-distance cross-country route of 185 km that crosses the range from north-east to south-west. It passes close to Foncine-le-Haut, so you can ski sections of it as out-and-back days and sleep in the same bed every night. How a whole house compares with moving from gîte to gîte is explained in the GTJ from Foncine.

Geneva airport is the usual gateway: from there the drive takes about 1 hr 20 min in dry conditions. By rail, the TGV from Paris stops at Frasne, about 40 min of driving short of the house. For the cold months, November through March, the Loi Montagne makes snow tyres compulsory on these roads unless you carry chains or socks, so check your hire car when you book. Allow extra time on arrival day if snow is forecast.

The nordic season usually runs from the Christmas holidays to the end of March, depending on snow. Conditions change quickly in a mid-altitude range, so check the official grooming report each morning and choose the area where conditions are best that day. Bring layers rather than one heavy jacket, two pairs of gloves, a small backpack with a flask, and sunglasses: the snow reflects a lot of light, even under a pale sky. Skis, boots and poles are easy to hire locally if you travel light.

Clubs and serious skiers use the Jura for training weeks, with long trails and quiet roads for recovery runs; a cross-country training camp in a private house covers how to organise one. For the Transjurassienne weekend itself, accommodation near the course fills up early, and where to stay for the Transjurassienne sets out the options.

Jura 835 is a whole house for 6 to 8 people, at 835 m in Foncine-le-Bas, let to one group at a time. Write to us with your dates and your group’s level: we reply in English, with what the house and the trails can offer that week.