Since the dawn of time
In the Nordic countries, skiing has been an innate means of transport for some people since the dawn of time. In fact, prehistoric hunters would set off to track their game with 4.5 m boards and a rowing stick.
The start of skiing in France
Skiing took off in France and the Jura in the 19th century. Tales of heroic crossings of icy wastelands were passed on to French pioneers. One of them, Henri Duhamel, founded the first French ski club with his friends in 1889.
The French ski school at Briançon opened in 1906 and was built to train more than 5,000 soldiers in the sport, the same soldiers who introduced skiing to the mountain community.
As a result, postmen, customs officers and the rural population were able to escape the harsh Jura winters. The first ski resort in the Massif and the third in France was Les Rousses between 1900 and 1910.
The evolution of ski tourism
In the Jura at this time of year, cross-country skiing is more suited to the gentler terrain. He never failed to develop his facilities. He pioneered ski jumping, even before the first ski lift was built in Les Rousses (late 1930s).
It was during the inter-war years that the story accelerated. Swiss hotels offered skiing to their guests. Military personnel trained in skiing techniques became instructors, and competitions sparked a craze for this pastime. The 1968 Grenoble Olympics were the first to broadcast live images of skiing on television. It also gave people from non-mountain backgrounds a chance to discover winter sports. And so the race for equipment began and winter tourism developed on a massive scale.
Skiing made in Monts Jura
Skiing made in Jura was no exception to the rule. The craze for snow holidays led to a series of initiatives by local people. The Mont-Rond ski area in Mijoux-la Faucille was founded in the winter of 1951/52, and the first ski lifts were installed in 1952.
The Lélex station was created in 1955. After 5 years of work, the first cable car in the sector was built. A year later, construction began on the Crozet-Fierney gondola lift, which was completed in July 1957 and was able to carry its first passengers. To the delight of the entire region, which was finally able to break through the fog of the plain and admire the magnificent panorama above.
Cross-country skiing
The first groomed Nordic trails in the Valserine valley were created in the early 1970s. The Lélex sports club was behind this initiative. To make the most of their domain, they bought a set of cross-country skis, which they then rented out. The grooming equipment was rocket science: a tractor rigged with caterpillar tracks… Anything was good for skiing! These brave initiators were also groomers, ski hire companies and instructors. It’s thanks to them that skiing has been able to evolve in the region.
The La Vattay Nordic site opened its doors in 1982. And in 1987, it was the first resort in France to groom its pistes for the new Nordic trend: skating! That same year, it was the turn of Menthières, and in 1999 the 4 sites (Lélex/Crozet, Mijoux/la Faucille, Menthières and la Vattay) joined forces under the name of Monts-Jura. Prior to this date, the resort was managed by the Syndicat Mixte du Jura Gessien.
“Stick planting
The “plantanté de bâton” has become a reliable institution on our beautiful mountain range. Since then, we’ve been able to explore the slopes to our heart’s content. So we diversify our style with a choice of cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, telemark skiing, ski touring, monoskiing and snow-boarding, all of which allow us to enjoy the splendid snow-covered landscapes and appreciate holidays in the Monts Jura. However, over the last few years, we’ve noticed that snow has become a white gold, with less severe winters and skiing becoming increasingly unstable…
Now it’s up to us to ensure that this discipline does not become a legend for our future generations.
Thematics
