I’d skied over here doing the Traversée du Jura Suisse but dropped off the ridge in poor weather. I wanted to go back and ski the section in the ridge so I parked at col du Mollendruz where there were only two other cars and set out along the ridge. It’s a around a 27km loop from col du Mollendruz to Pré de Denens and back and I didn’t really see anyone until near Pré de Denens where a group of school children were coming the other way.

After turning round at Pré de Denens I quickly caught the children up as the section was a steady climb with a couple of flat sections. Obviously I was stopping to take a couple of photographs which took a few minutes so I was later surprised on a descent to be passed by a couple of the faster children but they were dropping into tucks for speed.

And (above) I catch the children up again, my long legs and adult power giving me a huge speed advantage until some of them pass me again on the descent where youthful recklessness has the advantage.

Some views over the plateau to the main alpine chain, the forecast was poor weather in the morning and sun int he afternoon and that’s exactly what happened. In fact it steadily improved so it was fine weather by the time I got home.

Just a couple of photo’s from the the fourth day of the Jura Traverse. Weather was extremely poor and it just wasn’t a great day to get photo’s.

I’d spent the night at the Col du Marchairuz in the hotel there and planned to ski to Le Pont at the end of the Lac de Joux, I’d a couple of ideas for a route, ether to ski to the Col du Mollendruz or down to the lake. So I skied the ridge line to the Chalet Du Grand Essert and then decided to descend to the lake. I’d decided that the ridge wasn’t going to alter much, it hadn’t been tracked so it was hard work in places and I’d always got a descent to Le Pont off marked trails anyway.

As it was the track down to Les Bioux wasn’t prepared either and varied from unpleasant and crusted snow to packed and fairly easy. There’s supposed to be some sort of track around the lake, this wasn’t prepared either but it was easy enough skiing. Had the ice been stronger it would have been possible to ski on the lake which would have been a novelty.