Crêt de la Neige

Over the years that I have been based in Basel, I have walked a lot in the Jura mountains. There was the Jura Höhenweg in 2020, and then last year, I walked the Chemin de Jura and the Via Jura. The Jura Höhenweg in particular took me over some of the highest summits in the Swiss Jura. There was Mont Tendre, which at 1679m is the highest summit in the Swiss Jura. There was La Dôle, Chasseral, Le Chasseron, and Le Suchet, the next four highest as well. But through much of that time, there seemed to be unfinished business, one summit that was often on my mind: the Crêt de la Neige.

At 1720m in height, the Crêt de la Neige is the highest summit in the entire Jura range. But it is not in Switzerland, it is in France. It is fairly close to Geneva, but distant enough to make the logistics of getting there quite difficult. And I must confess that I allowed the logistical difficulties to be an excuse for procrastination. But sometimes an idea moves from a wish or desire to an intention, and I decided that 2025 would be the year when I would go to Crêt de la Neige. The name of the mountain, which when translated means Ridge of Snow, influenced me to go there in winter, and experience the snow.

Thus, it was that a sequence of tram, two trains, another tram, and a bus, brought me to the village of Crozet. It was cloudy when I got there, and I was surprised to see a queue of skiers at the cable car station. I boarded the cable car in the company of three Genevois. They were going skiing. As the cable car went upwards, and came into sunshine above the clouds, all of us expressed our delight and optimism for a good day. We alighted at Le Fierney and parted ways, wishing each other a good day.

There is an extensive network of tracks near Le Fierney, and it was my intention to follow these in an arc that would bring me to Montoisey. I started out well enough. though I was soon in snow. The snowshoes came out and I kept going, with a marvellous view of the clouds over Lac Léman as I went. Unfortunately, the snow made the tracks invisible. My phone had no signal, and I was reduced to dead reckoning to find my way. But Montoisey was visible in the sunshine, and I got there. There is another ski lift station there, bringing people up from the western side. I followed the ski route down to the col just below Montoisey. At that point the ski route turns westwards, while I was going on the Grand Crêt. I had left the skiers behind, and I was into walking territory now.

There were plenty of walkers out that day, not all following the same route, but generally going to or coming from Crêt de la Neige. The snow was good underfoot, but it would have been difficult without the snowshoes. After an unnamed hump in the ground at 1663m, the route descends slightly before going up to Grand Crêt at 1702m. The map shows the ground as more or less level from there to Crêt de la Neige, but it is not so. These mountains are made of limestone, with lots of dips and hollows. I am quite sure that they are a delight in early summers, as those dips and hollows would be perfect for alpine plants. But in the snow, the route twists its way around them, sometimes going up slightly, and sometimes descending slightly. On the final piece just before the summit, there is a particularly narrow section between two good sized hollows, and care had to be taken. But I got there, and it was worth it. The views to the west and north were fabulous, with La Dôle clearly visible.

Then it was time to go back. The way back was more or less the same until I came to the col just below Montoisey, but I had been over that summit, so I skirted around to the east to come near the ski lift station at Montoiseau. Initially, I followed a trail close to the side of the skiers’ route, but then veered off as the slope to my right became less steep and more negotiable. I was following the poles marked out for walkers. Twice I had to cross the skiers’ route, and it was like crossing a major road. Even though it was now afternoon, the skiing facilities were still busy. As I approached Le Fierney again, the evening sun caught the alps in the distance, looking glorious. The thermal inversion causing the clouds to sit over Lac Léman had dissipated and the lake was now visible. And then I was at Le Fierney. The cable car brought me back to Crozet, and I had the same succession of transport as in the morning to bring me back to Basel.