Snowshoe outing
Written by Mark Warren (only posted by PT)
The highest point in the Jura, the Crêt de la Neige (1718m) provides on a good day some of the best views of the Alps as well as the Jura and despite a slight haze Tuesday 1 March was a good day. Just as important it was windless.
Taking the télécabine from Lelex up to the Catheline, six of us set off on the well-marked trail. There was still enough snow to warrant the use of snowshoes but if it does not snow again, this may well be our last outing using them.
The going was relatively easy with slight slopes to begin with and then there was a steeper climb up to the top. Half way up, David had a snowshoe catastrophe as the rivet holding the strap onto the shoe came out, making the shoe useless.
Thankfully Nicolas had the ingenuity to think of and implement a solution – he used his key ring to join the two parts together which enabled David to continue with no further incidents.
To quote Hilary Sharp from her guide to snowshoeing in the Alps: “There are many reasons to toil uphill, but one of the most satisfying is to see the ever-widening vista”, and we weren’t disappointed as we first saw the Alps from a relatively narrow viewpoint and then the full skyline once we reached the top.
These views from the top were well worth our efforts and we stopped for our picnic just short of the summit gazing at the panorama, with Richard and Drew offering the aperitives.
The summit team went on to that objective while Philip and Mark ambled on the return route. Understandably, the return was more rapid than going, so it wasn’t too long before we reached Franck (and Laos) at the Refuge la Loge for beers.
Conversation covered many subjects, including of course independence – but this time, Rob please note, we were talking about Ukraine.
The total hike was 9km with a height difference of 410m. A lovely day out on a classic hike. Thank you the drivers.
Participants: RichardS, DavidC, DrewM, PhilipJ, NicolasU and Mark2R
Some of Drew’s shots (reduced in size for this site) :-
