The Alps have decided it's Spring ....in February! 5 weeks of high pressure has brought us blue sky and sunshine for weeks on end (yawn, yawn!). So the past few weeks we've been able to enjoy 'spring skiing' with light weight gear whilst enjoying some rays. Not all bad really.

I'm just back to the Chamonix Valley after another great ski trip to the Jura mountains where the snow continues to fall and the temperature is staying low - keeping the tracks in excellent condition. Our 'extreme team' (The Mackenzies and Janet) have just completed approximately 100km on skis in just four days.

So here we are in Giron after 8 days of crossing the Jura mountains on the GTJ (Grand Traverse of the Jura). 175 km and more later and 'N' has stuck with it, improved his technique and on the last day was leading the pack to the finish line. The team have been great fun this week and eight stalwarts gritted their teeth in the face of a blizzard this morning and followed Julia through the silent snow covered forests as they completed the final 30 km.

We are having a fantastic week traversing the Jura mountains on the French/Swiss border. The snow conditions really are wonderful with a great cover providing us with a landscape of silent forests and sparkling snowflakes. We have eight clients who are embracing the challenge of the Grand Traverse du Jura or GTJ, which is a truly classic long distance cross country ski covering just over 170 km.

It seems as though Christmas was only yesterday but we are already at the end of January! Which means that next week I leave for the Jura mountains, France and Switzerland’s answer to Norway. These rolling ‘hills’, reach no more that 1600m in altitude and make excellent farmland in the summer. This very rural & less frequented region has an entirely different feel to its’ neighbouring jaggy spires and peaks of the Alps.

The best part about my job - on quiet days getting away to explore a new area! This week I've been exploring the Jura region on the border of France and Switzerland, where we're now offering a wonderful cross country ski trip called Grand Traverse of the Jura.