Sun, 1 March 2026
Vertical Climbed: 647 meters (2,123 feet)
Vertical Descended: 647 meters
Tucked away in the far southern reaches of the Jura Mountains, the Nordic ski area of Giron is situated at around 1,000 metres above sea level, the small mountain village of Giron offers sweeping views and a peaceful atmosphere that perfectly suits the rhythm of cross-country skiing.
The area is the start of the famous Grandes Traversées du Jura long distance cross country ski trail. The pistes wind through spruce forests with occasional clearings letting the sunlight in. This has the advantage of conserving the snow and the area is known for its excellent snow conditions. There is a mix of both snow shoeing and cross country skiing. There is a claimed 110.5km of trails but as is common, a lot of double counting is going on. Using the Valserhone Ski Club calculator we made it 28.4km if you include the GTJ link towards la Pesse as far as the Tamiset refuge. That's with no double counting. The trails suitable for beginners as well as experienced skiers, and distances ranging from gentle loops to longer excursions. However outside of the village the skiing is more intermediate level with some longer climbs and descents. The area is pisted for both skating and classic styles.
When the snow is there, rare over recent years, skiers can set off directly from the village prairie on easy runs ideal for warming up, or head higher to La Frasse at 1,150 metres, where more challenging trails stretch into the heart of the Haut-Jura.
Trip Report
I arrived early, about 8h50, to make sure I got the best snow conditions in this early spring. The car park was very muddy - so clearly the air temperatures were positive. It was already half full with a lot of people on the pistes. The start on the blue Avalanche piste is quite hard as it involves a few short but fairly steep climbs. A bit hard without warming up. Then the trail rolls through pine forests to eventually meet the GTJ route which I took for 1.5km until the piste prep got too poor - a steep climb with refrozen tracks. Ok on the climb, perhaps dangerous on the descent, I didn't want to find. out. The climbs on the return are not hard, you can V2 skate up them.
One odd thing, the resort warns skiers to respect the piste directions. I made sure I followed the arrows and piste map but a lot of skiers were going around the wrong way, some dangerously out of control. I've not seen it anything like as bad in other places.
It is a great little ski area. Quite a few pistes were shut, some because of forest works in the autumn which have damaged them, others due to lack of snow, I imagine but certainly a enough to keep you amused for an morning, or longer if you take the GTJ route to la Pesse and beyond.
+2 at the parking at 9am. The snow had refrozen well.
