Winter has been a long time coming to the Jura this season. I wanted to get some training in on the long tour tour of the Plateau de Retord; a black run. This basically follows the left side of the plateau heading north, then right down the middle heading back.
The trail back is hard work and you don't even get the reward of a view over le Mont Blanc as you are just below the ridge line. You could probably climb up or take the trails around Cuvery. There also seems to be a lot of climbing for just one long descent at the end. Still it is a beautiful plateau and well worth the visit, when there is snow. The complete tour is 600 meters of climbing, and presumably the same amount of descent. It was cold at the car park -7.5C at 10am and this probably increased friction as the sharp, icy crystals offer more snow resistance. Although the tour was good there is a lack of snow, lets hope we get some more before too long.
