Exploring the Land of Comté by Ski

When you cross-country ski in France, there is cheese everywhere. At Lumi Experiences, we find that skiing and cheese make a great pairing, especially when there’s lots to celebrate! Fortunately there was much to celebrate on the Lumi trip to Les Rousses, France in February: guests received medals for finishing the Transjurassienne Worldloppet despite low snow conditions, taking one step closer to skiing 10 Worldloppet events in 10 countries and becoming Worldloppet Masters.

Les Rousses, France is a village at the foothills of the Jura Mountains in eastern France, near Switzerland. Known for hosting France’s largest cross-country ski race since 1980 – the Transju’ – Les Rousses trails criss-cross a total of 170 km through the villages of Lamoura, Prémanon and Bois d'Amont. Surrounding these traditional villages is a patchwork of vineyards and pastures that produce a variety of wines and cheeses renown for their distinct flavors. This roughly 50-mile area is known as the Jura.

In the Jura, the cross-country skiing is world-class and so is the food and wine. You’ve probably tasted one of the regional specialities, Comté – also known as “mountain cheese.” This semi-hard alpine cheese has been produced communally by farmers, cheesemakers, and affineurs (cheese agers) in the Jura mountains for over 1,000 years. Its production started as a way to preserve milk that would otherwise sour quickly, and to feed the region’s inhabitants during the long, cold winters.

Between the 2600 small farms, 300 cheesemakers, and 16 aging facilities in the Jura, Comté’s communal production continues today. During the summer, the cows whose milk makes Comté graze across the landscape on an abundance of grasses and wildflowers. Comté farmers herds are small, usually only around 40 cows, because Comté’s Protected Designation of Origin status requires each cow have 2.5 acres of pasture. It also takes around 120 gallons of milk to produce each 90-pound wheel of Comté, so farmers in the Jura pool their milk. This communal production adds to Comté’s already sweet, complex flavor, which Lumi guests get to taste in person when they visit a Comté cheese fortress and see how this special cheese is made and aged.

Did you say cheese fortress? Sure did! About 50 years ago, one of the region’s affineurs discovered an abandoned military fort that was originally built to protect the French-Swiss border in the late 1800s. Because the stone structure is mostly underground, its temperature, humidity, and low light conditions make for ideal cheese ripening. So in this Cathedral of Comté, which is hunkered into the mountainside at about 3600 feet, 100,000 90-pound wheels of Comté age for between 4 months and 2 years on local Spruce planks.

Interestingly for Comté, in addition to aging time, the flavor changes depending on the season when it’s made. Because of the cow’s seasonal change in diet – from eating a mix of fresh grasses and wildflowers in the summer to dried hay that was harvested from the same pastures and then stored into the winter – Comté that is made from cow’s milk produced in the winter tastes different from Comté that is made with milk produced in the summer.

Seeing the Jura in the summertime and hearing the traditional cow bells ring as herds graze across it, it’s hard to believe that this is the same landscape where ski trails lead Lumi guests to chalets serving delicious French food and wine during the winter. 

One of our favorite trail-side huts sprinkled throughout the trails and trees in the Jura, is right on the Swiss border. On a snowy day, the fireplace in the middle of the gîte (cottage) offers a cozy warmth inside, but if the sun is shining, you'll want to take a seat at one of the outdoor picnic benches to soak in the rays. An exclusively locally-produced charcuterie and cheese platter awaits. Bon appetit!

In the same bucolic landscape where Comté is produced, several varieties of grapes are grown by small-scale vineyards making wines special to the Jura region. Santé!

After sampling a cornucopia of Comtés and local wines, Lumi guests are prepared to ski the Transju’. Lumi skiers who participate in the skate or classic events ranging from 25 - 70km will not be without Comté for long! Comté is served at feeding stations along the race course, celebrations after a strong finish are atop… wheels of Comté cheese, and instead of a medal the Transju’ winner takes home a Comté bell, a favorite symbol of the region.

Do you also find that skiing pairs well with cheese & wine tasting and want to explore the flavors of the Jura region by ski?

Reach out to info@lumiexperiences.com to see the France trip itinerary and reserve your seat at Lumi’s favorite trail-side gîtes (reservations are required in France!).

See you on the trail,
Garrott Kuzzy
garrott@lumiexperiences.com