Why Pays De Gex is perfect for an adventure beyond the ski slopes

From the high point in Pays de Gex, sun illuminates the flatlands and the blue waters of Lac Léman stretch into the distance. We’re in the realms of the Haute Chaîne du Jura, a national nature reserve where lynx and wolves wander and the mountain towns among the peaks offer far more than downhill skiing.

Despite being just 20 minutes from Geneva, Pays de Gex goes somewhat under the radar of British skiers — overshadowed by resorts around Mont Blanc, whose peak is ever present on the horizon. But with good-value midweek flights from the UK, and a hire car, you can explore all three ski areas on the Pays de Gex lift pass for €35 (£30) a day. 

The little lakeside village of Lélex-Crozet is Pays de Gex’s largest, although that’s pretty relative. It’s bijou, and just 100 yards from its main gondola, I find the Bois Joly hotel; it’s unassuming yet friendly, with lovely lake views and is my base for a few days.Just along the ridge, I can see Mijoux-la Faucille, although it’s a 40-minute drive, snaking up mountain roads and through the town of Gex (pronounced jex, as in hex), with imposing St Peter’s church. Mijoux has 10 miles of pretty downhill slopes, but most people are here for the cross-country skiing. 

Just outside town, Nordic Center Vattay is the access point for the 80-mile Vattay-Valserine, rated one of France’s best cross-country ski areas, with circuits for all levels, along with a ski school.

Today, some 1,000 people have swamped Mijoux for its very first Fête Nordique, what looks set to be an annual Nordic winter sports event. A €7 (£6) ticket covers the day’s fun, taking in cross-country skiing, rifle target shooting, horse-drawn sleigh rides and cheese tasting, the highlight of which is a local blue made by the Confrérie des Amateurs du Bleu de Gex, who preside over proceedings like jaunty priests, all sky-blue gowns and berets.A few ski runs bring me to La Petite Chaumière in the satellite village of La Faucille, a traditional mountain lodge where cheese, mushrooms and lake fish dominate the menu, before there’s time for a couple of more hair-raising runs, this time on a mountain roller coaster, and a flight on the lofty zip-wire back to Mijoux.

On my return, I have a quick sundowner in Mijoux’s 100’Ain bar before we’re off out — this evening’s entertainment is a nighttime snowshoe hike. Equipped with head torches and led by local farmer and mountain guide Nicolas Guitton, we set off in sub-zero temperatures to climb some 700ft in what we’re told will be a 45-minute hike. We’re clearly not up to the farmer’s fitness levels. An hour and 45 minutes later, having crossed snowfields and ducked under icy trees, we finally reach the mountain hut for dinner. Here, Nicolas lights an antique wood-burning stove then lifts an ancient pot onto it, to which he adds bags of local cheese and a slosh of white wine: a rustic fondue. The return trip, after a tot of Nicolas’ fiery home-made génépi (a herbal liqueur) sees us abandoning snowshoes and plunging straight down a steep trail, at points bottom-sledding through powder.

A morning in Menthières the following day provides time to recover. Small even compared to its neighbours, the town offers just five miles of runs, five lifts and panoramic lake views. It’s perfect for beginners and families with young skiers. A short drive away, between lake and mountains, I find the 18th-century chateau of author and philosopher Voltaire. Surrounded by park-like gardens, terraces and with its own chapel, it’s a riot of statues, ornate furniture and works of art. It’s worth the trip alone but nearby Ferney-Voltaire, which its ambitious benefactor Voltaire developed from marshland village to a town with fountains, a theatre and smart architecture, is a superb place for an atmospheric wintry walk. Culminating with craft beers at local microbrewery Brasserie Gessienne, this is the sort of alternative apres-ski experience I could get used to.