La Foulée Blanche - Autrans

Hello again,

This is the continuation of our visit to Vercors: saturday night, ice hockey in Villard-de-Lans, and sunday morning cross-country ski in Autrans. The Vilage of Autrans is on the plateau of Vercors, some 15km from Villard-de-Lans. Both villages where Olympic Sites during the Grenoble Winter Olympic Games, in 1968. Villard-de-Lans hold the luge competitions, and Autrans the cross-country and the smaller ski-jumpings. By-the-way these Winter Games of 1968 are remembered these days in Grenoble, for its 40th anniversary, with expositions and cultural events.

The village of Autrans organize every winter the cross-country race called la Foulée Blanche. It is a very popular competition, with different levels of participants, from pros to amateurs. The ambiance in the town was very festive. Part of this year's run crossed throughout the village, were they have piled snow in the streets and built ski tracks.

Since the day was very sunny, we decided to have a bit of fun, we too! We had in the car's trunk our blue 'pulkka' (plastic sled) from Finland, and we were to the ski-jump hill to slide it down! There were just families with little kids and us! :) hehe... it was great fun.

More pictures (and a video of us sliding down-hill!) are available here.

Cheers,
-Manu & Nina-