Mieussy
Encyclopedia
Mieussy is a commune
in the Haute-Savoie
department in the Rhône-Alpes
region
in south-eastern France
.
Mieussy is a traditional unspoiled Alpine farming village in the Vallée du Giffre. A map of the surrounding hiking trails that lead into the mountains is available from the Mieussy tourist office.
The Mieussy Fromagerie makes the world famous Alpine cheeses known as reblochon and tomme de savoie. Visitors may have free access via a windowed gallery that looks down on the cheese making room. There are also guided visits, multimedia education displays, and tasting sessions and a shop selling cheeses and other regional products from the Haute Savoie.
Each year the village is host to the traditional farmers harvest market, when thousands spill into its streets to buy sweet chestnuts, fresh pressed apples, savoyard meats and cheeses and to celebrate the harvest. The festival runs for two days in October and is the largest authentic farmers festival in the region.
Mieussy became known as the birth place of paragliding when in June 1978 three friends Jean-Claude Bétemps, André Bohn and Gérard Bosson were inspired by an article on ‘slope soaring’ in the Parachute Manual magazine. They calculated that on a suitable slope, a square parachute could be inflated by running down a slope; Bétemps launched from Pointe du Pertuiset, Mieussy, and flew 100 m. Andre Bohn followed him and glided down to the football pitch in the valley 1000 metres below.[6] ‘Parapente’ was born (pente being French for slope).
A paragliding school and intoductory tandem flights are offered today by the Mieussy football pitch.
Mieussy is also known for its ski resort Sommand with over 60 km downhill and cross-country skiing. Sommand is linked to the Praz de Lys ski resort of a similar size.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie
Haute-Savoie is a French department in the Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. It borders both Switzerland and Italy. The capital is Annecy. To the north is Lake Geneva and Switzerland; to the south and southeast are the Mont Blanc and Aravis mountain ranges and the French entrance to the Mont...
department in the Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in south-eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Mieussy is a traditional unspoiled Alpine farming village in the Vallée du Giffre. A map of the surrounding hiking trails that lead into the mountains is available from the Mieussy tourist office.
The Mieussy Fromagerie makes the world famous Alpine cheeses known as reblochon and tomme de savoie. Visitors may have free access via a windowed gallery that looks down on the cheese making room. There are also guided visits, multimedia education displays, and tasting sessions and a shop selling cheeses and other regional products from the Haute Savoie.
Each year the village is host to the traditional farmers harvest market, when thousands spill into its streets to buy sweet chestnuts, fresh pressed apples, savoyard meats and cheeses and to celebrate the harvest. The festival runs for two days in October and is the largest authentic farmers festival in the region.
Mieussy became known as the birth place of paragliding when in June 1978 three friends Jean-Claude Bétemps, André Bohn and Gérard Bosson were inspired by an article on ‘slope soaring’ in the Parachute Manual magazine. They calculated that on a suitable slope, a square parachute could be inflated by running down a slope; Bétemps launched from Pointe du Pertuiset, Mieussy, and flew 100 m. Andre Bohn followed him and glided down to the football pitch in the valley 1000 metres below.[6] ‘Parapente’ was born (pente being French for slope).
A paragliding school and intoductory tandem flights are offered today by the Mieussy football pitch.
Mieussy is also known for its ski resort Sommand with over 60 km downhill and cross-country skiing. Sommand is linked to the Praz de Lys ski resort of a similar size.