(0)
Sunny slopes
Crans-Montana, French-speaking Switzerland’s best ski resort
In Crans-Montana, skiing is a way of life. It was here, on the high plateau’s natural overlook, that a group of British skiers staged the world’s first downhill race in 1911. Ever since, these slopes have been a popular ski destination, boasting 180° views of the Alps.
When the earliest skiers disembark from the first cable car of the day at Plaine Morte, the immense glacier is still shrouded in its lush winter coat of snow and morning fog. But it won’t take long for the sun to make its appearance — with 300 sunny days in the books each year, Crans-Montana holds the record for the most sunshine in the country. Below, the powder-covered slopes dip and curve gracefully towards the crease of the Rhone Valley, too far away to see, as the shadows of dawn slowly recede, and the day begins.
The ski area unfolds north towards Valais, from 1,510 to 2,927 m in altitude, beneath the Plaine Morte Glacier and a trilogy of summits — led by the Wildstrubel — that peak at 3,000 m. These blessed hillsides follow the sun like a sunflower. Facing the slopes, the 4,000 m peaks of the Valais Alps — an incredible set of neightbors — fill the horizon: the Bishorn followed by the Weisshorn and the Zinalrothorn. Further west, there’s the Grand Combin massif and finally, off in the distance, the iconic Matterhorn. Most of the Alps’ highest summits are on display here, in a single swoop of the eye.
A slope for every level
Welcome to Crans-Montana, a chic HQ for gastronomy and luxury hotels. Montana-Village is central and more family friendly, while Aminona is a bit quieter. Each location has its charm, and both offer a host of ski lifts that meet on the same beautiful, southern-facing runs. These 140 km of groomed slopes — 89% of which are blue and red pistes — are a casual skier’s paradise. Here, people of all levels can take advantage of wide-open areas and more playful runs, complete with high-altitude bars, restaurants and fine dining establishments (around 20 in total), where one can soak up the sun on the terrace between two thrilling ski runs. For the kids, there’s Arnouva, which is reachable via a free cable car and features magic carpets and ski tows for those still figuring out how to turn. After a bit of practice, they can hop on the relatively easy blue run down to Crans.
And a squeeze of Adrenaline
At the other end of the spectrum is the ungroomed Chetseron black run, which is sure to leave your thighs quivering from the effort. The long Kandahar trail begins at the very top of Plaine Morte and rapidly picks up speed along the many airy crests, passing the glacier to the left as you hurtle down the wide strips in full high-mountain ambiance. Further down, the sublime forest welcomes freeriders on white snowy days, while one of Switzerland’s most impressive snow parks (100,000 m2!) — located just beneath the Cry d’Er station — offers numerous rails, XXL laser-cut jumps and the only Olympic half-pipe in the Valais Alps. Bonus: the Cry d’Er Altitude Club is THE place to party and is also the absolute finest spot to observe the best freeriders practicing their tricks… before tackling the slopes yourself.
You can also get a taste of some of the best competition ski runs. Like the Mont-Lachaux piste, which was originally a women’s Ski World Cup super-G course that includes three jumps, a max. gradient of 52% (resulting in speeds up to 120 km/h), and its infamous “Le Trou du Renard” curve. There’s also the Nationale course, another favourite run for large events, which will welcome the men’s downhill and super-G during the 2025 Audi FIS Ski World Cup (Feb. 22-23). In 2027, the course will also host men’s events and the women’s super-G during the FIS World Ski Championships — exactly 40 years after those same iconic races were held here in 1987.
