Crans-Montana. Sun and Snow.
Crans-Montana is located in the heart of the Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais, on a plateau above Sierre at an elevation of about 1,500 m, facing the Rhône valley. Crans-Montana is really two villages, their centers a mile apart and their fringes merging. The resort is reached by road or by a funicular railway from the town of Sierre in only 12 minutes.
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The modern side of Crans-Montana offers the most extensive alpine shopping for miles around. It also boasts a renowned cultural and congress center; and a wide range of accommodation. As a venue for major sporting events, Crans-Montana draws visitors from all over the world. It is impossible to describe Crans-Montana without mentioning its acclaimed golf courses designed by Severiano Ballesteros and Jack Nicklaus.
Crans is the more upmarket part, with fancy shops, 5-star hotels and an improved pedestrian-friendly center.
The ski slopes stretch from the high plateau at 1500 meters up to the Plaine Morte Glacier at 3000 m. The vertical drop is a respectable 1500 meters.
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The ski domain of Crans Montana (1500-3000) allows skiers and snowboarders to enjoy snow thanks to 30 lifts and 140 km of pistes including the mythical Plaine Morte and the National. The Mont Lachaux Downhill racecourse was remodeled in 2006-2007. The slope winds its way down from the spectacular Cry d'Err vantage point and on through the mountain forest down to the Barzettes ski stadium.
Crans-Montana stretches up to the Plaine Morte glacier at an altitude of 3,000 meters, where the first alpine ski race took place in 1911 when the English skiing pioneer Sir Arnold Lunn organized the world's first timed downhill ski race, on the high Valais plateau from the Plaine Morte glacier to Mollens. Crans-Montana has so far hosted more than 25 FIS European Cup and FIS World Cup competitions, two World Cup Finals (1992 & 1998), the European Cup Finals 2009, and the unforgettable 1987 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
Crans-Montana, will host the 2027 Alpine World Ski Championships.
Crans is one of the favorite resorts for the Swiss who live in Geneva, Lausanne or Vevey due to its magnificent climate and orientation. Many celebrities such as the Spanish golfer Sergio García or the brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari have chosen this town to buy a house and one of its habitual residents until his death was the well-known English actor Roger Moore.
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Vail Resorts, announced on November 30, 2023, that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Crans-Montana Mountain Resort in Switzerland from CPI Property Group ("CPIPG").
