Resorts Guide : Crans Montana

The Swiss resort of Crans Montana is located in a sunny position on a shelf above the Rhone Valley, amidst glorious high-alpine scenery, The resort is actually made up of two centres - Crans-sur-Sierre in the north-west and Montana to the south-east, both centres about 1.5km apart from each other, but the resort has been marketed as Crans Montana since the 1960s, something that proved a successful idea in the 1970's and 80's as it gained a reputation as a swanky, upmarket, modern resort (although one of the drawbacks has been that it has lost much of the traditional character that many visitors are looking for). For what it's worth, Crans is the slightly more well-heeled of the two centres. When it comes to the skiing, Crans Montana is a real joy for intermediates, with plenty of red slopes covering the mountains above town. Given the size of the ski area the lack of real expert terrain is a bit of a surprise, and some of the slopes are not ideal for complete novices to progress onto. So all in all, Crans Montana is a mix of fantastic scenery, plenty of slopes for people who've skied before, some 70's style buildings and some really upmarket areas. And whilst it's not really got the charm of a traditional chocolate-box Swiss resort, lovers of fancy shops and 5-star hotels will certainly enjoy it !