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.
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.
Crans-Montana is famous not only for its ski slopes, but also for its golf facilities. The Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club has two golf courses, the 18-hole Severiano Ballesteros and the 9-hole Jack Nicklaus.
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.
