Crans-Montana

Crans-Montana occupies a broad terrace at about fifteen hundred metres on the north side of the Rhone valley, facing south across to the Valais Alps - a position with unusual sunshine hours that shaped what the resort became. The Severiano Ballesteros course hosts the Omega European Masters each September, a European Tour event played at an altitude where the thin air sends the ball noticeably further, which players talk about as the defining feature of the week. In winter the ski area runs up to the Plaine Morte glacier at nearly three thousand metres. The resort is two former villages, Crans and Montana, grown together, and the building is modern rather than traditional.

What you actually see

• Golf at 1,500 metres - the European Masters each September, with thin-air carry.
• A wide sun terrace - facing south across the Rhone to the Valais Alps.
• The Plaine Morte glacier - the top of the ski area at nearly 3,000 metres.
• Two villages grown together - Crans and Montana as one modern resort.

When to go

December to April, or June to September. Two days.

Honest expectations

The architecture is modern and dense - visitors expecting an Alpine village are often disappointed. Prices are high. The road up is long and winding; the funicular is easier. Tournament week fills everything.

Nearby

Sierre and Val d'Anniviers are below; Leukerbad is east.