Crans-Montana Ski Resort ski area

Ski Area

Crans-Montana ski area is almost entirely south-facing with one of the best 360 degree panoramic views of the Alps including Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.

The ski area is especially good for intermediates and there are good opportunities for skiing off-piste. The ski area includes 140km of marked pistes and at Aminona there’s an impressive 50,000m² snowpark with Boardercross, quarter-pipes, big-air and rails together with a bar and deckchairs in the middle of the snowpark.

Although predominantly south-facing, Crans-Montana ski area from the Glacier Plaine Morte at 3,000m down to village level at 1,500m is generally high enough to retain good snow conditions and cold enough to allow snow cannons to create artificial snow when needed. And with a majority of guests busy devoting their time to activities other than skiing, Crans-Montana ski slopes are not overcrowded and queuing for lifts is minimal except occasionally at the very busiest times.

Crans Montana ski area includes wide open runs and significant off-piste for free riding with panoramic Alpine views above 2,000m and scenic tree-lined routes down from 2000m to the base stations. Sign-posting leaves room for improvement, especially once you ski away from the main lift stations and difficulties caused by inadequate sign posting and an absence of numbered piste markers is not compensated for by the Crans-Montana ski map which not as well-referenced as it might be for route finding and at times confusing.

Crans-Montana is served by 27 ski lifts with 3 more button lifts on the golf course, for beginners, and a free bus service connects Crans, Montana and each of the four main lift stations in Crans, Montana, Brazettes-Violettes and Aminona. The free ski bus is useful when you need to start or end your ski day far from where you are staying, but a more frequent bus service is needed. Presently the buses run only every half hour, which is too long to wait, especially when it’s cold, and another reason why so many of Crans Montana’s guests prefer to come by car.

Although there’s just one black piste marked on the ski map, snow conditions permitting there are good opportunities for advanced and expert skiers to venture into deeper snow between the pistes and to ski-off piste at higher altitudes including numerous cliffs which look good for extreme skiers, but dangerous if you venture off-piste unaware, so for safety sake it’s always best to hire a local mountain guide.

There’s night skiing every Friday nights (19:00-22:00) on 4km of floodlit pistes, 15km of snow shoeing paths and 65km designated for walking, and Crans-Montana also has one of Switzerland’s best toboggan runs, a 6km long descent from 2,400m down to 1,500m, which is popular in the evening and customarily followed by a fondue.

There’s 35km of cross-country skiing on the glacier and on trails at lower levels running from Crans to Aminona. It’s also quite common to encounter skiers with touring skis and skins working their way up the edge of the piste – a good fitness work-out!