Crans-Montana

Q: Is the snow reliable on a south-facing mountain?

Higher up, yes: the Plaine Morte glacier and the upper sectors hold snow well and there is extensive snowmaking on the main pistes. Lower down, the same sun that makes the place pleasant works against it — the runs back to the plateau can be thin or closed in a warm spring, and afternoons in March turn soft. Ski the lower slopes in the morning and treat the glacier as the reliable part.

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Foto: Reustli · CC BY-SA 4.0

Region

Valais

Country

Switzerland

Local time

Europe/Zurich

Currency

EUR

Crans-Montana is two villages that grew into one along a south-facing plateau at 1,500 m above Sierre, and its defining feature is the light: the slopes look straight across the Rhône valley at the 4,000 m peaks of the Valais, from the Weisshorn to the Matterhorn, and the whole area gets sun from early morning. The town is more resort than village — golf course, boutiques, a clinic tradition and an easy, unhurried feel.

The ski area runs from the plateau to the Plaine Morte glacier at just under 3,000 m, with around 140 km of pistes that are mostly wide, groomed and red: this is cruising country, the sort of mountain an intermediate can cover end to end without ever being frightened. It hosted the World Championships in 1987 and will do so again in 2027, and the women's World Cup downhill is a regular fixture.

Since 2023 the lifts have been owned by Vail Resorts, which has brought Epic Pass holders and a programme of investment.

Last reviewed 13 September 2026

Best suited to

Beginners
Families
Intermediates

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Where lessons start

The nursery slopes are on the plateau itself, around the golf course and at the foot of the main lifts, and they are sunny, flat and easy to reach on foot — as good a place to spend a first day as any in Switzerland. From there the blues on Cry d'Er are wide enough to make the step up painless. Crans-Montana is a natural choice for beginners, families and cruising intermediates; experts will find the pistes short of challenge, although the Plaine Morte side has some good off-piste with a guide.

Getting there

Sierre, on the main Valais railway line, is around two hours from Geneva and two and a half from Zurich; from the station a funicular climbs to Montana in about twelve minutes, and buses run along the plateau. By car it is a twenty-minute climb from Sierre on a good road, and unlike many Valais resorts Crans-Montana has no problem with cars in the village — parking is easy and the plateau is flat enough to walk.

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Qualifications required in Switzerland

Teaching skiing or snowboarding for payment in Switzerland is a regulated profession: an instructor must hold the Snowsports instructor diploma. Instructors listed as certified on Alpine Pal have either sent theirs to us for review or are vouched for by the ski school that invited them.

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Crans-Montana: common questions

Is the snow reliable on a south-facing mountain?

Higher up, yes: the Plaine Morte glacier and the upper sectors hold snow well and there is extensive snowmaking on the main pistes. Lower down, the same sun that makes the place pleasant works against it — the runs back to the plateau can be thin or closed in a warm spring, and afternoons in March turn soft. Ski the lower slopes in the morning and treat the glacier as the reliable part.