Rating overall
8/10
A big snowboarders resort offering something for everyone. Great carving, amazin park and excellent freeriding areas. Lots of local services but cen get rather busy.
8/10
So much terrain to choose from
Good pistes
Lift count : 2 x Cable-cars 7 x Gondolas 10 x Chairlifts 13 x Drag-lifts Other lifts 1 Funicular
Pass (Low/High Season) :
JulienCave_AnthoVuignier.jpg / Julien Cave / Antho Vuignier
If your idea of a good time equals sun soaked piste and a little high end shopping then you Crans Montana is your place and whilst it does have a reputation as a place where the rich and the famous flock to do exactly this, if you are prepared to dig a little deeper than in your pockets then you will find there is plenty on offer here for all.
Snowboarders will love the resorts modern lift system, varied pistes, world class snow park, and the accessible off piste terrain. Off the slopes there are a wide range of activities on offer, local cuisines, restaurants, casino and multiple bars makes Crans Montana the perfect cocktail for an action packed week on the snow.
Despite its combined name the resort actually combines the two towns of Crans and Montana which have fused together to provide over 100 miles (140km) of pisted terrain. There’s good instruction on offer and a good lift system. There's also many a mountain café which surprisingly aren’t as expensive as you might think. While the resorts do boast a high point of the 3000m, on the Glacier Plaine Morte, most of the pistes are well below this with the lower ones allowing for some fun tree action. Its south facing slopes do lead to some good sunshine boarding, but late in the season it can lead to some slushy patches.
If you are coming to do some sightseeing the view from the top of the Glacier Plaine Morte takes some beating. From a height of 3000m you can enjoy an amazing 180°panoramic view over 19 peaks above 4000m high including Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.
For freestyle tuition there are a number of schools including the ESS ski school, that will help out those who want to find out how to ride a pipe correctly or how to get big air, all of which offer some of the highest levels of snowboard tuition in Europe.