Crans-Montana sits on a wide sunny plateau at 1,500 metres above the Rhône Valley in the canton of Valais, looking south across a panorama that takes in the Weisshorn, the Matterhorn, and half a dozen other great Alpine peaks. It is one of Switzerland's most famous ski resorts, and it knows it. The place has a well-heeled, confident air — good restaurants, international crowd, designer boutiques alongside ski shops. This is not a rustic village that stumbled into tourism. It is a purpose-built resort that has been doing this for a century and does it well.
The twin towns of Crans and Montana merged their identities long ago, though locals still use both names. The skiing is the main draw in winter: 140 kilometres of marked pistes between 1,500 and 3,000 metres, served by 28 lifts. The glacier above Plaine Morte at 3,000 metres provides reliable snow and exceptional views. A third of the runs can be covered with artificial snow, so early and late season conditions are generally good. The terrain suits intermediate skiers best, with long, wide cruising runs on the main mountain. There is also a substantial snowpark for freestyle skiers and snowboarders.
What distinguishes Crans-Montana from purely ski-focused resorts is golf. The plateau hosts four courses — the most famous being the Severiano Ballesteros course at the Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre — and the area draws serious golfers throughout the summer. The resort has hosted the European Masters for decades, one of the most scenic venues on the European Tour. In summer the plateau is popular for hiking and mountain biking too, with several lakes to swim in: Lac de la Moubra, Étang Long, and Lac Grenon are all within easy walking distance of the villages.
The south-facing plateau gets exceptional sunshine for an Alpine resort, which is both a pleasure and a slight liability in spring, when snow can turn slushy quickly. It is the sunniest major ski resort in Switzerland, a fact the tourist board mentions often. The trade-off is a relatively low tree line and exposed runs when the weather turns. Come for the views — especially from Bella Lui and Cry d'Er — and the sun as much as the skiing.