Crans Montana in the Valais region of the Swiss Alps is a hidden gem of the highlands. Words by Matt Ray
If you’re looking for high-altitude adventure, big mountains, fresh air and slopes that last for days, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better mountain bike destination than Crans Montana in Switzerland. Boasting a large number of stunning trails, along with a bike park, it’s no surprise that the Enduro World Series hosts rounds in the area. This adventure is a taste of the delights this area has to offer.
My tires rolled across the icy snowbank with a sound like the popping of bubble wrap. I took a beating but I was determined to get back on the grass, when my rear wheel drifted and I staggered out of the saddle, shifting my weight back and forth to avoid losing front of the bike.
I used a gap in the crystalline snow to shield my bike around and barreled over the muddy curb, returning to rocky but less treacherous ground with a howl that echoed off the rock walls. high around us.
I had just walked Creux de La Tieche, 2,250m above sea level, a long ravine below an imposing ridge of steep gray rock. Our tour guide had never seen snow here in July, but last week’s severe weather brought white snow from the 2,800m-high Glacier de la Plaine Morte down to our altitude.
Okay, that was the only patch of snow we passed on our 23km cross-country trip, but who could miss the chance to snow bike? This is testament to the incredible diversity of terrain that cycling in Crans Montana, in the Swiss Alps, offers.
It’s not a resort that attracts the attention of UK riders, but that’s about to change after the Enduro World Series organizers attracted high-quality, visited and fast slopes. quickly invited me to organize a race here for the next three years. Oh, and the 2025 UCI World Champs XC event will also be held here…
But beyond the professional racing scene, what sets Crans Montana apart is its network of well-maintained, signed nature trails, connected by fire roads and accessed by multiple cable routes Hang runs 365 days a year. These trails are shared by hikers and walkers, but the light traffic meant we barely saw anyone all day. The bike park with its long blue, red and black runs is similarly quiet, a blessing when compared with the usual suspects, such as Les Gets.
Crans Montana’s enduro scene is well served in terms of bike rentals and guides, so I chose a 2021 Lapierre Spicy 4.9, an enduro equipped with 29-inch wheels and 170mm of travel. It was a bluebird day and spirits were high – the bike shop banter came from local rider Alexis Fauellet: “This place is the best for enduro! There are a lot of trails and you can go from extremely steep to the flow, climb up to a great view and then you’ll go around the corner to the big waterfall. The whole area is really growing.”
This place is the best for enduro! There are many trails
Our BikeVS.ch guide Julien Paganelli warmed up and we started up the route up the Arnouva lift and along the trail past Vermala, then to the Cabane des Violettes mid-station (known as Les Marolires ). The top of that gondola sits above the tree line, and the cobalt blue sky stretches from horizon to horizon, highlighting the distant snow-capped peaks of the 4,506m Weiss Horn.
From there, I followed a steep trail through alpine meadows, dotted with wildflowers, and downhill past gray granite and gneiss cliffs. I will be recording a lot of downhill today, but first I have to earn it…
As soon as I started climbing, the blood seemed to run away from my legs and start pounding through my vital organs as I sucked in large amounts of air in my lungs – in calm, calm conditions. hey, it’s easy to forget that I’m more than two kilometers above sea level. It doesn’t matter how many laps you’ve done around the woods, nothing really prepares you for riding in the Alps.
I stopped for a quick refuel before the steepest, longest section of the day’s main climb, up to the trip’s highest point, the summit of Petit Mont Bonvin at 2,397m. Climbing from the top of the main gondola will give you a real feeling of being ‘out there’ and taking on a great challenge.
