Valais Places

Crans-Montana

This well-known twin sports center rises above the valley on a steep, sheltered shelf at 4,904 feet. It commands a broad view across the Rhône Valley to the peaks of the Valaisan Alps, and its grassy and wooded plateau gets the benefit of Sierre's sunshine. Behind the towns, the Rohrbachstein (9,686 feet), the Gletscherhorn (9,653 feet), and the Wildstrubel (10,637 feet) combine to create a complex of challenging ski slopes.

The resort towns themselves—basically one town, with two areas—are highly developed and unimpressive, lacking the regional color and grace of Zermatt. The streets are lined with designer boutiques and hotels. The crowds are young, wealthy, and international, roving in cocoons of the fit, fun loving, and fashionable.