Crans-Montana (French:[kʁɑ̃mɔ̃tana]) is a municipality and ski resort in the predominantly French-speaking district of Sierre in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. The municipality was formed through the merger of Chermignon, Mollens, Montana and Randogne municipalities on 1 January 2017.[1] The ski resort Crans-Montana was created through the fusion of the two centres of Crans and Montana, and is split between three municipalities, namely Crans-Montana, Icogne, and Lens.
Chermignon is first mentioned in 1228 as Chermenon and Chirminon.[2] It became an independent municipality in 1905 when it separated from Lens.[3]
Mollens
Mollens is first mentioned about 1250 as Molaen. In 1286 it was mentioned as Moleing. The municipality was formerly known by its German name Molei; however, that name is no longer used.[4]
Montana
Montana is first mentioned in 1243 as Montana.[5] In 1905 it separated from Lens to form an independent municipality.[3]
Randogne
Randogne is first mentioned in 1224 as Randonni.[6]
The resort is located in the heart of the Swiss Alps in the French-speaking part of the canton of Valais. It is located on a plateau above Sierre at an elevation of about 1,500m (4,920ft)above sea level, allowing a panoramic view over the Valais Alps and Weisshorn in particular. The resort is a fusion of the two centres of Crans and Montana and belongs to six municipalities (Chermignon, Icogne, Lens, Mollens, Montana and Randogne).
On 1 January 2026, at around 1:30 am local time, a fire broke out at the Constellation Bar during a New Year's Eve celebration killing at least 40 people and injuring more than 119 others.[7]
Other activities
The area hosts the winter mountain pop rock festival, the Caprices Festival[fr], and a professional golf tournament, the European Tour's Omega European Masters, which takes place each September. The area has also been frequently used for bicycle racing, hosting stage finishes of the Tour de Suisse seven times and of the Tour de Romandie eight times as of 2013. In addition, Crans-Montana also hosted the finish of the 20th stage of the 1984 Tour de France, won by Laurent Fignon, who also took the overall race win that year.[8]
Crans-Montana has a warm summer humid continental climate, (Dfb) according to the Köppen climate classification. Between 1981 and 2010, Montana had on average 101 days of rain or snow per year and received on average 692mm (27.2in) of precipitation. Crans Montana has fairly evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year, as is common in this type of climate. As with other locations in the canton of Valais, annual precipitation rates are quite low due to its location in the rain shadow of some of the tallest mountains in the Alps.[15]
Crans-Montana is a prominent ski resort that developed from the early 20th century (in the Crans-sur-Sierre area) and specializes in alpine skiing.[17] It has hosted the 1987 World Championships, the 2011 Junior World Championships, and numerous stages of the Alpine Skiing World Cup and the European Cup. The resort offers approximately 140 km of slopes.[18]
Elizabeth von Arnim (1866–1941), Australian-born British novelist, lived in Randogne 1910–1930
Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923), New Zealand-born author, lived in Montana from May 1921–January 1922
Roger Moore (1927–2017), British actor, owned a chalet at the ski resort for many years after moving from Gstaad.[when?] He lived there until his death in 2017.
Michel Roux (1941–2020), French-born chef and restaurateur who worked in Britain, lived in Crans-Montana from 2008.
Vicky Safra (born 1952), Greek-born billionaire and philanthropist, wealthiest Brazilian and member of the Safra family.
↑"Kantonsliste A-Objekte". KGS Inventar (in German). Federal Office of Civil Protection. 2009. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
↑"Climate Norm Value Tables 1981 - 2010"(PDF). Climate diagrams and normals from Swiss measuring stations. Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss). Archived from the original(PDF) on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2021. The weather station elevation is 1,423 meters above sea level.
↑"History". Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
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