Crans Montana, a fashionable resort located above the Rhone Valley in Valais, a winter sports area and an Eldorado for golfers in summer. The town is heavily touristy, with hotels and vacation apartment resorts lined up one after the other. There is a fine line between Alpine kitsch, luxury and nature here at an altitude of just under 1,500 meters.
Particularly in the off-season in autumn, Crans Montana also offers quiet corners that are not overcrowded and that bring the impressive mountain world into focus all around. Larch forests stretch out above the village on all the slopes to the east and west, the first white mountain peaks forming a stark contrast to the yellowish-brown grass mats and the deep green-blue of Lac de Tseuzier, which lies below the striking Rawilhorn.
Most of the cable cars have already stopped operating at this time of year and only a few hikers, trail runners or mountain bikers can still be seen making their way up the ski slopes towards Cry d'Er. Mont Lachaux is the name given to the entire forested ridge that rises directly to the north behind Crans Montana. A dense network of hiking trails and bike trails criss-crosses the flanks of this mountain, and the number of cable cars and chairlifts that serve the various stations up to the Cry d'Er mountain station and then further up towards Bella Lui is just as dense.
You won't find any untouched Alpine landscape here, but the far-reaching view from the Bietschhorn over the Valais 4000-metre peaks to Mont Blanc makes up for this. To the south, the illustrious and well-known names follow one another, between the Saas Valley with Dom, Täschhorn, Alphubel and others, the view sweeps to the Bishorn and Weisshorn, the unmissable Matterhorn and further into the Lower Valais to the Dent Blanche, the Dent d'Hérens and the Grand Combin. In between: the lesser-known but no less impressive high 3000-metre peaks such as the Pigne d'Arolla, Mont Collon and many more - if you want to count peaks here, you should bring time.
Whether as a trail run or a classic hike - the options here on Mont Lachaux above Crans Montana are varied. However, you should often be prepared for steep climbs, as many trails lead onto or along the ski slopes. After all, the heart of Crans Montana beats primarily for winter sports.
