SWEET VALAIS HIGH

Crans Montana in the Valais region of the Swiss Alps is a hidden gem of high-altitude shred

- Matt Ray

My tyres roll across the icy snowfield with a sound like the popping of gritty bubble wrap. I’ve already taken one slam but I’m determined to make it back onto the grass, as my back wheel drifts and I teeter out of the saddle, shifting my weight back and forth to avoid losing the front end.

I use a hollow in the crystalline snow to rail my bike around and hammer through the boggy margin, back onto rocky but less treacherous ground, with a whoop that bounces off the high stone walls around us.

I’ve just ridden the Creux de La Tièche, at 2,250m above sea level, a long gulley below an imposing ridgeline of sheer grey stone. Our guide has never seen snow up here in July but extreme weather the week before brought the white stuff down from the 2,800m Glacier de la Plaine Morte to our elevation.

OK, so it’s the only patch of snow we come across in our 23km cross-country ride, but who can pass up an opportunity to go snow biking? It’s testament to the astonishing variety of terrain that riding at Crans Montana, in the Swiss Alps, offers you.

It isn’t a resort that pings on UK riders’ radars, but that’s about to change after the organisers of the Enduro World Series got wind of the high-quality steeps, paid a visit and promptly invited themselves to hold a race here for the next three years. Oh, and the 2025 UCI World Champs XC event will be held here too…

TRAIL PARADISE

But away from the pro racing scene, what sets Crans Montana apart is the well-maintained network of natural, signposted trails, linked by fire roads and accessed by the many gondolas that run 365 days a year. The trails are shared by hikers and walkers, but the light traffic means we hardly come across anyone all day. The bike park with its long blue, red and black runs is similarly quiet, a blessing when compared to the usual suspects, such as Les Gets.