When conditions are right - clear skies above fresh, deep snow - Crans-Montana takes some beating. The mountains you bounce down with the midday sun full on your face are charmingly scenic, the slopes broken up by rock outcrops and forest. The mountains you gaze at - Zermatt's Matterhorn prominent among them - are mind-blowing.  For intermediate skiers who can time a visit according to the weather - and who are content to avert their eyes from the architecture - the resort is worth serious consideration.

• Large ski area suitable for all but
  black-run skiers

• Fair amount of woodland skiing -
  good for bad weather

• Modern, well designed lift system,
  with few queues except for top lifts

• Splendid wooded setting with
  magnificent panoramic views

• Golf course provides excellent,
  gentle nursery slopes

• Very sunny skiing (see right) Excellent cross-country trails

Crans-Montana celebrated its centenary as a resort in 1993. Its wonderful south-facing balcony setting means you get a lot of sun as well as superb views to the great mountains beyond the Rhone. The balcony accommodates several small lakes and two golf courses, one of them home to the Swiss Open tournament. The resort depends heavily on summer conference business and this rather sets the tone even in winter. Hotels tend to be formal, quiet and comfortable, village facilities wide  ranging but daytime-oriented, and the visitors middle-aged and dignified. In the evenings, the place lacks the Alpine-village atmosphere that many of us look for. Crans is the more up-market village, with expensive jewellery shops, a casino, and a correspondingly high fur-coat count. It is well situated for the pretty golf course area, which has baby lifts for complete beginners, a cross-country trail and lovely walks. Montana has cheaper restaurants and bars, the main ice rink, and the station for the funicular from Sierre. Although it has achieved some prominence in ski-racing - hosting the world championships in 1987 and the climax of the World Cup series in 1992 - Crans-Montana is not a bravo's resort. Its skiing suits intermediates well, containing few challenges and no nasty surprises. Beginners are well catered for

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