Valais Views: Bike the Top Crans-Montana Routes

Crans-Montana is mostly known for its ski resort, one of the largest in Switzerland, but some don't know about its decently sized bike park and range of biking routes. Tourism Switzerland boasts their 117 km of marked pistes, 2 downhill runs and a bike park with 2 very different downhill tracks.

To the excitement of many bikers, trails around Crans-Montana tend to open earlier in the season because of its southern exposure on the north side of the Valaisian Rhone east-west valley. The bike park usually opens later in May.

The Crans-Montana Bike Park offers two contrasting tracks, and each one spans a vertical height difference of 765 metres. Its black track (Chetseron) is for advanced riders only and served as the venue for the Swiss iXS Cup in 2005. The route spans 5.3 km and includes rocky technical sections, root sections, and stunning views.

The red track (Mont-Lachaux) is 6 km long and fit for all riding levels. It features banked turns, jumps, and root sections throughout but offers alternative ways around difficult features for beginner riders.

The Bike Marathon route is another notable highlight. It combines many of the mountain bike routes to circle around the Crans-Montana region. Physically and technically demanding, the tour also promises a bunch of surprises along the way from forests to villages to even museums!

Sources:
https://www.crans-montana-parks.ch/bike

https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/mountainbiking-in-switzerland/routes/local-routes/route-0184.html

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/switzerland-mountain-biking-part-five-crans-montana-2015.html

http://www.worldbikeparks.com/crans-montana-bike-park