Biking Crans Montana

“You need to enter a turn like a cat, and leave like a tiger,” says mountain bike guide Julien Paganelli, explaining how to handle my speed when entering a banked corner. Two thousands metres below the plain of the Rhone Valley fades into the distance.

Paganelli has promised a beer or two if I make it to the end of what seems to be an endless flow track down the slopes of the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans Montana. As I look out over the bluffs onto the Rhone below it feels like a fair deal.

Half-Swiss, Half-Italian, Paganelli grew up in the Valais city of Sierre in the valley below Crans Montana and has held a life-long passion for mountain biking. Completing an apprenticeship in after completing an apprenticeship in mountain bike shop Best Wear. Now he offers expert guiding across the Valais for budding and expert mountain-bikers alike.

I had ventured to Crans Montana to see whether Alpine mountain biking was the right choice for those who are curious to expand their horizons from the shortish rides available in the UK.

Decent mountain-biking centres in the UK are few and far between. They can be busy at weekends and though the local runs are challenging, they offer nothing like what the Swiss Alps can provide.

Mountain-biking is without doubt becoming more popular in the Alps. In Crans Montana the ski rental shops have rebranded as “ski and bike” shops, catering to the summer and winter markets. People zip about town on them so frequently that if it wasn’t for the obvious Alpine setting you could be forgiven for thinking you’re in an Alpine version of Holland.

Despite the rise in popularity, the summer Alpine sports scene is still far below the volume of people who come to ski. This can only be viewed as a benefit for bikers, as ski infrastructure provides easy access and the relative lack of people.

Crans Montana boasts one of the longest mountain-biking descents in the Alps, all the way from the glacier at Plaine Morte at close to 3,000 metres to the valley floor at Sierre, which is 530 metres. Weather permitting, that was the challenge on the mountain-tour bucket list for the visit.

For the first day Paganelli put myself and fellow group of bikers through our paces. Trying us out on smaller tracks, flow tracks, downhill Alpine tracks and some technical terrain to ascertain our levels. Starting from the lift station of Cry d’Er at 2256 metres up over 40 kilometers and eight hours later we’d ridden all the way to Sierre across farm tracks and along Bisses, ancient waterways built to bring meltwater from the high mountains, that double up as hiking and biking trails.

As I descend the terrain changes, from Alpine grassland to forest, open meadow and finally vineyards. Although there is no wind, the heat from the valley lifts Alpine seeds from their stalks en-masse, I ride through a swarm of seedlings which look like an anime version of upside-down rain, white orbs rising in front of me as I twist and turn the bike through the corners. We make an unscheduled stop amid the vines.

We stop briefly at Histoire d’Enfer, a winery just above the town. It’s harvest time and piles of grapes are stacked up.

“This is one of my closest friends, I grew up with him,” Paganella says enthusiastically before explaining how the surrounding vineyards produce both Pinot Noir and local Fondant varieties. “This vineyard only uses one of grapes from each bunch,” he adds.

He hands me some to try. The pinot noir is sweet. Earlier Paganella had picked me blueberries from the mountain meadow. I ponder the options for a gastronomic biking tour along the Valais. Next time perhaps.

As the first day wore on I found that I had tested my own mountain-biking limits, building confidence in some areas and understanding what I needed to work on to reach the next level, whether it is mastering endo turns (a technique where the rider lifts the rear wheel off the ground and balances on the front wheel to bring the back wheel around) for tight switchbacks on the Alpine trails, or understanding the right level of momentum to take me down a technical descent most easily.

Day two promised an even longer adventure, however a series of early autumn storms rolled across the Valais on the day we were due to descend from Plaine Morte, however we took the trip up regardless to see the trail. The radar station at the summit was dusted with snow.

Winter storms are a predictable blanket of white. A day when it’s best to tend the log fire and work out if the chalet has a wine collection. Autumn storms offer something different. It’s a moment to savour the changing of the seasons, the way the wind whips through the Alpine trees, and enjoy the immense clouds enveloping the opposing mountain peaks.

Looking across the valley from the balcony of the Colorado Rider’s Chalet the Matterhorn is enveloped in cloud, then reappears.

The weather front was however short-lived and though the day was truncated, with an afternoon spare I instead try out two of the set of three flow tracks built from the top of the Cry d’Er top lift. Crans Montana boasts three dedicated tracks; a blue, a red and a black run marked out in a similar way to ski runs. Halfway down the blue run I look around. Not a person, hiker or biker, in sight. An hour later the same could be said for the red flow track. They are used. Occasionally you hear the whoops of a group of bikers heading down the track, but even on a Saturday the sheer space afforded to the mountain meant they never felt crowded.

Crans Montana is a place, for adventure cyclists at least, which has the ability to cover all bases. The resort has 14 mountain bike routes in and is adding more. These are in addition to the three mountain-bike downhill trails. Alongside the dedicated routes, the resort has built a family forest cycle loop with miniature ramps, beams and jumps for kids or beginners. Expert mountain-bikers can also hire guides who will test them out on the small trails in the high mountains.

Pushing those said limits can also come at a cost. On the final descent, on the final day, one misjudge of speed and I took a tumble. Although the only major injury was to my ego, it served as a reminder how sticking with, and listening to a guide can help.

“You won’t be forgetting Crans Montana in a hurry!” chuckled the bar owner conspiratorially as I washed the blood, mud and sweat from my forearm.

A bit of mud and chaos, within limits may however have been a small sacrifice to pay.

Spending three days on two wheels in the Alps taught me one thing, that a whole new season of adventure awaits.

FACT BOX

Julien Paganella

Qualified mountain-biking guide and tutor Julien Paganella offers group or individual mountain biking experiences across the Valais region of Switzerland.

https://www.bikevs.ch/media

Swiss Airlines flies from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester to Geneva and Zurich daily – as well as from other UK airports. Flights cost from £50 one way pp.

Swiss Travel offer point to point travel from Geneva to Crans Montana including access to the funicular railway from the valley to the resort.

Three night’s accommodation at the Colorado Rider’s Chalet in Crans Montana in September can cost from £278, for two, including breakfast. More information visit : https://en.coloradoriderschalet.ch/

Images credit: Rob Stewart