8 March 2022
Candide Pralong, the cross-country skier from Valais and participant in the Beijing Olympics, tells us about a perfect day for him in Crans-Montana and explains why he loves to train there, especially on the Plaine Morte cross-country ski piste, a real emblem of the glacier.
When you reach the top of the funitel at Plaine Morte, you immediately feel as if you’re in a timeless space. You find yourself looking out over a grandiose landscape, with views over the most beautiful peaks in the Alps, and opposite the Plaine Morte glacier, a vast expanse of snow, a "white desert" as Candide Pralong would say. It is here, in this wide-open space that the famous Swiss cross-country skier likes to come and train. He tells us: "About fifteen years ago, I came to the Plaine Morte glacier for the first time, when I was just starting out in cross-country skiing. I remember it as if it were yesterday, because practising your favourite sport in such an exceptional setting stays with you. Today it remains my favourite piste out of all the glacier pistes I have trained on during my career."
Indeed, perched at an altitude of 3,000 metres and surrounded by mountains, this piste offers a particularly unique experience. There is an extraordinary calm in this white desert, an intimate and private space where you experience a very strong sense of nature. But that’s not its only unique feature...
This cross-country ski piste is characterised by a very original layout, and it is one of the most unique in Switzerland. For the past two years, the track has been shaped like a butterfly, and can be admired from the top of the ski lift. "This is the only piste that people take a photo of before starting their training," explains Candide. In addition to this, even if the shape may seem impractical, it is actually a fun playground for everyone: the wings of the butterfly represent four loops of varying difficulty".
The idea of drawing a design on the glacier came from the Crans-Montana ski lift staff: "We wanted to use the piste groomers’ GPS to make the tracks on the glacier more attractive, because before they appeared scattered and trampled the immaculate, virgin expanse of the glacier". The motif is intended to be "ephemeral" as the plan is to change it every year. This winter, Picasso's famous dove will be traced on the glacier, allowing cross-country skiers to practice their sport in this exceptional setting.
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"The day starts with a 45-minute jog on one of the many little paths in the resort, followed by a hearty breakfast. After waxing my skis, I head to the Violettes lift at 8.15am to go up to the Plaine Morte. I enjoy the view, I look for the trace of the piste on the glacier, and I start my training.
Three hours later and after several circuits on this original loop, it's time to go back and prepare some food. Sometimes I take a picnic with me on the glacier, I sit down on a little wall of snow and enjoy my pasta salad, and the views.
In the afternoon, I resume my training, this time on roller skis. Whether it's on the uphill from Sierre to Crans-Montana or on the banks of the Rhone, there are plenty of routes.
I like to end the day by soaking my legs in Lake Grenon to improve my recovery, before the next day of training.
As well as the access to the glacier, the resort of Crans-Montana as a whole is ideal for training."
But that's not all. The possibilities for sportsmen and women, and for cross-country skiers, are numerous in Crans-Montana, with several varied courses in the resort, and in a variety of natural settings. Whether classic or skating, about 20 km of marked and secured courses are dedicated exclusively to cross-country skiing, allowing you to admire a splendid panorama of Crans-Montana as you enjoy your favourite sport.
The golf course (5.6 km on the famous Severiano Ballesteros course), the Moubra (a 3.6 km loop on the areas around the lake of the same name), Briesses (3.6 km in the forest on the Parcours Vita course) and of course the Plaine Morte await cross-country skiing enthusiasts between December and March.
Find out more about the cross-country ski pistes in Crans-Montana here.
