James Bond star Roger Moore once lived in the Swiss mountain town of Crans-Montana and I’m also anticipating some licensed to thrill activities.

Debonaire Sir Roger fell in love with the upmarket resort while filming scenes for For Your Eyes Only and it is the understated glamour that still attracts scores of British families here more than 40 years later.

Famed for being one of the sunniest places in the Alps, the south-facing resort sits on a plateau in the Valais canton with spectacular views of the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.

Crans-Montana may not have quite the same glitzy cachet of nearby Verbier, however the two-centre town — Crans is the upmarket part, with jewellery shops and concept stores, while Montana is more low-key and sporty — is gaining a following all of its own.

Originally a golfing and health retreat in the early 1900’s, Crans-Montana later opened up the mountains to skiers and eventually mountain bikers in the early 2000s. 

At the lively après-ski at the Zerodix bar at the foot of the cable car the former England rugby player James Haskell can often be found spinning the decks to a table-dancing crowd in February, which suggests there’s more to this town than designer shops and Michelin-starred restaurants.

The chic resort boasts one of the best Alpine snowparks meaning a younger crowd — including North Americans and Britons — is being attracted by new additions to the area. These include Alaïa Chalet, a sports facility in nearby Lens, with a skatepark and trampolining centre; and Alaïa Bay which boasts a state-of-the-art wave pool for surfers. Adam Bonvin, the co-founder of Alaïa, says: “This is my home town and I always felt that Crans-Montana had no single real selling point, so I wanted to turn it into an adventure-sports hub that would attract a wider demographic. There is no other Swiss resort where you can ski, surf and skateboard in one day.”

Wakeboarding in Etang-Long lake

Wakeboarding on the lake

To that end, I visit the Etang-Long lake to try wakeboarding, where you are towed by an overhead cable which in theory has you surfing across the water whooping with delight.

I say “in theory”, because I find getting into the upright position a challenge and am soon being unceremoniously dragged on my belly along the lake as a panicked rainbow trout leaps in front of me.

Our instructor urges me to try again, suggesting I use a different board. Suddenly I am upright and skimming across the lake. I even manage a turn around the buoy for a home run to cheers from bystanders.

La Marmotte Microbrewery

It’s thirsty work this adrenalin stuff, so I head to the La Marmotte microbrewery on the shores of Lake Grenon for a beer tasting session.

Yves Klingler, owner of the adjoining Hotel du Lac decided to expand his business into brewing and coffee making and now produces his own delicious artisan beer including one named Antigel (antifreeze) gin, cider, and even a single malt whisky.

During the pandemic, the Swiss entrepreneur switched to brewing alcohol hand gel which kept his staff in jobs.

Village of Valençon

Next, I head to the village of Valençon part of Crans-Montana to sample the wines of Cave Nicolas Bagnoud.

The winery is renowned for the fine whites and reds they produce with grapes such as Cornalin, the distinguished red variety common to the region.

Bagnoud is an excellent producer of this red, considered one of Valais’ treasures. It’s production dates at least to the early 14th century

Tastings here are highly recommended and the subtly fizzy white Fendant was among my favourites.

The wines paired well too with the meal of raclette, which involves the grilling and slicing of rounds of semi-hard cow’s milk cheese heated to just the right temperature for eating then served up with sides of potatoes and pickles. 

E-Biking