Crans-Montana has more than one attraction up its sleeve in the attempt to secure the 2025 World Championships.  The Valais bid can count on the unlimited support of Michelle Gisin. The Olympic Combined champion is the ambassador for the project, which she supports with great enthusiasm. Marius Robyr and Hugo Steinegger are delighted to have her on their team.

Video (in French only): Laurent Morel and Johan Tachet/SkiActu

Crans-Montana and Valais are already looking ahead to the 2020-2021 season. A season that will be launched on Saturday 3 October in Zurich, when the organisers of the 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships will be revealed, the Haut-Plateau resort is of course a candidate. Its rivals: Saalbach-Hinterglemm/AUT (favorit) and Garmisch-Partenkirschen/GER. Heavyweights !

Crans-Montana will be organising its now traditional men’s night slalom on Tuesday 29 December 2020, before continuing with the organization of two women’s European Cup downhill races on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 January 2021, then the World Cup races, one women’s downhill and one alpine combined, on the weekend of 23 and 24 January 2021.

Marius Robyr, executive director of the Crans-Montana/Valais bid and president of the World Cup races Organisation Committee, presents the various challenges to be faced next winter.  

Video (in French only): Laurent Morel and Johann Tachet/SkiActu

On Friday, the International Ski Federation (FIS) decided to postpone its congress, due to be held between 17 and 23 May 2020 at Royal Cliff in Thailand, due to the current global health crisis.

During the congress, amongst other items on the agenda, two important votes were planned: to appoint the host resort for the 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships, and to elect the new FIS president. Regarding the organisation of the 2025 Worlds, Crans-Montana/Valais is one of the candidates, alongside Saalbach-Hinterglemm (Austria) and Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany). The president of Swiss Ski, Urs Lehmann, has also announced that he is one of the candidates hoping to succeed Gianfranco Kasper at the head of the FIS.

« We’re not going to let this slow us down, we’ll continue polishing the Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 presentation to improve it even further, and we’ll be stepping up our contact with the voters », explains Marius Robyr, executive director of Crans-Montana/Valais 2025.

The FIS plans to organise a new congress in the autumn. One of the solutions for the FIS would be to organise it during the annual pre-season meeting, which takes place in Zurich every year. Whilst we wait for the new congress to be organised, Gianfranco Kasper will remain at the head of the federation.  

DEPREZphoto sa, cransmontana

The president of Swiss-Ski, Urs Lehmann, was an attentive spectator at the World Cup races in Crans-Montana. As well as being pleased with the results of the Swiss skiers in the Haut-Plateau competitions, he also took the opportunity during his visit to mention the Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 bid for the World Championships.

The Crans-Montana/Valais bid will be presented in May at the annual FIS congress in the hope of hosting the 2025 Alpine Ski World Championships. What are the chances of getting them?
I can assure you that we are going to the FIS congress in May to win. But we also have to be realistic. We shouldn’t forget that the FIS follow a political process and that makes it difficult. Because Saalbach-Hinterglemm lost last time against Courchevel/Meribel for 2023, they are the favourites this time around, and we have to respect this. Whatever happens, this bid is going to help us for 2027, and that’s why we have to go for it.  We have to be confident and fight until the end.

So for Swiss-Ski, there’s no doubt about it, the next time the Worlds are organised in Switzerland, it will be in Crans-Montana?
Absolutely. In 2014, the assembly of Swiss-Ski delegates voted pretty much unanimously for Crans-Montana. The Valais resort is destined to host the World Championships. The most important thing still missing is the new finish stadium, to meet FIS demands. It is crucial that Crans-Montana pushes the various construction related to the bid forwards.

Have you had any comments on the Crans-Montana/Valais bid from the FIS?
You know, in this environment everything is always very secretive. Things are discussed behind closed doors. There is a huge amount of lobbying. All I can say is that we are in a good position.

Crans-Montana was once again the scene for sensational races this weekend. And the very least that can be said is that the World Cup skiers were charmed by the Mont Lachaux piste, and had great praise for it. As for the president Marius Robyr, the organising committee received congratulations from all of the White Circus for races which were «worthy of the World Championships ».

Corinne Suter, who had already been in third place in the Crans-Montana Downhill in 2019, had high praise for the Haut-Plateau piste. «It has everything that gives a downhill piste its strength, and it would of course be perfect for the World Championships», declared the 25 year old from Schwyz.  The top Downhill skier this winter was extremely happy to have secured the crystal Globe in the discipline in front of the Swiss public on Saturday.

For Lara Gut-Behrami, it hasn’t exactly been love at first sight from her first competition on the Mont Lachaux piste  - she didn’t finish the Downhill in 2014, and despite several successful training sessions, she wasn’t ever able to impose in a race. But she finally managed to remedy that this year, by winning two Downhills in 24 hours ! «I definitely appreciate this piste a lot more now ! », joked the 28 year old from Ticino.   The Comano local admitted that she would be more than satisfied if the World Championships take place in Valais in 2025.  

And what about Federica Brignone, who talks about Crans-Montana as a «magical place»? The Italian won the Combined, her fourth in four years on the Mont Lachaux piste.

Even Austria’s Nina Ortlieb, third in Saturday’s Downhill greatly appreciated it.  "I love races in Crans-Montana and I’m really grateful to everyone who prepared the piste. It’s thanks to them that I was able to finish on the podium despite my number 20 race bib and the high temperatures.» 

The next rendez-vous with the Women’s World Cup in Crans-Montana is 23 and 24 January 2021. Once again, there will be a Downhill and a Combined.  

Ester Ledecka: “This piste is going to become my favourite.”

Finishing on the third step of the World Cup podium on Sunday in Crans-Montana, Ester Ledecka has once again surprised the White Circus. The Olympic champion in snowboarding parallel giant and alpine ski Super-G in PyeongChang continues to fine-tune her talent, watched by the general public. While until now she was known for speed disciplines, the 24 year old athlete was able to make her mark in the slalom on the Mont Lachaux piste, finishing in the 5^th best time in the heat, and on a particularly demanding piste.   

While she is still going to alternate between alpine skiing and snowboarding until the end of the season, and has already won in both sports, Ester Ledecka still has the smile and motivation that she is known for. Interview after Sunday’s success on the Haut-Plateau.

Ester Ledecka, was finishing on the Combined podium a surprise for you ?

Everybody was surprised, even my trainers, but it was a great surprise. To be honest, it’s just magical. I can enjoy myself anywhere. It was a challenge because I never train on a piste this steep, and I only have 5 days experience of slalom.

It has been very warm in Crans-Montana. How did you manage the situation ?

I was here four years ago, and I was only able to do a mini-training due to the unsuitable weather.  I have to say that this time the organisers have done an incredible job preparing this extraordinary piste during the three competition days. I don’t even know how it was possible to have a piste in such good condition with these kind of temperatures. I’m really honoured to have been able to benefit from their work.

Will you be back next season?

Yes, of course I’m going to put these races on my calendar. It seems like this piste is going to become my favourite.  

Has your snowboarding experience helped you ?  

I don’t know. I haven’t trained in snowboarding much this season, so I hope that it’ll work the other way round too, because I’m in the line-up for the parallel slalom at Livigno (ed: 10 March).

Do you prefer the slalom on skis or snowboard?

It’s very different, but I enjoy both.

You’re capable of winning in snowboard and skiing too. How do you recover ?  

I don’t recover, I’m a robot (laughs). No seriously, I have to take care and I have to use a lot of oil in my system, it’s mechanical (laughs). No really, I do all I can to relax in the short breaks between races, but it’s not always easy. Of course I do two different sports, but a lot of girls compete in all the ski disciplines and that’s just as difficult, or even more so. You’re on the road for six months. But I really love that.

In view of the 2022 Olympic Games, are you aiming for skiing and snowboarding ?

Of course (smiles). I will be trying to win in every race I compete in, as always. But I’m not the only one who has this state of mind. I’m going to do everything I can to win, I can’t do much more.

You’re brilliant in snowboarding, speed skiing and now even technical too!  What are your limits?

I have no limits for the moment (laughs).

Just like tens of thousands of other fans, Frédéric Favre was delighted by the great atmosphere in the "cauldron" of Crans-Montana on Friday and Saturday. The state councillor for Valais insisted that «the public has always been extremely enthusiastic about skiing» on the Haut-Plateau. 

This wave of enthusiasm also has a positive impact on the athletes in the resort, which is a candidate for organisation of the 2025 World Championships. «All of the White Circus milieu is visibly happy to be here in Crans-Montana», he was delighted to say in the finish area for the World Cup races. Frédéric Favre guarantees a warm welcome for team members and also for the Swiss and international public. «It would of course be the same for the World Championships», he promises. The forty-something from Vétroz, who has been in office since 2017, is convinced that «the buzz around skiing will spread throughout Valais». The state councillor welcomes the fact that the population «have a strong desire to experience something as special as the 1987 championships».

According to Frédéric Favre, the buzz is jut as much for the women’s as the men’s races: «We Valaisans simply love all of the disciplines, whether it’s slalom, downhill or combined. I’m convinced that it would be in the best interests of the FIS to have a presence in locations such as Crans-Montana».

What is the Canton of Valais going to do for the World Championship bid? «The most important thing is definitely lending political support in all the domains», he explains.

The aim is to show that it’s not just the ski resort, the organising committee and the cable car company who are interested in the World Cup, but the entire canton of Valais.» Valais has promised the FIS that they will «support the candidacy, as demonstrated in the slogan ‘Tous ensemble’(all together) ». The state councillor in charge of sport is convinced that the Valaisans want to « experience great moments of intense emotion ».

On Friday, Nicolas Féraud was among the 7,000 (!) spectators watching the first of the three World Cup races in Crans-Montana. The president of the commune cheerfully celebrated the double Swiss win in the downhill, thanks to Lara Gut-Behrami and Corinne Suter. Also president of the bid for the 2025 World Championships, he was «delighted to see so many people had taken the day off to come to the Haut-Plateau».

Nicolas Féraud welcomed the fact that «the public all appreciate the races in Crans-Montana, on a site that is simply idyllic».  The great atmosphere is of course very positive, but it is also important for the president that the resort can prove that it is capable of organising three high-level races in three days: "In this way, we can show the FIS our full potential".

The organisers in Crans-Montana have acquired this expertise in a relatively short time. As a matter of fact, it has been only fifteen years since the local population and politicians decided that they wanted to organise the World Cup races once again, remembers Nicolas Féraud: "After all, skiing is in our genes here, even in the rest of Valais.” Crans-Montana is driven by a desire "to introduce its ski area to a wider audience. We also want to provide a warm welcome for guests and ensure that they have an enjoyable stay".

For Nicolas Féraud, Marius Robyr has been the key figure in this over the past fifteen years. "Without Marius as president of the organising committee, we would never have been able to get this far, he declares. He is the one that has been able to rally politicians at a municipal, cantonal and even federal level, as well as private sponsors to support our cause. Marius has a strong personality and he manages to spread his passion to everyone else".

It is precisely this passion that is vital if Crans-Montana wants to secure the Worlds alongside the World Cup. Nicolas Féraud describes the Valais bid as "exemplary" and "perfect". At the same time, he is aware that the rival bids from Austria and Germany have also worked very hard on their own applications. If Saalbach, who were narrowly defeated for the 2023 Championships, were to win the bid for 2025 "There would be a certain logic to that", believes Nicolas Féraud. And in the event that this does happen, the president promises to get back to work immediately and do everything possible for 2027. "We won’t give up!" he promises !

Over a relatively short time, the Crans-Montana races have become Classics which are very much appreciated in the Women’s World Cup, notably thanks to the demanding Mont Lachaux piste. The impressive final wall is a part of this legend, as we saw in the men’s exhibition night slalom in January, which took place in front of some 4,000 spectators. The resort also boasts the Nationale piste, which since the 1987 World Championships has been seen as legendary, especially from a Swiss perspective…

So what could be more logical than for the Haut-Plateau destination to be aiming for the World Championships. "We have everything needed to make it work", declares Marius Robyr, president of the World Cup Organisation Committee, and Executive Director of the Crans-Montana/Valais bid for the 2025 Worlds. One of the major strengths of the Valais candidature is the firm support of the local population.

Firm support from the local population

Just like in 1987, the backing from the local community is "total", according to Marius Robyr. The big boss of the races estimates that after the presentation on 26 January "if there were a vote, probably 90% of the people asked would be in favour of the World Championships.  Unlike the Olympic Games, the local population doesn’t fear the huge scale." Furthermore, those in charge of tourism and politics wholeheartedly support Marius Robyr and his team. « We want these Worlds », declares the former Patrouille des Glaciers commander.

Although at the moment he is on-site all the time, from morning until evening, for both the European Cup and the World Cup, Marius Robyr is finding time to prepare for the big alpine ski meet. He estimates that the work takes "two to three hours" a day, and that everything will be in order by the end of April. The former brigadier is also prepared to get up early to reach this goal:  «These days, my alarm goes off at 5am, he explains. I then take my ski-touring skis from the World Cup finish area up to the departure point, all before the races start.»

Marius Robyr is as proactive, enthusiastic and optimistic as ever, but he is also able to balance out the situation. He is conscious that Crans-Montana/Valais is not the favourite for the 2025 Worlds: "That’s just the way it is. We have two excellent competitors in Saalbach and Garmisch. In addition, Saalbach has already applied for the 2023 World Championships, and it’s rare that a candidate wins the jackpot first time".

Winning over the FIS council members

But Marius Robyr wouldn’t be Marius Robyr if he accepted the situation without fighting back as the vote in Royal Cliff on 21 May approaches.  

"We’re not looking at the others, we’re concentrating on what we can do". During the presentation of the extensive bid book to the FIS, the Executive Director of the bid felt that there was wide support for the project from the committee. The aim of the decisive presentation in Thailand in three months is to "transmit to the outside world the best possible image of Crans-Montana and Valais", while « remaining faithful to our ideas, our guidelines and above all remaining realistic ».

«Alongside my team, we’re going to do everything we can to persuade the 17 members of the FIS council to place their confidence in us and therefore give us their vote, explains Marius Robyr. We’re hoping to make them want to come to Crans Montana.» If it doesn’t turn out to be in 2025, the Valais resort will apply again in two years’ time.  «We’ll be candidates again in 2027 if we have to, or even a third time if necessary», confirms Marius Robyr. «The adventure continues and will continue », he promises.

Marius Robyr, the executive director of the Crans-Montana/Valais bid committee for the Ski World Championships in 2025, presented the project to the population of Valais on Wednesday evening. A project which was extremely well-received. Over 300 people accepted the invitation from Marius Robyr on Wednesday evening. The local population was invited to Le Régent in Crans-Montana to hear details of the Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 candidature project, which will be presented to the FIS in May, aiming to obtain the organisation of the Alpine Ski World Championships in 2025.

A huge challenge

After a welcome speech by David Bagnoud, president of the Crans-Montana Association of Communes (ACCM), and president of Lens, Marius Robyr, executive director for the candidature, presented all the aspects of this huge project. The objectives of the evening - to inform and inspire the population of Valais - were definitely met, thanks to an enthusiastic presentation which was greeted with loud applause from the audience. 

Several notions that are important to the bid committee were central in the speech: authenticity, youth, sustainability, emotion and passion.  It shouldn’t be forgotten that Crans-Montana has a long tradition of alpine racing dating back to 1911, and organised the 1987 World Championships with brio and pride on its Mont Lachaux and Nationale pistes.

Considerable support

In order to host this celebration of global skiing once again, the considerable budget for organisation amounts to some 77 million francs. For the event, the Haut-Plateau resort is going to build a completely modernised multi-purpose finish stadium, as well as offering more hotel infrastructure and also increasing the capacity of parking and also the Violettes ski lift. Due to the size of the project, the bid committee can count on support from the Haut-Plateau communes, the canton of Valais, the Confederation and Swiss-Ski, via the president Urs Lehmann, who is also vice-president for the bid committee. Philippe P. Magistretti, president of the CMA board of directors, the Valais state councillor Frédéric Favre, Sandra Felix, vice director of the Federal Office of Sport, and Nicolas Féraud, president of the Crans Montana community and also the bid itself, also spoke in support of Crans-Montana/Valais 2025.

Despite his enthusiasm, Marius Robyr hasn’t forgotten the reality on the ground. He pointed out that the path towards election of the host resort at the FIS congress, which is being held in Thailand between 18 and 23 May, is still a long one. Hugo Steinegger, vice-director of the bid and coordinator of the delegation that will be travelling to the congress, is also more than aware of this. He will be doing everything possible to ensure that at Royal Cliff, the Valais presentation will be a memorable one. The Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 bid is considered an outsider against Germany’s Garmisch-Partenkirchen and especially against the Austrian candidate, Saalbach.

DEPREZphoto, cransmontana

Marius Robyr, executivedirectorof the 2025 Crans-Montana/Valais Bid Committee

David Bagnoud, president of the Crans-Montana Association of Communes and president of the commune of Lens

The public out in force , some 300 people

Philippe P. Magistretti, president of the CMA lift company board of directors

Frédéric Favre, State Councillor for the canton of Valais

Sandra Felix, vice-director of the Federal Office of Sport

Nicolas Féraud, president of the Crans-Montana commune and president of the Bid Committee

All together: from left Claude-Alain Schmidhalter, Vice-President of Swiss-Ski, Marius Robyr, Frédéric Favre, Sandra Felix and Nicolas Féraud (David Bagnoud and Philippe Magistretti, unfortunately missing due to other engagements)

  Video (in French only): Johan Tachet/SkiActu

 Video (in French only): Keystone-ats

Step by step, stage after stage, and working very closely with Swiss-Ski, the committed and highly motivated bid committee for the Crans-Montana/ Valais 2025 Alpine FIS World Ski Championships is heading towards the final decision, which will be made by the FIS council on 21 May during the International Ski Federation congress at Royal Cliff in Thailand. 

The 180 page bid book, which includes a number of illustrations of technical plans (for exemple, photo), was submitted to the FIS by the deadline at the beginning of September. The FIS then convened the three candidates for the 2025 WC, Saalbach-Hinterglemm/Austria, Garmisch-Partenkirchen/Germany and Crans-Montana, as well as other candidates, namely Trondheim/Norway (WC 2025 nordic ski), Harrachov/Czech Republic (WC 2024 ski flying) and Krasnoyarsk/Russia (WC 2025 freestyle ski and snowboard), to a coordination meeting lasting several days. Then, all candidates were required to make a test presentation at the traditional FIS autumn session which took place the first week of October in Zurich. Each candidate had an hour to present and explain the main themes of their bid to a group of FIS experts, led by the secretary general, Sarah Lewis. 

The Crans-Montana/Valais delegation was very well prepared, and was well received thanks to an animated presentation by the following representatives (photo from left) : Bruno Huggler, director of Crans-Montana Tourism and Congress; Nicolas Féraud, president of Crans-Montana commune and president of the bid strategic committee; Dr. Urs Lehmann, Swiss-Ski president and vice-president of the bid strategic committee; Marius Robyr, director of the bid committee; Sophie Genoud, secretary; Hugo Steinegger, vice-director; Markus Murmann, sport manager.

It’s an important day for Marius Robyr and Hugo Steinegger (photo): the director and vice-director of the Crans-Montana/Valais bid to organise the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2025 have submitted the candidature dossier to the FIS International Ski Federation within the required time frame.  In this « Bid Book », which consists of 20 subjects, the FIS have asked a huge amount of mostly very detailed questions. These include questions regarding support for the World Championships that is being bid for, the organisation structure, budget, accommodation, transport, media, promotion, accreditation, sustainable development and ceremonies, as well as the vast subject of the pistes, the finish stadium, ski lifts, artificial snow making and race infrastructure.

Thanks to the experts who played a part in compiling it, a 180 page dossier, including 10 A3 plans, was put together. The accompanying letters of support from the Confederation, the canton of Valais, the Association of Communes of Crans-Montana ACCM, the CMA cable car company, the Association of Hoteliers of Crans-Montana are also extremely important. This dossier has been submitted to the FIS, and will now be studied in detail by the FIS. A site inspection by FIS experts will also take place before winter. If this and the dossier, with any further additions or changes, receive their support, the candidature will be presented to the FIS council.

The election, following a presentation of the candidates, will take place on 20 May 2020, at the FIS congress. The competition Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 is up against is stiff, as it will be competing against great candidates such as Saalbach-Hinterglemm/Austria and Garmisch-Partenkirchen/Germany. Marius Robyr is in fighting spirit : « The Crans-Montana/Valais bid is closely linked to Swiss-Ski, and has strong support from the political and tourist world. We are presenting an interesting concept, orientated towards the future, with a new multi-functional finish stadium and significant enhancement of the « Barzettes » site, including a new cable car installation (and also expansion of the Violettes car park) and construction of a hotel. The various necessities required by the FIS for organising such a meeting have of course been integrated in the planning.

The aim is not only to organise the World Championships in the heart of the Alps with infrastructure designed for durability, but also to motivate young people to take part in snow sports, and to mobilize all political, economic and touristic stakeholders to work together on a project which promises to be strong and meaningful, and which will convey healthy values and images of the resort.

Passion and Emotion are key words for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Crans-Montana/Valais 2025.

The first information session for candidates, in all disciplines, for the organisation of the 2025 World Championships took place recently at the scheduled International Ski Federation meeting in Dubrovnik-Cavtat/CRO. In Alpine skiing, the candidates already disclosed to the general public are Garmisch-Partenkirchen/GER, Saalbach-Hinterglemm/AUT and Crans-Montana/Valais. The latter’s  Bid Committee was represented by Dr. Urs Lehmann, Swiss-Ski president, and by the two executive officials, Marius Robyr and Hugo Steinegger (photo from right to left).

Each Bid Committee has received an 80 page questionnaire from the FIS, addressing some 20 topics such as, for example, financial support for the bid, infrastructure on site, accommodation capacity, transport, marketing, TV/Media operations, human resources, security and sustainable development. The deadline to submit this very detailed document to the FIS is 1^st September 2019. After examining it, a review board from the FIS will visit the candidates, who will have the whole winter to make any improvements they might wish to make to their dossier. Then on 20 May next year, the FIS committee will elect the host site for the 2025 World Championships at the FIS congress (17-23 May 2020) held in Pattaya, Thailand.

In order to process the questionnaire, the Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 Bid Committee has called upon a range of experts. A first meeting with them, led by Marius Robyr, managing director of the bid committee, took place in the finish stadium. The bid for this great « Crans-Montana/Valais World Ski Championships » challenge has now entered the concrete phase of the process.

Viedo (in french only): Johan Tachet, SkiActu

The deadline for bids for the organisation of the 2025 Ski World Championships to reach the FIS International Ski Federation was yesterday, Wednesday, at midnight. Crans-Montana/Valais, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) and Saalbach-Hinterglemm (Austria) are the three well-known resorts in the running. One of them will follow on from Cortina d’Ampezzo 2021 and Courchevel-Méribel 2023.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen has already organised the prestigious World Championships twice before (1978 and 2011), while Crans-Montana (1987) and Saalbach-Hinterglemm (1991) have both organised the competition once. Marius Robyr (photo), Managing Director of the Crans-Montana/Valais bid, insists on the fact that Switzerland is one of the Alpine countries with some of the richest traditions, and reminds us that Crans-Montana has confirmed its position and made a name for itself thanks to the highly successful organisation of many races at all levels. « Regardless of the fact that when attributing the World Championships there are indeed political elements, and a rotation of countries and continents must be taken into consideration, Crans-Montana will be doing everything in its power to obtain this great event again, after the  inspiring and unforgettable 1987 World Championships. This is with the support of Swiss-Ski, the Confederation, the canton of Valais, the Association des Communes ACCM and the CMA Ski Lift Company », comments the dynamic brigadier from Chermignon, not forgetting to mention the bid slogan: On the way to the World Ski Championships, EVERYONE on board !  

Next year, the FIS council will announce the hosts of the 48^th Alpine Ski Worlds at the FIS Congress (17-23 May) in Pattaya, Thailand. On 21 May at around 18.00 (local time), the President of the FIS, Gian Franco Kasper, will utter the crucial words: ‘and the winner is…’

On Tuesday afternoon, a delegation of Swiss-Ski, Crans-Montana and Valais submitted the Valais resort’s bid for the 2025 World Championships at the headquarters of the International Ski Federation (FIS) in Oberhofen.

The entry fee definitively validated the Swiss-Ski bid for the 2025 Alpine Ski World Championships, with Crans-Montana/Valais as organisers.  The procedure was sealed by an agreement to sponsor 200 days of training in the Haut-Plateau region for smaller nations during the 2019/20 season, and also by presenting letters of support and backing from the Confederation, the canton of Valais, the Association des Communes de Crans-Montana ACCM and the CMA Crans-Montana Ski Lift Company.

Alongside Frédéric Favre, Counsellor of the State of Valais, in the Bernese Oberland were Matthias Remund, Director of the Federal Office of Sports, representing the Confederation and Yves-Roger Rey, Secretary-General of the ACCM. Swiss-Ski, Crans-Montana’s partner, was represented by Dr. Urs Lehmann, President, and Markus Wolf, CEO.

"Switzerland is an Alpine country that has some of the richest traditions, and we are fighting to attract the World Championships here again in 2025", declared Dr. Urs Lehmann, Vice-President of the Bid Committee, whose Managing Director Marius Robyr and Deputy Managing Director Hugo Steinegger, were also present. As for the FIS, the President Gian Franco Kasper and the Secretary General Sarah Lewis were delighted to welcome the delegation, and validated the application.

The authors of the Valais bid now have three months to return a questionnaire to the FIS  that covers over 20 topics. In autumn, a FIS evaluation committee will examine and check the information on site in Crans-Montana. Then just a few months will remain for Marius Robyr and his team to clarify any outstanding questions. Finally, at the begininning of 2020, a voting recommendation will be sent by the committee to the decision-making body, the FIS Council, which is made up of 17 members.

"We’ve acquired an excellent reputation"

Obtaining the World Championships for Crans-Montana in 2025 – just eight years after the last edition in Switzerland, in Saint-Moritz – is a major challenge. The 48^th Alpine Ski Worlds will be awarded during the FIS congress in Pattaya, Thailand, on the 21^st of May 2020. The other candidate announced today is Saalbach-Hinterglemm. It is the second time that this candidature, by the resort in the Salzburg region, is in the running, having lost to Courchevel-Méribel/France in the competition for the 2023 World Championships. Like Crans-Montana, which organised an incredible celebration of Swiss skiing for the 1987 Worlds, Saalbach-Hinterglemm hosted a memorable event in 1991. It is also worth noting that the last Alpine Ski World Championships to take place in Austria was in 2013, in Schladming.

« Regarding the attribution, of course there is a political component », explains Dr. Urs Lehmann. « Alternating countries and continents has to be taken into consideration. » However Marius Robyr, Managing Director, remains optimistic : « We’ve acquired an excellent reputation with the FIS, and we are doing everything in our power to organise this big event. If it doesn’t happen in 2025, we’ll aim for 2027.»

The Valaisan can draw on his resorts’ vast experience, from organising the World Cup and European Cup races, to the excellent organisation for the finals of the European Cup (2009) and the Junior World Championships (2011). The Nationale and Mont Lachaux pistes have been redesigned in recent years, and certified to host these races. Yet to be finalised is the creation of the finish stadium. - Photos: Keystone-sda/SkiActu

The bid slogan:
On the way to the World Ski Championships, EVERYONE on board !  

Dr. Urs Lehmann, Swiss-Ski president, officially handed over the Swiss Crans-Montana/Valais bid for the organisation of the  2025 World Championships to Gian Franco Kasper, president of the International Ski Federation FIS.

From left: Yves-Roger Rey, Secretary-General of the ACCM, Matthias Remund, Director of the Federal Office of Sports, Frédréric Favre, Counsellor of the State of Valais, Gian Fanco Kasper, President FIS, Sarah Lewis, Secretary-General FIS, Dr. Urs Lehmann, President Swiss-Ski, Markus Wolf, CEO Swiss-Ski, Marius Robyr, bid's Managing Director, and Hugo Steinegger, Deputy Managing Director.

Video (only in French): Johan Tachet, SkiActu

The Valais State Counsellor Frédéric Favre and the Crans-Montana president Nicolas Féraud spent the weekend in Are. The two politicians made the most of their trip to Sweden to promote the Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 bid, and to meet the Swiss and World ski governing bodies.

Video (in french): Johan Tachet, SkiActu

The packed « House of Switzerland » literally shook when Wendy Holdener walked in after the rounds of interviews and the medal ceremony.  The sports minister from the canton of Valais was there, ready to greet her with an immense bouquet of flowers, which was a personal initiative. In fact once  the race was over, this big ski fan set off to look for a flower shop in Åre. And he found one. He didn’t buy just one bouquet, but… 10 ! The thrilled florist didn’t say anything whilst he carefully wrapped them, arranging them in a most professional way into a magnificent basket.

Nicolas Féraud, president of the commune, wasn’t to be outdone. Confident of Wendy Holdener’s skills, he had already thought ahead and brought a magnificent box of chocolate creations from the highly renowned 2013 Swiss champion, David Pasquier, whose « David, L’Instant chocolat » brand is extremely popular in Crans-Montana, Sion and Vevey. State Councillor Favre and the president of the commune Féraud are not visiting Åre as tourists however, they are there to lead discussions and cement important relationships with influential figures in the world of skiing in relation to the Crans-Montana/Valais bid to organise the 2025 FIS World Championships. The deputy director, Hugo Steinegger, led them on a visit to every nook and cranny of the enormous infrastructure that this type of event demands today. A few figures illustrate this : 70 countries taking part, 600 athletes, 1,400 media representatives, 600 hours of television broadcasts and some 700 million tv viewers all over the world !

Crans-Montana is delighted to be able to welcome the best female skiers in the world very soon, as part of the World Cup races on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 February. The Valais Haut-Plateau resort knows how to welcome the medal-winners in style. We promise, whether it’s in the finish stadium, at the Crans-Cry d’Er car park/Bar Xerodix, at the celebration headquarters in the Violettes car park, at the Ycoor ice rink or in Le Régent tennis centre, THIS CELEBRATION OF SKIING WILL BE A GREAT ONE !  

As candidate for the organisation of the 2025 World Championships, Crans-Montana/Valais has a strong presence during the race days for medals in Åre. In Sweden, the location for these global tournaments, the  Valais Haut-Plateau resort is Swiss-Ski’s main partner at the « House of Switzerland », and the Swiss-Ski president Dr. Urs Lehmann is also vice-president of the bid’s strategic committee. Marius Robyr, the Valais bid’s executive director, and Hugo Steinegger, deputy director (photo at the top of the section) see him as a highly respected advisor, and a valuable individual in international ski politics. « The 1987 World Championships in Crans-Montana were extraordinary, unforgettable. We want to experience that again ! » says Marius Robyr, who is also president of the annual World Cup races in Crans-Montana that take place in two weeks’ time, and who is more motivated than ever.

Video : Keystone-SDA/Interview in french

Swiss-Ski’s traditional « House of Switzerland », the 12^th of its kind, opened its doors this weekend for the duration of the World Ski Championships in Åre (4-17 February), and was immediately the venue for three different visits. The first was from the Swiss women’s team, who became the first to « test » the wines and delicacies from Valais on offer. Members of the Swedish Organising Committee, and House of Switzerland neighbours, were next to grace the house for Sunday morning brunch, and then at fondue and raclette time, it was the turn of the SRG/SSR TV and radio staff to enjoy a warm welcome.

As already mentioned several times, the Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 bid is the main partner of the « House of Switzerland », a much-appreciated public meeting place in the ski world. Its representatives in Åre, Marius Robyr (executive director) and Hugo Steinegger (deputy executive director) take their role as hosts very seriously. They would like to take this opportunity to wish Niklas Carlsson, CEO of the World Alpine Ski Championships in Åre, great success and the very best of luck for this huge event, which will hold its opening ceremony on Monday 4 February in the centre of the village (see photo of the square).  Of course Marius Robyr didn’t forget to share his very best wishes with the Swiss women’s team too, represented by Wendy Holdener and Corinne Suter. Two key characters in the House of Switzerland require little introduction; the dynamic Annalisa Gerber from Swiss-Ski, who is managing the house for the 12^th time, and Daniel Lehmann, the well-known chef who has sealed his reputation at his Hotel/Restaurant Moosegg in the Emmental region. Two raclette servers from Valais, Chris and Romuald, have travelled to complete the squad in the Far North. One thing is certain : Swiss-Ski, the Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 bid and the group of sponsors present, led by Helvetia, will be making every effort to ensure that this little corner of Switzerland will be a memorable success story.

Ouverture HoS

Since the FIS 1997 World Championships in Sestrière/ITA, Swiss-Ski has run the « House of Switzerland » at every World Championships. This will also be the case, for the 12^th time, in Åre (4-17.02.). This traditional international meeting place for sponsors and partners, athletes and their entourage, media representatives and ski fans is much appreciated, and very busy.

For these reasons, the Crans-Montana/Valais bid to organise the 2025 (or 2027, or 2029) World Championships has become the main partner of the « House of Switzerland » in Sweden. CLICK ON THE PHOTO and you will find some interesting information (in French or German only) about this modular chalet located in the middle of Åre, and made up of three parts: a restaurant which holds 80 people, a bar with a stage that can welcome up to 300 people, and a kitchen with a storage area. As for the menu, created by the famous chef Daniel Lehmann, who has sealed his reputation at the Hotel Moosegg in the Emmental region and its renowned restaurant with 16 Gault Millau points, there will be no lack of delicacies and wine from the Valais.

« Varmt välkommen i Are!» - A warm welcome to Are !

PS: still missing on the front of the"House of Switzerland": the name of it and the partner's and sponsor's logos.

The Swiss-Ski « House of Switzerland » is for the first time a modular house which has been made in Switzerland, in the Emmental region, and transported on three large lorries to Åre, the site of the upcoming Alpine Ski World Championships (4-17.02).

This wonderful chalet is made up of three parts : a restaurant which holds 80 people, a bar with a stage that can welcome up to 300 people, and a kitchen with a storage area. The Crans-Montana/Valais bid to organise the 2025 World Championships is proud to be this extremely popular meeting place’s main partner. The Valais culinary specialities and wines on offer are sure to delight guests’ palates.

When it’s time to celebrate Swiss medals, which we are fervently hoping will be the case, the « House of Switzerland » will offer an ideal setting. At the moment, construction work (see photos) by the dynamic Swiss company woopdesign is gradually coming to an end. It’s now time for the finishing touches  before the big moment.

Crans Montana et Are

In the centre of Sweden, in Åre, preparations for the next Alpine Ski World Championships are in full swing. They’ll be celebrating an astonishing new feature: in the centre of this friendly ski resort, Swiss Ski’s traditional « House of Switzerland » will once again be built, but for the first time, it will be a large mobile wooden chalet designed and constructed in Switzerland, and transported to Sweden in three large trucks, for all the ski world to meet in. This is also the place where Swiss medal winners will be celebrated. An additional very positive point for the House of Switzerland: the HofS will only be three minutes on foot from the location for the prizegiving ceremonies.

The 2025 Crans-Montana/Valais FIS World Championships bid will be the main partner in this challenge. During the site inspection, Hugo Steinegger, executive vice-director of the bid committee, took the opportunity to send wishes for good luck and great success to Niklas Carlsson, CEO for the World Championships and chairman of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup committee, on behalf of the Crans-Montana/Valais bid committee.

Christof Stalder, whose business Woopdesign (Bern/Berthoud) made the 20-tonne wooden chalet, discussed the last technical details with Stefan Dohrn, head of construction in Åre, and proudly presented a model of the interior layout of the restaurant, to which will be added a large bar and a stage, and where Valais specialities (wine, raclette and air-dried meat) in particular will be highlighted throughout the whole period of the 2019 World Championships (4-17 February). Here will also be the place where Swiss Medallist will be celebrated.

 Alpine ski races in Crans-Montana have always been a great success. They started in 1911, with the first downhill in skiing history. Then came the first FIS World Cup race in 1977, the unforgettable

1987 World Championships,  and since 2016, the annual World Cup ladies’ classic. Now an important new chapter is on the horizon, the return of the Alpine World Ski Championships to the Haut-Plateau region.

The Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 bid has to be conducted with energy, emotion and confidence.

On Wednesday 3 October 2018, Marius Robyr, executive director of the Crans-Montana/Valais bid for the organisation of the 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships, had the great pleasure of unveiling the logo for the bid. This took place in the presence of representatives of local authorities, the media and other guests. The logo is a judicious union of the canton of Valais, the destination of Crans-Montana and the FIS International Ski Federation Alpine World Ski Championships. Marius Robyr describes it as dynamic, modern and convincing, a logo which creates strong links and ties.

• The red star represents Valais. It features in the centre of the 2025 figure positioned so that its base represents a stylised mountain. This clearly positions the logo as an Alpine sport logo.
• The sky-blue curve symbolises the energy of alpine ski disciplines. It is a central dynamic element, and features in other colours too, in all Corporate Design use related to the bid.
• The Crans-Montana logo flanked by the Swiss flag clearly marks the centre of the logo. In white on a blue background for maximum impact and contrast. Just below, the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships text in the centre adds the necessary balance.

The design of the new SMC bus– the first model –displays the main elements of the new image for the bid. The common theme; competence, and a passion for competition alpine skiing, uniting the past, present and future.  

The bus sports :

• The impressive panorama of the mountains in Crans-Montana, which is used as a background, symbolising the arena in which the World Championship races take place.
• The logo on a dark blue background,as presented above, referring to the destination of Crans-Montana and to Valais, with the presence of the red star that crowns the logo.
• Commitment, passion and energy for competition skiing are highlighted by red curves which run along the sides of the bus,
• And, alongside the picture of the skier Michelle Gisin, also remind us of ski tracks in the different disciplines in the FIS Ski World Championships – from the downhill to the Super-G, to the technical disciplines.

All of these elements combined lend to the bid the desired character, strength and modernity.

This  friendly meeting about the bid took place at the CMA cable car « Barzettes » car park. In brief addresses, Martial Kamerzin, president of the ACCM (Crans-Montana Association of Communes), Philippe P. Magistretti, director of the CMA cable cars, and Patrick Cretton, director of the SMC (Compagnie de Chemin de Fer et d’Autobus) transport company, declared that they were united in fully supporting the « challenge » of the Crans-Montana/Valais bid for the organisation of the 2025 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

DEPREZphoto-cransmontana

1. 

   Martial Kamerzin

2. 

   Philippe P. Magistretti

3. 

   Patrick Cretton

4. 

   Bruno Huggler

Alpine ski races in Crans-Montana have always been a great success. They started in 1911, with the first downhill in skiing history. Then came the first FIS World Cup race in 1977, the unforgettable

1987 World Championships,  and since 2016, the annual World Cup ladies’ classic. Now an important new chapter is on the horizon, the return of the Alpine World Ski Championships to the Haut-Plateau region.

The Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 bid has to be conducted with energy, emotion and confidence.

On Wednesday 3 October 2018, Marius Robyr, executive director of the Crans-Montana/Valais bid for the organisation of the 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships, had the great pleasure of unveiling the logo for the bid. This took place in the presence of representatives of local authorities, the media and other guests. The logo is a judicious union of the canton of Valais, the destination of Crans-Montana and the FIS International Ski Federation Alpine World Ski Championships. Marius Robyr describes it as dynamic, modern and convincing, a logo which creates strong links and ties.

• The red star represents Valais. It features in the centre of the 2025 figure positioned so that its base represents a stylised mountain. This clearly positions the logo as an Alpine sport logo.
• The sky-blue curve symbolises the energy of alpine ski disciplines. It is a central dynamic element, and features in other colours too, in all Corporate Design use related to the bid.
• The Crans-Montana logo flanked by the Swiss flag clearly marks the centre of the logo. In white on a blue background for maximum impact and contrast. Just below, the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships text in the centre adds the necessary balance.

The design of the new SMC bus– the first model –displays the main elements of the new image for the bid. The common theme; competence, and a passion for competition alpine skiing, uniting the past, present and future.  

The bus sports :

• The impressive panorama of the mountains in Crans-Montana, which is used as a background, symbolising the arena in which the World Championship races take place.
• The logo on a dark blue background,as presented above, referring to the destination of Crans-Montana and to Valais, with the presence of the red star that crowns the logo.
• Commitment, passion and energy for competition skiing are highlighted by red curves which run along the sides of the bus,
• And, alongside the picture of the skier Michelle Gisin, also remind us of ski tracks in the different disciplines in the FIS Ski World Championships – from the downhill to the Super-G, to the technical disciplines.

All of these elements combined lend to the bid the desired character, strength and modernity.

This  friendly meeting about the bid took place at the CMA cable car « Barzettes » car park. In brief addresses, Martial Kamerzin, president of the ACCM (Crans-Montana Association of Communes), Philippe P. Magistretti, director of the CMA cable cars, and Patrick Cretton, director of the SMC (Compagnie de Chemin de Fer et d’Autobus) transport company, declared that they were united in fully supporting the « challenge » of the Crans-Montana/Valais bid for the organisation of the 2025 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

DEPREZphoto-cransmontana

Since 1997, Swiss-Ski has been successfully running the « House of Switzerland » during each FIS World Ski Championships. This traditional international meeting point for sponsors and partners, athletes and their entourage, media representatives and ski fans is much appreciated, and it’s inconceivable to think of these important meets without it. The top ski nations also all have their own version of it.

A highly valuable international presence for the 2025 Candidature and the classic Women’s World Championships

The role of the « House of Switzerland » is even more important when bidding for the organisation of the World Championships in your own country. Just like the extremely positive partnership between Swiss-Ski and St. Moritz for the bid phase, as well as the 2003 and 2017 World Championships, which were held in this resort in the Grisons.

This honour now passes to Crans-Montana and its 2025 bid. The first part, before the 2020 votes, will take place during the next World Championships in 2019 (4-17.02.) in Åre, Sweden. There is no doubt that this presence on an international scale will also benefit the annual classic Women’s World Cup in Crans-Montana.

Irrespective of the results of the FIS board vote at its congress in June 2020, the Crans-Montana/Valais bid being the main partner of the « House of Switzerland » offers an excellent and unique opportunity on an international level. This partnership with Swiss-Ski allows Crans-Montana and Valais to, amongst other things, include their local produce in the gastronomic selection of this sought-after venue.

A worthwhile partnership

Besides the Crans-Montana/Valais Bid Committee’s main partnership with the « House of Switzerland », Swiss-Ski has secured the support of a main sponsor, four sponsors, two media partners and also a number of service providers for the project. As no existing restaurant in Åre was suitable to be transformed into the 12^th « House of Switzerland », Swiss-Ski decided to build a « mobile » chalet, like the Austrian Ski Federation, to include a restaurant (80 places), a large bar with a stage, and also a kitchen. The approximate area of the building, which will be located on rented land in an excellent area in the centre of Åre, 500 m from the finish stadium, is 25 x 15 metres (see plans below). The three adjacent SRF, RTS and RSI TV studios, where athlete interviews will take place, are a real bonus for the « House of Switzerland ».

According to comments from the Organisation Committee for the St.Moritz World Championships, this partnership with Swiss-Ski is most definitely worth it.

From 1977, the date of the first World Cup races on the Valais Haut-Plateau, until 1998, the resort of Crans-Montana occupied an important place on the International Ski Federation (FIS) calendar. The highlight during this period was the organisation of the unforgettable World Ski Championships in 1987. Thereafter, between 1999 and 2007, for various reasons Crans-Montana unfortunately had to resign itself to withdrawing from the circuit.

A NEW ERA FOR THE WORLD CUP RACES BEGAN IN 2008 on the Valais Haut Plateau, with Marius Robyr in charge of the Organisation Committee.  The brigadier and ex-commanding officer of the “Patrouille des Glaciers" managed to convince the political and tourist authorities how vitally important the World Cup races were for a prominent ski destination such as Crans-Montana. Since its return to the White Circus in 2008, Crans-Montana has hosted no less than 18 FIS World Cup races, 18 European Cup races and 5 FIS races, not forgetting the 2009 European Cup finals and the Junior World Championships in 2011.

THIS CONVINCING RECORD HAS PAID OFF. The International Ski Federation (FIS)  guaranteed that from 2016 onwards, Crans-Montana would have a permanent place on the World Cup calendar. As for the Swiss-Ski delegates, they have appointed the Valais resort official Swiss candidate for the organisation of the World Championships in 2025, (or 2027, or perhaps 2029). And that’s not all: if in September 2019 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) selects Switzerland to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, appointing the Valais candidate"Sion 2026", Crans-Montana will be the setting for all the men’s and ladies’ Alpine ski races.

The total transformation of a somewhat outdated finish stadium dating from the 1987 World Championships into
A MULTIFUNCTIONAL ARENA, where major events could be held in summer as well as winter, is one of the key points. Plans have already been drawn up, reflecting all the FIS demands.  There are two versions : the absolute ideal (costing approximately 40 million Swiss francs) and the reduced version (around 25 million). If « Sion 2026 » is victorious, the first of these two versions could see the light of day. 40% of the cost would come from the Confederation (via the CISIN, an organisation dealing with the design of sports facilities of national importance) and 20% from the Canton, with the remainder coming from the Organisation Committee of the Olympic Winter Games „Sion 2026“ and  the three communes on the Valais Haut-Plateau.

THE CONCEPT OF THIS NEW ARENA has been designed in different modules. Part of the construction will be permanent, whilst other parts can be erected on a temporary basis, depending on the event. Grandstands are planned for 5,000 people, and it is also possible to adapt these (World championships!). Depending on the final decision, there will be one or two floors of underground car parking. In the absolute ideal version, lorries from the host national broadcasters would also have access. As the finish stadium is one of the smallest areas in the World Cup, the main building, including the grandstands, would be built at the foot of the mountain, parallel to the forest. The semi-circular project, including various important parts of the infrastructure (such as the media centre, rooms for the athlets, volunteers and the Organisation Committee) and car parks, would be underground, making the finish area a central focus, guaranteeing a great atmosphere.

ANOTHER KEY POINT would be the construction of a new 600m chairlift, linking the finish area to the departure point of the slalom. A survey will be done soon to look at lighting the slalom piste.  This would make it possible to hold slaloms or parallel slaloms at night, making this new arena an even more attractive prospect. To summarize: by building this multifuntional stadium, Crans-Montana would be following recommendations by looking at lasting durability. When presented to various interested parties, the plans have captured their full attention, as can be seen below.

THE COMMITTEE FOR THE « CRANS-MONTANA/VALAIS 2025 »  WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS wants to achieve this goal alongside Swiss-Ski. The Committee is made up of: President of the Strategic Committee: Nicolas Féraud (President of the commune of Crans-Montana), Vice-President: Dr. Urs Lehmann (Swiss-Ski President) ; Executive Director: Marius Robyr (President of the Organisation Committee of the Crans-Montana World Cup races) ; executive Vice-Director: Hugo Steinegger (Vice-President of the Crans-Montana World Cup races); Sport managers: Markus Murmann (Crans-Montana Race Director) and Patrice Morisod (Chief of Course for the World Cup races).

As was the case for St-Moritz before and during the World Ski Championships in 2017, Crans-Montana/Valais and its 2025 candidature will be main partner of Swiss-Ski
AND SPECIFICALLY THE« HOUSE OF SWITZERLAND » during the 2019 World Championships in Åre/SWE. This meeting venue which is so popular with the athletes (medal winners’ celebrations…), sponsors, guests, media and fans, will be expertly managed for the 11^th time in a row by Annalisa Gerber, the dynamic head of Swiss-Ski’s Sponsoring and Events. Crans-Montana and Valais will be ensuring that several good wines and delicious culinary specialities from the region will be available to try and enjoy. In Åre, the « House of Switzerland 2019 » (photo: advertising already on site) will play a particularly important host role in view of the Valais candidature for the « Crans-Montana/Valais 2025 » Alpine Ski World Championships.

24.06.2017 - Crans-Montana is not going to let the organisation of the Ski  World Championships go. At the Swiss-Ski assembly of delegates in Losone on Saturday, the Valaisans confirmed their desire to stand as candidates for the 2025 and 2027 events, and then 2029, in the event that they are not successful.

If Crans-Montana had to reiterate its ambitions at Losone, it is because St-Moritz has appeared on the horizon wanting to take its place, in a request that was accepted by Swiss-Ski representatives on Saturday. The Grisons resort, which has just organised the Worlds in February, says it is ready to replace Crans-Montana, arguing that the Haut-Plateau was likely to be hosting two major events in a short period of time if the 2026 Olympic Games were also awarded to Sion. 

 For the organisers in Valais on the other hand, obtaining the Games would not harm their candidacy for the Alpine Ski Worlds. "On the contrary, it would enable us to create synergies between the two projects", says Marius Robyr, president of the Crans-MontanaSki World Cup organisation committee, at the end of the assembly of delegates. "Whatever the fate of the Sion project for the Games, we are going to organise the World Championships. I was very firm about this", he added.

Also present in Losone was Nicolas Féraud, president of the commune of Crans-Montana and representative of the ACCM, and he reminded Swiss-Ski delegates that in their 2014 assembly, they had designated the Valais resort representatives of Switzerland at the future Worlds in Switzerland. And that since that time, Crans-Montana had thrown itself fully into this challenge, with the support of the canton of Valais, the Haut-Plateau communes, the skilifts CMA and the touristic entities. 

Crans-Montana, which has not hosted the Worlds since 1987, has to forward its candidature bid to the International Ski Federation (FIS) by 1st May 2019, whereas the host for the 2025 event would be announced during summer 2020. As for the town selected for the 2026 Winter Olympics, this would be revealed one year earlier, at the IOC session planned for the summer (or autumn) of 2019.  

Losone

After announcing Crans-Montana/Valais would be a candidate for the FIS 2025 Alpine Skiing World Championships at the 1987 World Championship 30 year jubilee evening, the public announcement  took place on Sunday afternoon, at the arrival stadium of the World Cup races in Crans-Montana. The show was full of atmosphere, with paragliders and lots of children from local ski clubs, and in the middle of them all, Urs Lehmann, Swiss-Ski President, and Marius Robyr, president of the Organising Committee for the World Cup races in Crans-Montana. With kind words, the two heads of sport together declared the launch of the « 2025 World Ski Championships Challenge » and their intent to succed, before a cloud of balloons dotted the blue skies with their many different colours. The letter of intent has to be delivered to the FIS before 1^st May 2019. The FIS Council will reveal the name of the selected resort at an FIS conference in 2020.

 DEPREZphoto SA, Crans-Montana/Agence Zoom

Candidature Stade 26.02.

26.02.2017 - After announcing Crans-Montana/Valais would be a candidate for the FIS 2025 Alpine Skiing World Championships at the 1987 World Championship 30 year jubilee evening, the public announcement  took place on Sunday afternoon, at the arrival stadium of the World Cup races in Crans-Montana. The show was full of atmosphere, with paragliders and lots of children from local ski clubs, and in the middle of them all, Urs Lehmann, Swiss-Ski President, and Marius Robyr, president of the Organising Committee for the World Cup races in Crans-Montana. With kind words, the two heads of sport together declared the launch of the « 2025 World Ski Championships Challenge » and their intent to succed, before a cloud of balloons dotted the blue skies with their many different colours. The letter of intent has to be delivered to the FIS before 1^st May 2019. The FIS Council will reveal the name of the selected resort at an FIS conference in 2020.

DEPREZphoto SA, Crans-Montana/Agence Zoom

Ceremonie stade

Eight years after the St-Moritz World Championships, Switzerland could once again host the FSI Ski World Championships. Crans-Montana/Valais is the Swiss candidate for the 2025 Worlds, with the firm support of Swiss-Ski.

38 years after the most prolific World Championships in the history of Swiss skiing, Crans-Montana hopes it will be able to welcome the best skiers in the world on the Nationale and Mont Lachaux pistes. Swiss-Ski president Urs Lehmann and Marius Robyr president of the O.C. for World Cup Races have officially launched Crans-Montana/Valais as candidate.

The letter of intent has to be delivered to the FIS before 1^st May 2019. Crans-Montana/Valais is supported by the canton, the local councils and Swiss-Ski. Urs Lehmann is also part of the candidature committee which aims to involve the Federation in the project.

Once Crans-Montana’s candidature is officially registered with the FIS, Crans-Montana/Valais will be able to prepare its dossier. The name of the town that will host the 2025 Worlds will be revealed in 2020 at an FIS congress.

Crans-Montana/Valais is expecting competition from France (Courchevel-Méribel) or Austria (Saalbach-Hinterglemm). In the event that the Worlds event is awarded to the resort, the arrival stadium will be completely redesigned with a project that includes a permanent arena where other events can also be held.

DEPREZphoto SA, Crans-Montana

Ready for the Crans-Montana/Valais candidacy bid for the FIS 2025 World Championships, from left: Martial Kamerzin, Association des Communes de Crans-Montana President/Urs Lehmann, Swiss-Ski President/Marius Robyr, Crans-Montana World Cup races Organising Committee President and Nicolas Féraud,  Crans-Montana Commune President.

25.02.2017 - Eight years after the St-Moritz World Championships, Switzerland could once again host the FSI Ski World Championships. Crans-Montana/Valais is the Swiss candidate for the 2025 Worlds, with the firm support of Swiss-Ski.

38 years after the most prolific World Championships in the history of Swiss skiing, Crans-Montana hopes it will be able to welcome the best skiers in the world on the Nationale and Mont Lachaux pistes. Swiss-Ski president Urs Lehmann and Marius Robyr president of the O.C. for World Cup Races have officially launched Crans-Montana/Valais as candidate.

The letter of intent has to be delivered to the FIS before 1^st May 2019. Crans-Montana/Valais is supported by the canton, the local councils and Swiss-Ski. Urs Lehmann is also part of the candidature committee which aims to involve the Federation in the project.

Once Crans-Montana’s candidature is officially registered with the FIS, Crans-Montana/Valais will be able to prepare its dossier. The name of the town that will host the 2025 Worlds will be revealed in 2020 at an FIS congress.

Crans-Montana/Valais is expecting competition from France (Courchevel-Méribel) or Austria (Saalbach-Hinterglemm). In the event that the Worlds event is awarded to the resort, the arrival stadium will be completely redesigned with a project that includes a permanent arena where other events can also be held.

DEPREZphoto SA, Crans-Montana

Ready for the Crans-Montana/Valais candidacy bid for the FIS 2025 World Championships, from left: Martial Kamerzin, Association des Communes de Crans-Montana President/Urs Lehmann, Swiss-Ski President/Marius Robyr, Crans-Montana World Cup races Organising Committee President and Nicolas Féraud,  Crans-Montana Commune President.