"Our candidacy has what it takes"

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 !