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Crans-Montana is a ski resort in southwestern Switzerland, in the heart of the Swiss Alps in the French-speaking part of the canton of Valais. It is located on a plateau above Sierre at an elevation of about 1,500 m (4,920 ft) above sea level, allowing good view over the Valais Alps and Weisshorn in particular. The resort is a fusion of the two centers of Crans and Montana and belongs to 6 municipalities (Chermignon, Icogne, Lens, Mollens, Montana and Randogne).
The skiing area of Crans-Montana is composed of 140 km (87 mi) of pistes, and includes the glacier of Plaine Morte. It is topped by the Pointe de la Plaine Morte at 2,927 m (9,600 ft).
Crans-Montana is famous in alpine ski racing for the 1987 World Championships and is often on the World Cup schedule, usually for women's speed events. It also hosts the only winter mountain pop rock festival Caprices Festival and the second largest European golf event Omega European Masters, (an event from the European and Asian Tour) which takes place each September. The resort has also been frequently used for bicycle racing, hosting stage finishes of the Tour de Suisse seven times and of the Tour de Romandie eight times as of 2013. In addition Crans-Montana also hosted the finish of the 20th stage of the 1984 Tour de France, won by Laurent Fignon, who also took the overall race win that year.
English actor Roger Moore has owned a chalet there for many years since moving from Gstaad; Sophia Loren had an apartment overlooking the 8th green of the resort's golf course, Crans-Sur-Sierre. Grand-Duke Henri of Luxembourg, French chef and restaurateur Michel Roux, golfers Adam Scott, Angel Gallardo, Sergio García along with Francesco and Edoardo Molinari also have homes there.
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