The Nines Back in Crans-Montana
The Nines freestyle skiing and snowboarding event sponsored by Falken has been taking place this week in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, high above the Rhone Valley.
Taking place at 2,800 metres on the Plaine Morte Glacier, with fabulous views across to Mont Blanc and The Matterhorn, The Nines sees some of the world’s top athletes taking part in six days of unique action on specially built jumps that produce spectacular displays full of tricks and moves that defy gravity.
Among many amazing moments in the week, Tuesday, April 5, 2022 will be a day long remembered in snowboarding! Within minutes of each other, Japanese snowboarder Reira Iwabuchi landed the world’s first frontside triple 1260 by a woman, followed shortly afterwards by the second-ever women’s cab triple 1260 from Canadian Laurie Blouin.
It’s the 30th edition of the unconventional action-sports event series and the Nines have once again created a stunning vision of futuristic snowpark design for an elite squad of world-class skiers and snowboarders to exploring its myriad possibilities.
Some of the riders taking part in The Nines by Falken include British stars Mia Brookes and Scotland’s 15-year-old star Kirsty Muir, fresh from her top five performance in the Olympic finals in Beijing. Local legend Pat Burgener will carry the Crans-Montana flag, whist the remainder of the field is littered with world class athletes from across the world. The full list is available here.
The week is rounded off with the Caprices Music Festival taking place this weekend.
Crans-Montana is a chic and stylish all-year-round mountain resort located in the Valais canton of Switzerland (French speaking), around two hours by train from Geneva Airport.
Sitting on a high plateau above the Rhone Valley and facing south, the views from Crans-Montana are spectacular, especially from higher altitudes where it’s possible to see Mont Blanc in the west, through to the Matterhorn and way beyond to the east. During the winter, the skiing is well suited for intermediates, with a wide range of blue and red runs, but there’s excellent beginners areas as well as some more challenging slopes for experts, including some interesting off-piste and ski touring terrain. During summer, the resort is a haven for both road cyclists and mountain bikers as well as hikers and adventure seekers. Accommodation is varied, with a strong luxury element including several 5* hotels and a spread of 3* and 4* options as well as self-catering apartments and B&B’s.
