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To think that Switzerland comes down to tasting chocolate and eating a fondue by the fireside would be simplistic and this press trip to Crans Montana is there to prove it to you ...

The Crans Montana resort is located just under two hours by car from Geneva airport, making it easily accessible, ideal for short-ski trips.

As soon as we arrived in the resort, our host offered to discover the Chalet Alaia.

Alaia, not very Swiss for a chalet name ? Alaia in Hawaiian describes the ancestral wooden surfboard used by the first native surfers on the island, the tone is set.

The Alaia chalet is a huge skate park and trampoline park, indoor and outdoor.

I did not expect to find a skate park in a Swiss ski resort.

The place has just been opened and everything has been created and thought to satisfy all types of rider, from the beginner to the expert.

It has been many years since I have ridden in a skate park, but the opportunity is too good not to try to get back into the bowl. Especially since it is magnificent with a perfectly smooth concrete structure, connoisseurs will appreciate ;)

The first try are bit confusing, but with perseverance I gently get back to it. Of course, compared to local skaters I really suck :))) Decision is made, as soon as the good weather come back, I 'll train for it !

After the skate park, it's now time to test the trampoline area.

A coach is responsible for supervising us and teach us the basics.

Now that we know how to jump a bit, the Coach suggests that we try out the trampoline with a board intended to simulate snowboard jumps.

The first jumps are quite a panic because the two feet are attached to the board. At each reception we are afraid of not being able to land both feet at the same time which could create an misalignment and throw us out of the trampoline.

After performing some classic rebounds, my partners encourage me to test the grabs. I try it shyly at first but I quickly get a taste for it, let's go for nose grab, tail grab, indy and others ...

The sessions are very short, after only one minute, you're out of breath ...

Our coach gives us a demonstration of his talents by entering back flips without any difficulties ... There too I have a lot of work to perform well !!!

Wake up at 7am and a copious breakfast to be in good shape for the day.

This morning a mountain guide will make us discover the best slopes of Crans Montana. The ski resort is very large with its 140 km of slopes.

The ski resort is spread over 3 municipalities, Crans, Montana and Lens.

Over the whole area the landscape is breathtaking with a magnificent view on the Matterhorn.

The tracks are oriented south for optimal sunshine throughout the day.

The artificial snow comes to support the natural snow when the need arises. But Crans Montana generally benefits from very good snow fall.

The high-altitude restaurants offer a great diversity to adapt to all budgets.

If you pass by the hotel restaurant Chetzeron, I recommend that you stop there. Located at 2112 m, the food, the infrastructure and the view are simply exceptional.

This morning, a wonderful surprise awaits us.

The Crans Montana resort is fortunate to have a very high level athlete.

Joanna Ryter, Swiss triathlon professional and 2018 Ironman world champion category 18-24.

This charming young lady volunteered to introduce us to one of the special features of the Crans Montana resort, its ski touring trails.

We meet Joanna on the snow front. Her racing outfit and her super light skis immediately announces the color, the young lady has everything of a fighter jet, we will have to hang on to hope to follow her. But Joanna, all smiles reassure us very quickly. Today, she is there to make us discover the ski touring area and not to kill us, we are a little reassured.

Once the skis are on, the ascent can begin. We will take the 1000+ trail, as its name suggests with its 1,000 vertical meters. The trail begins at the foot of the Crans resort and ends at the top of Bellalui. A superb route that meanders through the forest, then exits on a wide ridge and ends on a summit with breathtaking views.

Throughout the climb, Joanna shares with us her most beautiful triathlon anecdotes. We listen to her telling us about her victory at the Hawaiian World Championship and the emotions that ran through her during this so difficult legendary race. As an amateur triathlete, this ascent is for me a great moment of happiness. What a great attention from the Crans Montana resort for making this day possible.

This ski touring trail system works admirably well. Ski tourers can indulge in their practice without risking their safety and the one of other skiers. I hope that many other resorts will take inspiration from this idea to develop their domain. Bravo Crans Montana, very nice initiative and great success ....

The afternoon is devoted to continuing the discovery of the ski area before joining the Mayen restaurant which will offer us one of its specialties that I leave you to guess .... Raclette!

But beware, we are in Switzerland, no way to settle for a simple raclette. The establishment aims to make us taste the real Swiss raclette. It will be no less than four different cheeses scraped by the owner of the establishment itself that we will be led to discover.

It is full that we reach our room for a good night's sleep in the Swiss calm.