Swiss ski racer Malorie Blanc reveals to Myra Butterworth what it is like to win on her home slopes.

Winning a race is a special moment for any athlete and their supporters, but doing it on their home slopes transcends such an achievement to the next level.

This is exactly what happened with the unexpected win at the women’s Super-G race at Crans-Montana.

Blanc grew up just moments away from Crans-Montana in Anzère and is a member of the Swiss Ski team. She revealed to Skier & Snowboarder what it meant to claim a maiden Audi FIS Ski World Cup victory on her home slopes.

“Winning a race is always special, but winning at home is something truly unique,” she said. “Crossing the Super-G finish line first in Crans-Montana, feeling the support of the crowd and seeing so many familiar faces, filled me with emotion. It’s a moment of joy and pride that I will carry with me for a long time.”

The win on 31 January sent the Swiss crowd wild, releasing a huge wave of red and white flags into the air. It also brought some hugely positive vibes to a ski resort that has been in mourning following the tragic fire on New Year’s Eve in Crans-Montana.

The race respectfully marked the tragedy with a moment’s silence at the start, along with the words ‘our thoughts are with you’ at locations throughout the race, including the finishing line.

The race weekend marked a step forward for the ski resort as it returns to doing what it does best: Competitive sports in the heart of the Alps.

A resort offering something for everyone

As well as noticing the clean mountain air as soon as you arrive in the resort, there are glorious views that stretch along a chain of summits – from the Matterhorn (the shape of the mountain used as the basis of Toblerone) to Mont Blanc.

And yet, at the same time, it is easy to manoeuvre from the town itself to the highest ski areas in a simple ride in a cable car and gondola – in total, there are 24 ski lifts at the resort. It has 140 kilometres of ski slopes, with the elevation across the ski area ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 metres. But the resort isn’t just for the winter months, as there are golf courses and bike trails to enjoy during the summer.

And once you’ve worked up an appetite, there is a plethora of restaurants waiting for you. For the best raclettes, try L’Ardoise Valaisanne or La Plage for its Toblerone mousse.

Pierre-Henri Mainetti, sales and marketing manager of Crans-Montana Tourism, said: “We are very proud to host these incredible World Cup ski races here in Crans-Montana, a town that sits high above the Rhone Valley with some of the best views in the Alps from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn.

“Our ski slopes offer something for every level of course, there’s over 140 kilometres of them, but to see both the men and women fly down at speeds of over 130km/h is something special and then to have two Swiss winners on the same weekend is a dream come true for us.”

The other Swiss racer to win during the weekend was Franjo von Allmen, who took the top position on the podium in the Men’s Downhill, which also took place in Crans-Montana.

Mainetti added: “Next year we will host the 2027 Alpine Skiing World Championships over 10 days of ski racing – the world’s eyes will be on us as we showcase this top event on the slopes above our town. Let’s hope we have another Swiss gold, or maybe even a British one.”