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The Caprices Festival in Crans-Montana

Monday, February 4th, 2013

The Caprices music Festival 2013

One of Switzerland’s best kept secrets, the Caprices music festival, is now into its 10th year. What started out in 2004 as a low-key local event has grown up into a fully fledged 9 day long festival attracting famous musicians and DJs from around the world. This year there’s something for everyone including techno DJ god Sven Väth, Bristol trip-hop band Portishead, Icelandic singer Björk, indie rock bad boy Pete Doherty and Las Vegas rockers The Killers. In addition to the big name acts there are loads of up and coming bands and DJs from Switzerland and further afield. This year the festival runs from 9 to 16 March and the organisers are expecting up to 75,000 people to attend.

Sven Vath

Adding to the event’s appeal is its fantastic venue – the ski resort of Crans-Montana, which sits on a South-facing plateau above the Rhone Valley in the heart of the Swiss Alps and has the reputation of being the sunniest ski resort in Switzerland. The town has a relaxed and cosmopolitan atmosphere and the skiing is excellent with ample on and off-piste terrain to suit all levels.

Crans-Montana in Switzerland

If you love music and skiing then this is the perfect opportunity for a Winter break with a difference – see you on the slopes or on the dancefloor.

Caprices festival Modernity venue on a Crans-Montana mountain top

Getting There

Crans-Montana is just over 2 hours drive from Geneva airport and can be easily reached by train to Sierre (2 hours) followed by a 20-minute funicular ride up to the resort.

Where to Stay

As well as our chalets in Crans-Montana we have access to a number of accommodation/festival ticket/ski pass packages including a stay the decidedly chic Hotel Etrier.

Hotel Etrier in Crans-Montana

Please contact us for further details or to discuss your specific requirements.

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What’s on: May

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

Some people seem to think that all the mountains just shut come the end of April. Whilst it’s true that May is a quiet month as many prepare for the shift towards summer there is still plenty going on. Here are a few interesting events taking place in May:

Goat Show

We couldn’t resist mentioning this one. On Wednesday 9th May in the mountain village of Saanen, located next to Gstaad, it’s the annual goat show from 1pm. There isn’t an awful lot to say about it but if you want to admire the local Saanen mountain goats then it is certainly worth a watch (if anyone does make it over please share your goat photos with us on our Facebook page.)

International Firefighters Festival

On May 18th to 20th Interlaken will host the International Firefighters Festival. This event celebrates firefighters and their crucial roles in our society and has a very fun vibe. There’s live music, open air firefighting demonstrations, a parade, fantastic food and a whole bunch of other stuff. Plus being held in Interlaken it’s a great location, not only the event, but also to explore afterwards.

Cheese Feast

Spending a great deal of time in Switzerland means that we’ve acquired quite a taste for cheese. Sitting at the foot of the Alps is the town of Gruyères, which is well known for its excellent cheeses. On 6th May this medieval town plays host to the cheese festival. Local producers will be showing off their products and there will be plenty of demonstrations of the towns traditional cheese making methods and processes.

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What’s On: April

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

April: a month when the mountains change dramatically as the season draws to a close. But fear not, it’s a fun fuelled month with plenty to do.

Snowbombing

Snowbombing is an action packed week of parties and on-snow action from 9th to 14th April in Mayrhofen, Austria. This exhilarating event sees some of the world’s top performers hitting the stage for a whirlwind week of mountain madness. Could this be the greatest show on snow?

Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival

Continuing with the ‘partying like it’s the end of the world’ theme, Telus festival packs a punch as one of the best gatherings of it’s kind and is an alternative to Snowbombing on the other side of the pond. This epic Whistler based festival spans ten days from the 13th to 22nd April and the party never stops with music, arts and sports.

Zermatt to Verbier ski touring

Patrouille des Glaciers

Fifty three kilometres on foot and skis from Zermatt to Verbier, surely not? Well some of these guys are doing it in just six hours. Quite a feat. The biennial Patrouille des Glaciers will take place from the 25th to 28th April. Leaving Zermatt, the participants will set off to roaring cheer, drum beats and ringing cow bells as they head up the mountains in a zig zag line racing the distance through freezing temperatures and darkness. This years event should be quite a spectacle and those racing will certainly enjoy the benefits of the plentiful snowfall that we’ve seen this winter which should make the route unforgettable.

Know of any other cool events taking place this April? Let us know what you think about them in the comments section and if you’re looking for a last-minute ski holiday or a trip to one of these events then let us know.

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What’s On: February

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

February is here and it’s time to draw your attention to a few of the events taking place this month which may just provide that extra bit of inspiration in creating your next getaway to the mountains.

St. Moritz Gourmet Festival

The Gourmet Festival in St. Moritz started on the 30th January and the chefs are just warming up. Over the next few days top culinary professionals from across Europe will cook together creating a Mecca of gastronomy in the snow. Up and coming chefs from the Engadine will battle it out and learn from top guest chefs including Marcus G. Linder of the restaurant ‘Mesa’ in Zurich and the mushroom-loving Regis Marcon, who has three Michelin Stars.

White Turf St Moritz

White Turf

No, we’re not obsessed with St. Moritz (well maybe a little), but it just so happens that this other great event is taking place there too. White Turf have three race days in February on the 5th, 12th and 19th. The overall prize purse is 440,000 Swiss Francs and the event attracts an international field of quality riders. Each of the race meets are attended by roughly 35,000 visitors so it’s quite a spectacle. The biggest race of them all, the 73rd Gubelin Grand Prix of St. Moritz, takes place on the 19th. One not to miss.

Alpine World Cup, Sochi

Sochi will make it’s debut onto the international ski racing scene this month, with the men’s downhill and super combined races on 11th and 12th February and the ladies races taking place the following weekend. With Sochi preparing to host the 2014 winter Olympics this will be a great taster for what’s to come in a couple of years time. The races will take place in Rosa Khutor ski resort which is currently undergoing a major revamp.

Also taking place this month

Not that many people realise, but you can ski in the Middle East. The Mzaar Winter Festival which takes place in Lebanon is an interesting affair if you’re looking for something slightly different.

February is one of the best months to go and see the Northern Lights, whilst they can’t be guaranteed you’ll have a great shot at witnessing the magic. You can see the Northern Lights in a number of places including Norway, Lapland, Antarctica and even Australia.

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