Sion, Switzerland
There’s something about Sion.
The small Swiss town and its citizens have worked long and diligently to gain designation to play host to the Winter Olympic Games, but the International Olympic Committee has been just as diligent in looking elsewhere. Not only that, but its past has a connection to Denver.
And so casual curiosity was part of it, but I believed Sion demanded a more thorough investigation.
The beginning goes back some 40 years, when Sion’s Olympic organizers lost by four votes to Denver to be the host city for the 1976 Winter Games. The frustration only increased when Denver turned back the bid, but not in time for organizers in Sion to pick up the pieces. Innsbruck, Austria, site of the 1964 Winter Olympics, came to the rescue and played host again 12 years later.
That was one strike, but losing the bid in 1976 didn’t end the hopes in Sion. Another bid was made for the Winter Olympics in 2002, but it was strike two in favor of Salt Lake City – and strike three occurred when Sion lost the bid for the 2006 Winter Games to Turin, Italy.
What was wrong with Sion? Was it a pauper in a country otherwise known for its wealth, unmatched alpine scenery and winter sports activity? Finding out seemed a worthwhile project with memories of the Turin Olympics fresh in mind. The obvious comparisons would be Lillehammer, Norway, 1994; Nagano, Japan, 1998; Salt Lake City; and Turin.
Former Sion mayor Gilbert Debons would provide some insight in comparing Sion’s promise as an Olympic site with some other recent locations.
“Small is beautiful,” Debons said. “The Olympics are better in smaller towns because everyone is involved.”
Certainly Switzerland is considered tried and true in providing destinations of distinction. The elegance of the larger places such as Lucerne and Geneva and the destination qualities of Zermatt, St. Moritz, Interlaken and others have summoned visitors the world over.
And so there were questions – and plenty of time to mull them over on the nearly four-hour drive from Zurich to the Valais region of south-central Switzerland and Sion, the oldest city in the country, dating back some 7,000 years.
St. Moritz was 1928 host
Switzerland’s history with the Olympic Games centered on St. Moritz, the host city for the 1928 and 1948 Winter Games. St. Moritz was included in Sion’s Olympic bids as the site for the bobsled and luge competition.
A quick look at a map reveals Sion has several interesting neighbors. Geneva is an hour and a half to the west. The resort of Zermatt and famous Alps peak the Matterhorn are an hour and a half south. Lausanne, the home of the International Olympic Committee headquarters, and Montreux, site of the world-famous jazz musical festival, are within easy reach on the shores of Lake Geneva (Lake Leman), the largest freshwater lake in Western Europe.
A first look at Sion, with its quaint old-town section and population of 30,000, suggested an Olympic Games site closer to the popular and much-heralded Lillehammer Olympics. With a little imagination, one could see Sion’s old town and nearby public square becoming a popular gathering place for visitors, residents and competitors, much the same as in the center of Lillehammer.
Salt Lake City’s downtown section provided a less intimate meeting area, and the medal awards area in Turin was a spectacular setting, but the ambiance and fellowship of the Olympic atmosphere tend to get swallowed up in the daily routines in the larger cities such as Nagano, Salt Lake City and Turin.
But Sion’s Olympic bid had an alpine gem in Crans-Montana, two connected villages on the alpine slopes above the valley.
The road to Crans-Montana winds its way up from the valley floor through grape vineyards dotted with small wineries. It’s the largest wine-producing area in Switzerland, with both red and white wine made from 45 grape varieties.
Both are desirable little communities, but Crans is the focal point. Its upscale commercial area is the largest alpine shopping area in Europe, and adjacent to that are the 18-hole Ballesteros golf course, site of the European Masters Tournament, and the nine-hole Jack Nicklaus course.
Crans-Montana is to Sion what Park City is to Salt Lake City as a competition venue and attraction, but much closer in commuting distance.
Olympic politics in action
The people of Sion and Crans-Montana aren’t downtrodden over their misfortunes in attracting an Olympics.
“They’re disappointed, but I wouldn’t say they are suffering from any complex,” said Walter Loser, who would have been the director of media operations had Sion been the site of the 2006 Winter Games. “They’re disappointed that they didn’t get the bid in some ways because the IOC headquarters is located not far away in Lausanne.”
But Guy Praplan, a lawyer in Crans and a consultant to the Sion bids for the 2002 and 2006 Games, is especially critical of losing the designation for 2006.
“We were not ready for 2002,” Praplan said. “But our technical documents for 2006 were better than Torino (Turin). We had the best proposal, but not the political strength of Torino. The Lillehammer Olympics were fantastic. But I think the philosophy of the IOC right now is to avoid giving the Winter Olympics to a small city. They don’t want another example like Lillehammer.”
Jorg Romang, a member of the Olympic organizing committee and an official in the Montana tourist office, noted that his fellow Olympic organizers have been at work throughout most of the 40 years since losing to Denver, but he wonders if the Sion and Crans-Montana communities should “take the hint.”
“We’ve never been told the reason why we weren’t chosen for 2006,” Romang said. “We were just told that Torino got it. It’s not impossible that we would try again, but it’s much more difficult to put a bid together than it used to be.”
Crans-Montana is divided into six boroughs, which presents difficulties in agreeing at times on a unified direction.
Romang talked about the one shortcoming to Sion’s bid, the distance between Sion and St. Moritz for the bobsled and luge competition.
“We planned to use shuttle flights to take people from Sion to St. Moritz,” Romang said. “It’s about 45 minutes by air, but about four or five hours by road. The IOC accepted our proposal, but we were prepared to build a bobsled and luge venue here if we had to in order to get the designation.”
Romang believes life will go on even without the Olympics. He boasts of the area’s climate, noting it has the same average hours of sunshine as Monte Carlo. Because of the setting and climate, Crans-Montana is a popular destination for international youth summer camps and youth musical festivals.
“People who come here want scenery, climate and the sun,” Romang said. “We’re the most cosmopolitan mountain destination in Europe. At the end of the winter season, visitors can ski up here in the morning and play golf in the afternoon in the valley.”
Romang is a licensed ski instructor and once instructed Roger Moore of James Bond movie fame. Moore has a home in Crans-Montana.
Eddie Peter, former manager of the Sion’s tourist office, echoed the sentiments of the others.
“I was very surprised and disappointed about 2006,” Peter said. “It seems that there has been a political decision by the IOC that the Olympics are only for big cities.”
But he boasts of the area’s qualities, noting Sion is 7,000 years old.
“We have been the host city for World Cup events,” Peter said. “Tourism provides 25 to 30 percent of the economy of this area. We have skiing in the winter, golf in the summer, and we have nature right outside our doors.”
Peter believes there will be another bid for the Olympics. He thinks that, by 2018, the Olympic Rings could be part of Sion’s scenery.
But for now, Debons is right. When it comes to Sion and Crans-Montana, small is beautiful.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
INSIDER’S GUIDE
GET THERE
The best access to Sion is either through Zurich or Geneva – but be prepared for some sticker shock. Right now the prices for summer flights to Zurich on American Airlines, British Airways, Continental and US Airways start at $1,300 and to Geneva on British Airways and Continental start at $1,400. Plan on a four- hour drive from Zurich and two hours from Geneva; you can also take a train, but with a rental car already on hand you will be poised for the ideal way to explore the various alpine destinations of the Valais region.
The best time to go for skiing powder is in January. For golf, May through September. Avoid early September in Crans because of the European Masters. To sample the wines, September and October.
SHOP
Crans-Montana offers the largest alpine shopping area in Europe. Some of the more fashionable and expensive shops are along the Rue du Prado just outside the Ballesteros Golf Course.
STAY
As expected in an area where golf and skiing are among the activities, the choice of lodging is almost unlimited.
In Crans-Montana, the Hotel Alpina & Savoy (3963 Crans-Montana, +41 27 485 09 00, www.alpina-savoy.ch) and the Hotel Eden (3963 Crans-Montana, +41 (0) 27 485 98 00, edencrans.com), are typical of the area. They are where the locals would stay, but far from the only choices. Plan for daily room charges well in excess of $200.
DINE
With a car, the dining experiences are unlimited. The Crans-Montana area is crowded with smaller villages, each having a restaurant destination of its own.
One is Café-Restaurant la Dent- Blanche in Plans Mayens (3963 Crans-Montana, +41 (0) 27 4811179), a 10-minute drive up a winding alpine road from Crans-Montana. This truly is an alpine Swiss restaurant with wooden tables and interior. The menu runs from trout to fondue.
Old-town Sion offers an array of restaurant choices along 23 Rue du Grand-
Pont. One is Restaurant Au Cheval Blanc (027 322 18 67). It offers both inside and outside seating and features a more continental menu.
MORE INFO
A light jacket, sweaters and even a collapsible umbrella are essential accessories. Some knowledge of French is helpful, but not necessary. While the alpine areas have great scenic attractions, the city of Sion has its attractions of culture, theater and as a center for the distribution of the area’s wine production. This is not an area that lends itself to Europe on $20 a day. Dinner meals typically could run $60 to $80 per person. A day of golf could run close to $100, including cart. It could be done for less than what has been suggested above by scanning the Internet (and there are golf and ski packages available that include lodging), but when in Switzerland…
