Whenever I go skiing, I hum the James Bond theme tune and imagine I’m being chased down the mountain by baddies. And it is for this reason I sought out a chalet fit for a Bond villain in the Swiss hamlet that Roger Moore called home.
Crans-Montana has always been an elite destination for those in the know. Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, was a ski rep here in her twenties. Bono, Alain Delon, George Clooney and Justin Timberlake enjoy the privacy of the resort, but it has only started to gain worldwide recognition since US giant Vail Resorts purchased the property two years ago, investing in infrastructure and offering Epic Passes to intercontinental ski bums. Crans-Montana hosts the annual City Ski Challenge, to be held this year on the 13-16 March, which is a particularly convivial ski race where the focus is less on its giant slalom and more on very long lunches, a comedy and quiz night, and an extremely well-lubricated awards ceremony.
Sir Rog, whose life was narrated in character by Steve Coogan for Christmas’s BBC Two documentary From Roger Moore with Love, bought his alpine chalet in Crans-Montana in 1996 and became a fixture on the winter society scene here. For a time after the star’s death, in 2017, there was a huge mural of him in the town centre. Now a new owner is renovating his rustic timber pad with the Caribbean blue shutters, but for Jörg Romang the memories will never fade.
A James Bond pilgrimage: Roger Moore spent his winters in Crans Montana
The Ultima chalet in Crans-Montana where Adam stayed
Jörg – who Moore called ‘The Jörganizer’ – was his ski guide, and also his part-time PA, driver and bodyguard. Jörg, who’s around 60, manages properties in the town when he’s not guiding the rich and famous on the slopes. Over the years, he’s developed quite an enviable contacts book. He’s skied with Prince William, and when we speak he’s just got off the phone with Sir Michael Caine. “He asked me what I thought of the BBC documentary,” reveals Jörg. “I told him it was shite.”
Jörg remains loyal to his friend, and who wouldn’t; even in his advanced years, Rog was the life and soul of this little resort. He’d spend summers at his Monte Carlo apartment, and then come to Crans for the winter months. “Roger was an amazing guy; the dictionary definition of a gentleman,” says Jörg, who I’ve called upon to give me some of Rog’s Crans restaurant recommendations, and some insight into the old boy’s ski talents. The actor made it look so easy in the films.
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This past summer, Ultima arranged a treasure hunt for some Hong Kong guests. Finds in the bushes included Swiss watches. The game was billed at 30 grand.
“Actually, he was a disaster on skis. Roger Moore was very, very clumsy. The third day I ever skied with him he fell off a chair lift. He must have fallen four metres. I thought, Christ, I’ve killed James Bond! It was only because the snow was fresh and fluffy that he wasn’t injured. He got up and declared: ‘Ahh, that’s the first stunt I’ve done of my own!’”
Were the Eon people here to film a new James Bond adventure, they might cast Ultima Crans-Montana as the baddie’s lair. Originally built in the 1990s for LVMH’s billionaire owner Bernard Arnault and recently renovated to the max, it comprises two enormous ski-in-and-out chalets – 16 guest bedrooms in all – which are interconnected via an underground tunnel. The chalets must be rented together in order to preserve the privacy that Ultima’s clientele demand. The property is filled with kitsch contemporary art, vast Baccarat chandeliers and crystalware, and the sorts of oversized prestige books that’d crush an Ikea coffee table (though Ultima’s new owners are looking to tone down some of the more outré elements). There is also a private cinema, a pair of arcade machines to which I dedicate much of my après time (technically I’ve won the Daytona 500 wearing ski boots), a sleek sauna and 1,000-square-metre spa area, a high-tech gym that’d satisfy the most demanding Olympian, and a massive pool steaming outside in the freezing air. The floor-to-ceiling windows to the terrace retreat subterraneously at the click of a remote control.
There are no less than 14 charming staff at one’s beck and call. As one might expect, they’re tight-lipped when it comes to the identities of their past guests. Given the rates (£150,000-a-week, or £275,000 for the week covering Christmas and New Year’s) I suggest these include sheiks, Russian oligarchs, and maybe the odd exiled despot (bad luck Bashar, Switzerland recognises the ICJ). Perhaps footballers too, though only the really top earners. Social media reveals that a previous occupant is one Lionel Messi. As it can accommodate up to 38 guests, it’s geared towards large families; this past summer, Ultima arranged a treasure hunt for some Hong Kong guests. Finds in the bushes included Swiss watches. The game was billed at 30 grand.
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Once the snow’s melted, Crans-Montana becomes a mecca for golfers and it hosts the Omega European Masters. Roger Moore couldn’t abide golf, but he became an honorary member of the club anyway just so he could walk the course. Writing in his autobiography My Word is My Bond, he described the appeal of the place. “Crans has everything you could wish for: great restaurants, varied shops, wonderful skiing, an amazing doctor… and numerous pharmacies.” Yes, he was a hypochondriac.
As far as dining goes, my evenings are ensconced at the Ultima. Why go out when you have your own Michelin-trained chef and a stonking wine cellar with personal sommelier on hand. My three-night stay runs the gamut of fondue, sushi, wagyu barbeque and some phenomenally complicated patisserie. Jörg, though, advises me on Sir Rog’s preferred eateries: LeCrans is located just above Ultima, offering gourmet cuisine and a spectacular view of Mont Blanc; Edo is an authentic Japanese restaurant (none of this fusion corruption); and for cheesy things, our hero would head to La Dent Blanche, where the clanking sound of dairy cows can be heard nearby.
My lunches are taken en piste and I enjoy a particularly hearty croûte au fromage 1,917m up at restaurant Merbé, which has a sun-drenched and vibey terrace where the fizz and rosé flows and skiers take time out from the resort’s superb red runs (there aren’t many blues, and for this reason Crans is not ideal for beginners).
And with Merbé comes another Rog anecdote. Located close to his chalet, it was his favourite place to lunch. James Bond fans may recall the sequence in For Your Eyes Only when he ski-jumped onto a restaurant terrace, destroyed a group’s lunch by launching across their table, and then disappeared over the edge while evading an East German biathlete / KGB operative. Well, in real life, similar happened: Moore arrived at Merbé unable to snow plough in time and sent chairs flying and diners crashing for cover. According to Jorg, Rog ended the chaotic scene with his head buried between the legs of a female après skier and emerged “like an ostrich” only to quip: ‘Madam, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.’
For more information on Crans-Montana and the Ultima Collection visit crans-montana-ch and ultimacollection.com