The origins of Crans-Montana's renown as a tourist destination date back to 1893. At an altitude of 1500 meters, the high plateau was covered with pastureland when the first Hôtel du Parc opened its doors. A few years later, the benefits of Crans-Montana's Alpine climate, recognised for its pure air and glorious sunshine, led Dr Théodore Stephani (1868-1951) to send patients with respiratory disorders there for cures. The curists included personalities of the time such as author Katherine Mansfield from New Zealand (1888-1923), the first to describe Crans-Montana as the "Pearl of the Alps". Under the encouragement of the doctor, based in Geneva and one of the founding members of the Montana Development Association since its creation in 1905, other celebrities flocked to the resort and the first infrastructures rose from the ground: the first sanatorium in 1899, the legendary golf-course in 1906, the iconic funicular railway in 1911, and the first tele-ski in the Valais in 1936. Crans-Montana then achieved widespread renown thanks to the organisation of the first skiing and golfing competitions, including the famous European Masters in 1939.