GstaadLife

There has recently been a flurry of activity and debate in the region surrounding the re-zoning plan. Interest from all echelons of the community has been prolific, with the plans for Schönried and the new laws to curb construction noise attracting the most attention. It is unclear whether the Gemeinde expected such a strong level of interest, but publicly they are saying they are very pleased with the level of community involvement. We here at GstaadLife have heard humorous stories of chalet owners’ lawyers falling over each other to review the materials when they first became available. And as a result of the unprecedented levels of turn-out and response, the review period for the plans has been extended until October 9. GstaadLife sums up the latest developments for you right here…

Last Wednesday, the main structural elements of the bridge over the River Saane in Oey were put into place. Engineer and project supervisor Hans Reuteler, Gemeinde mechanic Bernhard Mösching, locksmith Peter Jungen (pictured) and "Wegmeister” Ernst Romang (pictured)and Peter Friedli are now awaiting the wooden flooring and the side railings after which construction can be completed. In the meantime they are busy adjusting the ropes by crane and connecting the hanging steel parts over the water. They have already been able to take their first tentative steps across the structure, and although it was all still a bit shaky, the main parts of the bridge will ultimately be able to support up to 40 tonnes in weight, far exceeding the 400 kilos we see with a typical heavy snowfall. The construction team has confirmed their prediction to finish construction during the month of October.

Autumn is hiking season, and with over 70% of Saanenland guests partaking in hikes, there is considerable demand for hiking maps. But until now, the selection of maps has been weak, with area-wide topographical maps only going to a 1:50,000 scale, and more detailed maps only covering certain parts of the region. Now there is a new map. Produced by Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus in association with Kümmerly & Frei, the map covers the entire Saanenland region at a 1:25,000 scale and even incorporates the Glacier 3000 area. It includes both the summer and winter trails, and also contains descriptive guides for nine attractive walking routes. The map is available from area tourist offices priced SFr 29.80

The travel section of the October 2 edition of Newsweek International has an engaging guide to where to find the world's best fall foliage. For those of you reading this from New England, just look out of your window. For the rest of you, Rebecca Hall has rated "the posh ski village of Gstaad" as her 5th pick after the aforementioned US northeast, England's Northumberland National Park, the mountains of Bohemia, and the forested valleys of Norway. For those of you who've never set foot in your chalet in October, think about taking a long weekend to come up and see what some travel thousands of miles for. The sun shines and shines and shines, the drives up the Col du Pillon and back down des Mosses are worth it by themselves, and the village is quiet and pristine. Click photo to enlarge. Click here for more photos.

From September 24 throughout the off-season, the Rialto Ristorante and Bar on the Promenade will be closed on Sunday evenings and Mondays.  From Tuesday to Friday, the bar will be serving a daily menu for SFr 27, including mineral water and a coffee. Various game specialities are now available both in the restaurant and the bar. Call 033 744 34 74 for reservations or more info. Vi aspettiamo!

An odd recommendation perhaps, but one to take seriously. Before you put that sports car away for the winter, take the time for one more road trip during this time of autumnal kaleidoscope. It doesn't really matter where you go so long as the Nufenen Pass is on the itinerary. A ~3-hour drive from Gstaad linking cantons Ticino and Wallis, the Nufenen (or Novena in Italian) is the highest vehicular pass completely within the borders of Switzerland. At 2,478 meters it certainly offers supreme views. But what makes it worthy of a recommendation is the Ticino side of the pass down through Bedretto to Airolo, a long section of open sweeping curves, few villages, and some of the best raceways in the Alps. This road is why you bought that car...

"In the GstaadLife Garage" is a new series bringing you road tests of new cars. The road tests see us putting cars through their paces for a day as we go about our normal daily business, and focus on new models that you may have not yet had the opportunity to drive.

Range Rover drivers take note. The Mercedes Benz GL Class is Mercedes' new full-size SUV. It is offered locally by Pichler GFG in Feutersoey. The GL 500 top-of-the-line model we drove (shown left) doesn’t come cheap, weighing in at over SFr 160,000 with such options as triple-screen DVD, Harman Kardon surround sound, Nappa leather, follow-distance control, and other mod-cons. But the car does well to justify its price. It does all the things you’d expect a car at this level to do, with particularly impressive handling and pickup for such a big vehicle.  And make no mistake…it’s big. One of the few cars in its class that is built to transport seven people, it’s the only one that allows normal-sized adults to ride in full comfort in the last row of seats (but check the length of your garage before you buy!).

...you'll hear Alphorns in the open countryside. No, really. You might be forgiven for thinking that Saanenland is a contrived, picture-book world of perfectly-packaged Kodak moments. Well, judging from our latest reader's photos it might well be. GstaadLife reader, Gerda Baumeister, was enjoying a quiet stroll with friends around the Arnensee this past Sunday when she happened upon an impromptu Alphorn practice session. The shimmering water, the haunting tones echoing around the valley, and the spontaneous yodling of picnicers at the far end of the lake...we wouldn't have believed it either, except we have the video as well...click play above to watch the video, and click here to see more photos. We hope this quintessential Saanenland moment will spark a good memory and bring a knowing smile to your face.

Why do the Eggli and Wispile hills suddenly have giant trenches stretching up from the base stations? Work has begun on new snow-making facilities for the winter season 2006/7. The trenches (see photo left from Wispile) are for water pipes to supply snow-making machines, with 54 new machines to be put into operation on the Eggli enabling the entire 2.5 km run to be covered in 50 hours (weather permitting). Similarly the 1.6 km Wispile run will be equipped with snow-makers enabling full coverage in about 70 hours, with significantly improved capability and floodlights to be installed for the beginner slopes by the Rüttilift. Cooperation with landowners for the construction has been great, and the total cost for the new facilities on both slopes is expected to run to SFr 3.2 million. It is hoped that snow-making can begin in mid-November.

Gstaad-area annual ski passes are now available. The passes are valid from November 25 2006 through April 29 2007 in all Saanenland ski sectors, as well as Rougemont/Videmanette, Château d'Oex, and Glacier 3000. Order and pay by November 11, and you'll receive a 10% discount. Purchases can be made at the tourist office in Gstaad and various base stations. Click below for dates and times.