GstaadLife

By Tim Kilchenmann

Hanspeter Reust’s reign over his cheese diocese has come to an end. The operations director of Molkerei Gstaad, a co-operative that processes the milk from over 80 farmers into dairy products, is alleged to have intentionally mislabelled an eight tonne delivery of mountain cheese as more expensive alpine cheese. When the recipient, a certain Migros, uncovered the discrepancy, Reust feigned ignorance. The specialists were not fooled, however, and Migros’ threat to sever all business ties successfully pressured Reust into stepping down on Monday.

Should we try to keep a straight face about a scandal that ignites many of Switzerland's most hackneyed stereotypes? Yes we should. For the dispute of the country folk needs to be taken seriously for three reasons. Putting it bluntly, cheese matters. Saanenland has as many cows as inhabitants. Farming is still the third largest employment sector. Farms are also crucial to the well-being of the region and play a crucial role in maintaining Saanenland’s authenticity. Reust’s behaviour has called the partnership with Migros, and thus 20% of the Molkerei’s revenue, into question. If Migros were to follow through with its threats, the damage to local farming would be unprecedented.

The Wispile ski hill will stay open until Easter Monday April 9 -- so say the chalkboards when you walk into the Berghaus atop the mountain. Having previously declared a closing date of March 17, and then extending it to March 25, the Wispile operators are eeking every rappen out of this year's pitiful season by offering all the usual amenities of the berghaus, plus...completely empty pistes. Going into last weekend, anecdotal evidence suggested that the runs from the top to the middle station at Bodme were in great shape, and since no-one seems to realize the hill is even open, skiers were rewarded with perfectly-groomed personal pistes, not unlike the one in the picture above when your's truly found himself alone on the mountain at 13h00...on a Sunday. Taki was right. Forget the run from the middle station to the base (which is officially closed, but we were stupid enough to try it anyway). This run varies from hard to harder to bare...if you want to mash up your skis this badly, it's easier to just tie them to the back of your car and drive through the village! Stick to the higher runs, reserve the choice tables on the terrace, watch the kids play in the sun, avoid the paparazzi antics of Art Photo (didn't anyone tell them all the guests have gone?), and Wispile will give you a treat like they wished they could have done all season.

For the full list of cable car closing dates, click here.

It may well be curtains for summer skiing on the glacier. Glacier 3000 has announced that there will be no downhill skiing this summer, following in the footsteps of Verbier, St Moritz, Alagna, Marmolada, Alpe d'Huez La Plagne and Val Thorens which have all ceased offering summer skiing in recent years. Oh well...at least our glacier has a rollercoaster. Currently there are excellent (if sometimes crowded) ski conditions on the glacier, and even the run down to Reusch was able to open with the snow we had last week. Indeed the new snow has meant that the glacier's May 6 season closing date should be a lock. For the 2007/8 season, skiing should restart some time in the middle of October, and it is hoped that the area will be fully operational by the end of November.

In the run-up to the General Assembly meeting of Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus, there was quite some debate in GstaadLife sister publication, the Anzeiger von Saanen, over the proposals to change the name of "Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus" to just "Gstaad Tourismus". On the one hand, there were those who argued that the brand of repute that attracts tourism and spending to the region is in fact "Gstaad", and that the use of the Saanenland reference specifically precludes the possibility to market such regions as Zweisimmen (technically in the Obersimmental) and Rougemont (technically in Pays d'Enhaut). On the other hand there were arguments made that the Saanenland moniker is the glue that binds the unique villages of the region together, a connection which is an important link to the rural authenticity of the countryside and which helps counter the perception in some consumer circles that the brand Gstaad stands for excessive wealth and snobbishness. In the end, the assembly rejected the name change proposals, with the 67 to 54 vote insufficient to trigger a by-law amendment that any name change would require. Bu it's still interesting food for thought though...Gstaad and Saanenland, which is the dog and which is the tail?

Friends of the Saanen Hospital (FoSH) is a charitable organization supporting local medical and para-medical services. There are many who acknowledge that were it not for this charity, the Saanen Hospital would not be in the position it is today. But despite the ongoing support of FoSH, the future of a number of hospitals in the area, including Saanen, Chateau d’Oex, Zweisimmen, and Erlenbach is far from certain. Whilst Gemeinde president Andreas Hurni has voiced his support for a new hospital in Saanenmöser, any decision on the future of medical services in the region lies with the cantonal administration in Bern. Despite the lack of visibility, this year’s general assembly saw FoSH express its support for the para-medical organization Spitex in the form of a SFr 100,000 donation. These funds will help Spitex continue its outpatient care. And there was more good news regarding the planned old-people’s home below the Saanen Hospital, a project that has been reinitiated after a period of uncertainty. FoSH had previously supported the project to the tune of SFr 300,000, and the plans call for the creation of 42 treatment beds and 20 beds of residence.

If you were wondering about the field-turned-construction-site opposite the entrance to the airport, then wonder no more. Early Beck is investing SFr 3 million in its new Le Fournil bakery production facility located in Oey. With all the necessary permits and land rights obtained, construction began a couple of weeks ago. The new site will unite Early Beck's four existing production facilities (three in Gstaad and one in Les Moulins) under one roof. While the total production area will not increase, it is hoped that Le Fournil will help improve Early Beck's supply chain management and productivity. The building will be ready for use in September, after which we'll hopefully be able to buy croissants after 10h30 on a high season weekend!

Above (from left to right): Eric, Murielle and Edwin Oehrli break ground on the new Early Beck production facility.

Click photo to enlarge...

It was one of the few wintery days this season...
On the left, in between the trees, you can see the landing strip....
so come and see us, as soon as you get your plane...
or just take the train like the rest of us!

Above: looking back towards Saanen, Schoenried, and the Rellerli from atop the Hornberg

Photo and text by Evelyne Peten

It's been the talk of the town over the past few weeks, but in case you needed confirmation that this year's winter weather has been freaky, here are the latest weather stats from Meteoschweiz for Saanenland:

February | 2006 v 2007

• Blue sky days | 8 v 5
• Partly cloudy | 13 v 13
• Cloudy | 7 v 10
• Rainy | 2 v 7
• Snowy | 7 v 8
• Average temperature: -2.21ºC v 2.53ºC

Next week we'll have an interview with Swiss TV's weather guru, Thomas Bucheli, with his thoughts on whether this season's unusually mild conditions are just a glitch in the matrix or the start of something more serious.

By Tim Kilchenmann

This year’s general assembly of the Saanen Village Association (Dorfverein), which took place on March 14, took a unanimous stand on the Saanen bypass road. The association hopes that the citizens of Saanenland will vote for the current bypass route and plans at the Gemeindeversammlung. Christa Kunz, an executive member of the local authorities, outlined the advantages of the Saanen bypass. The beauty of the village would be improved without damaging the aesthetics of the environs. “Now is the time to move forward; after all, we are also responsible for what we fail to pursue.” Although there were some voices in the audience saying that the current bypass project was not the best solution, the consensus was that realizing the current project was preferable to waiting indefinitely for a possibly unrealistic alternative. Thus Kunz encouraged everyone to back the SFr 12.6 million credit for the project at the Gemeindeversammlung on March 30.

Above: the proposed route of the new Saanen bypass (click map to enlarge)

Click here to read the open letter from Arthur Reuteler of the Saanen Village Association

The debate over the route and nature of the proposed Saanen bypass is heating up. Prominent members of the local community have been weighing in with reader's letters in GstaadLife's sister publication, the Anzeiger von Saanen, as well as with comments on this website. Even if you are not able to vote in the Gemeindeversammlung on March 30, have your say right here on this website. Read the latest comments and add your own by clicking here. Below are some of the planning diagrams that have been made available for the new Saanen.

Below: the village center of Saanen could soon look like this.

Below: the eastern entrance to the proposed tunnel (half way up the hill towards Schoenried).