GstaadLife

The organizers of the 2007 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Gstaad have every reason to feel proud this Monday. Highly praised in the national and international press, Gstaad, players and fans alike are hailing Gstaad 2007 as the best tournament of the world tour so far. The atmosphere was electric throughout the six days, rising to a crescendo last weekend when the roar of the crowds from the stadium could be heard right across the valley. Holding on to the world title for the third time, Americans Misty May-Treanor (left in above photo, click to enlarge) and Kerri Walsh enjoyed their fifth victory in Gstaad, beating Chinese pair Tian Jia/Wang.

In the men’s tournament, following the early exit of Swiss favorites Heucher and Heyer, the USA claimed the other gold medal courtesy of Phil Dalhausser (left above in photo, click to enlarge) and Tod Rogers with a straight-sets victory over the Russians Barsouk/Kolodinsky. In addition to the frenzy coming from within the 9,000 seat capacity stadium, the Promenade was buzzing with activity, and Funky Town down by the Festival Tent provided the perfect party venue well into the early hours every night. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, parking and waste disposal were handled smoothly by a professional team of devoted local students. Even the weather went according to plan. Thanks to everyone involved, Gstaad’s role in the future of world beach volleyball is assured. Next year's tournament returns to its regular timeslot in late June.

By Diana Oehrli

As part of GstaadLife’s ongoing focus on property in the region, we sat down with real estate expert Louis Martin, who for the past 17 years has been director and owner of local real estate agency CF Immobilier Compagnie Foncière SA. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, CF Immobilier was founded by Bertrand Coigny and has been located in Chalet Victoria in Rougemont since 1994. Under Martin’s leadership, the company has grown from two to nine employees and has trained six apprentices. CF Immobilier’s experience in handling properties covers a wide area that stretches from Rossinière to Lauenen. Last year, the company opened an office in Gruyère.

GstaadLife: What has changed over the past ten years in the regional marketplace?
Louis Martin: During the past two to five years, there has been a scarcity of properties for sale. There is simply more demand than supply - a trend which began in 1996. 15 years ago when there was less demand and more availability, prices were lower. Today, more people appreciate our region and tend to come increasingly during the summer.

Above: with land limited and prices rising in Gstaad, could Rougemont be a neighborhood of the future
for property development?

By Markus Iseli

Securing ecological power supply is an increasingly important element in the fight against climate change. Saanenland is as much affected as any other place with heavy rains in summer causing landslides and the abatement of snow in winter threatening our winter resort economy. To fight the climate change the use of such renewable energy sources as hydroelectric power, solar energy, and wind energy becomes increasingly important. Already Switzerland has a comparatively developed hydro-energy infrastructure in place. Solar remains expensive, up to 15 times that of even nuclear. Which leaves wind. While not yet widely distributed, wind energy is far from being in its infancy. Three federal offices recently selected 12 sites on which to perform feasibility studies for the installation of wind farms. One of them is located right here in Saanenland, namely the Horetube (Hornberg). The concept mapped out by the federal offices comprises six masts with an overall capacity of 10 million kWh per year. This equals the consumption of around 1,350 persons. Up to now it is just an idea and not even the local authorities have been contacted yet. However, this week's article in GstaadLife.com sister publication, the Anzeiger von Saanen, has sparked the debate, and the reader's letters are already starting to come in...

When Walter de Silva, head of Volkswagen Audi Group Design, completed his work on the all-new Audi A5/S5, he proclaimed: “The Audi A5 is the most beautiful car I have ever designed”. His immodesty is justified. Audi’s re-entry in the sports coupe segment of the market is now available in Gstaad exclusively at the Rütti Garage. The new car marries aggressive design, performance comparable with the best grand tourers on the market, and the distinctive interior finish of an Audi. It’s even a practical car, with Audi’s legendary Quattro four-wheel drive, a usable back seat, and a cavernous trunk. Click here to read the full account of our days with the top-of-the-line S5 and watch the video below.

Last week the Menuhin Festival Gstaad kicked off its 51st edition. The festival promises once again to be an enriching musical journey. Based on the theme of “Aufbruch” (from the German which means new departure), the program includes works composed during revolutionary periods in history. For example, the late 18th century Sturm und Drang movement greatly influenced Beethoven’s bolder, more passionate use of musical language. Quality performances in the various venues are guaranteed by the presence of such great names as Barbara Hendricks, Alfred Brendel and Vadim Repin. Fans of ethnic sounds will be able to enjoy an African weekend, and children will be able to discover the delights of opera during an adaptation of Pollicino. Click through for the full program and ticket information. By the way, regular visitors to Gstaad will be familiar with our local tradition of decorating the roundabouts to promote whatever major event is going on in town. But we're thinking this year's Menuhin Festival promo on the Saanen roundabout needs a re-think (see above, click to enlarge). Note to the Frauenverein (see Good things come to those who decorate)...it rains almost every afternoon in the summer.

Below, a video from last Sunday at the Wispile mountain lodge. No, not perhaps a venue normally associated with the Menuhin Festival, but last Sunday the stage for Malcolm Singer conducting members of the Menuhin School Orchestra. Click the screen below to listen in...

By Diana Oehrli

Opponents of the project to rebuild the Grand Hotel Alpina are making a federal court appeal in an attempt to stop the SFr 150m development from going ahead. When asked if the appeal was cause for concern, coordinator of the project Marcel Bach responded: “We’ve waited over 10 years; we can wait another six months.” If the project gets the go-ahead, construction could begin as early as next spring. On May 22 2007, an administrative court threw out all objections to the proposed plans, a decision that was followed by a 30-day period during which objectors could appeal. Only three of the original 16 critics have chosen to take their case to the federal court, with Bach reaching agreements with other long-term opponents.

Above, a model of the proposed construction for the Grand Hotel Alpina in the Oberbort.

Last Sunday July 22, the 2007 Davidoff Saveurs week concluded with a gourmet alpine brunch on the Les Ouges Alp above Rougemont. Heralded by the sound of alpine horns, the rustic brunch was served up by the four head chefs of Gstaad's five-star hotels, (from left to right in photo) Kamel Chemlali, sous chef at the Grand Hotel Bellevue standing in for head chef Richard Mebkhout, Giuseppe Colella the newly-appointed head chef at the Grand Hotel Park, Peter Dosot, head chef at the Wellness & Spa Hotel Ermitage Golf in Schönried, and Peter Wyss, head chef of the Gstaad Palace. If you're having visions of too many cooks and spoilt broth, rest assured that the clear division of labor ensured a culinary experience feted by all who attended: the Ermitage was on the starters, the Bellevue on the vegetables and fish, the Park on the meat, and the Palace looked after the deserts.

August 1 is coming, which means mountain-hut smorgasbords, mountain-top bonfires, and lots and lots of flags. It also means fireworks, and for our four-legged friends this is bad news. Although the law states that fireworks can only be let off on August 1 itself (without a permit), it's already started, and there are always a few idiots who insist on exhausting their supplies over the first days of August. For dogs, who have far better hearing than us humans, August 1 is a time of great stress. For some it can cause diarrhoea or the kind of skittishness that will make them do something unexpected like panic and run in front of a car. So GstaadLife.com has a few suggestions for you to try to minimize the discomfort for your furry friends. (1) leave them at home, close the windows, close the shutters and generally make the place look like it does 44 weeks of the year;

Over the past few months, we've received quite a few requests from readers looking for ideas of what to do with their kids when they are in Saanenland. So this season, the GstaadLife print edition has started a Kid's Corner, which each week features an activity or venue where you can take you children or grand-children for an afternoon of fun. The recommendations appear every Friday until September 7, and we'll be archiving all the suggestions right here at GstaadLife.com (see the Kids category). Below are the activities suggested so far this season:

• Alpenruhe petting zoo and playground
• Kids and cuisine on the Wispile
• Fun on the alp with Heidi and Peter

What do you get when you cross a scene from COPs with a re-run of an old Police Academy movie? The answer; the cantonal police’s attempts to catch thieves who attempted to rob the Chronometrie Piguet store in the Promenade. On July 8 would-be burglars rammed a car into the side display window of the watch store just opposite Hotel Christiana. Giving the tabloids a run for their money in sensationalism, GstaadLife sister publication the Anzeiger von Saanen boldly proclaimed “Spectacular burglary!” across its July 10 front page. But the headline almost wholly missed the point, for the truly striking feature about the incident was the police’s inability to catch the thieves. Although they caused SFr 100,000 of damage (click photo to enlarge), the culprits failed to make off with anything of value. A search was initiated as immediately as it gets in Gstaad, and a roadblock with a spike-strip was set up in the Simmental to apprehend the fugitives. However, despite blowing out the wheels of the car, the under-manned group of officers (two v three criminals) forgot to position their vehicle on the other side of the spike-strip, allowing enough time for the thieves to ditch their car, flee by foot, and steal another getaway vehicle that was later found burned out in Balzers, Liechtenstein. While store manager Elizabeth Worbs is confident that the culprits will be caught given the large number of eyewitnesses, the bungled police action seems almost comedic in its incompetence. Indeed the officers involved might be well-advised to watch the below video before attempting the serious business of catching criminals. Say what you want about American law enforcement… at least they know how to use a spike-strip to catch their man (note, the collision at the end is no accident)...