GstaadLife

One of the most beautiful Misses in Switzerland - Rita from Turbach.

Last Saturday the most beautiful cows of the 17 livestock farming associations of Saanenland were presented on the 'Eisbahnareal' in central Gstaad (where the tennis and volleyball also take place). It was a fantastic, curiously Swiss event with hundreds of cows and as many spectators. We, ignoramouses, had to inform ourselves of the criteria for winning this particular pageant, with evaluation of ability to walk in a bikini and high heels making way for judgments of an exceptionally beautiful udder, great horns and a gorgeous back line. So just like any other beauty pageant then. Below a short video of the event.

Last weekend saw the big Alpabzug event in Etivaz, the annual pilgramage down the mountain that the cows make when they return to their lower pastures. The bovines were supremely decorated, the food and ambiance was great, alphorns and cowbells filled the air - good scene. With the cows throughout the region coming down from the alps now, there also comes the annual go-slow driving behind them. Or the scare you get when they're trundling down the road towards your car with a look of malicious intent and enormous cow bells just inches away from your paintwork. And of course this year we have the added bonus of construction, which when combined with slow-moving farm animals can really make it a challenge to get where you want to go. But listen, the Alpabzugs are a seriously old tradition around here, and while the construction sometimes feels like a seriously new one, just relax and savor the beauty of the cow...

Canton Bern is preparing itself for wolves. Seriously. Following a score of slaughtered sheep over the past 12 months, the authorities are encouraging farmers to use sheepdogs to protect their livestock. The government is even subsidizing the purchase of each sheepdog to the tune of SFr 500, and will even throw in an annual food allowance of SFr 1,000 (no jokes about the use of taxpayer's money please). The only problem with this wise plan is the problem it creates for hikers. Some people are just plain scared of dogs, especially the aggressive-looking barking kind. But it is important to remember that the dogs are actually not aggressive, and provided you don't threaten the sheep herd you'll be fine. So as you wander around the alpine pastures, just keep in mind the following rules: 

Attention! Free-running dog! When dog is present, lay down flat on the ground and wait for help. If no help comes - good luck!

Er, seriously now, these are rules...

1. Sheepdogs protect their sheep by barking. If you are barked at, stay calm and do not abuse the dog with a stick. Avoid fast movements and continue slowly past the herd.

2. Sheepdogs might try to block your path especially if you're heading in the direction of the sheep. Try to avoid them, circle around, try another route. Remember they are just doing their job.

3. Sheepdogs are particularly attentive towards other dogs, so keep yours on a leash. If the two dogs start to play with each other, then go ahead and let your dog off the leash (and report the dog to the farmer for being idle). But don't let the dogs get into a confrontation.

4. Sheepdogs may approach you out of curiosity. If they do, do not pet or feed them. The dogs are wokring and should stay focused on their herd at all times.

5. If a sheepdog starts to follow you on your hike, just ignore it. It will eventually return to its herd.

ADVERTORIAL

Dominic Longcroft made his first acquaintance with Gstaad and Saanenland when he was a student at Le Rosey. His English parents—also frequent guests of the region—had acquired a chalet in Gstaad in 1980, after their son was accepted by the renowned boarding school. The enthusiasm that Longcroft felt for the region that was kindled at that time has proved enduring. In 2000, after completing his business education in England and after 15 years running his own marketing, services, catering, and public relations business in London, he relocated to Saanenland, and took up residence in an apartment in Lauenen.

On Saturday June 14, a fire broke out at around 10h30 in the living quarters of the Lindersvorsass Farmstead in Feutersoey near Gsteig. Given the remoteness of the farmstead, local fire brigades were quick to get to the scene, but according to an official release, the buildings were already in full blaze. With water from a low-lying nearby brook, the fire brigade struggled to contain the fire and managed to partly salvage more buildings next to the barn. The residential quarters were completely destroyed; fortunately there was nobody inside the buildings at the time of the fire. The neighboring farmer was able to alert the fire brigade, and then managed to lead all livestock to safety. Although no lives were lost, severe damage was caused by the fire, which is now the subject of a police investigation. This is the second fire in less than two weeks in Saanenland. Last week, the Gschwend Shooting Club in Gstaad also burned down (click here for our report on this story).

Above: A speedy response from the local fire brigade did little to stop flames from severely damaging these wooden farm buildings in Feutersoey.

This time last year, the population of Saanenland was in a state of shock over the cheese scandal (click here to learn more). Following allegations of falsely-labeled mountain cheeses, the resignation of Gstaad's “Archbishop of Cheese”, Hanspeter Reust, and an ongoing police investigation into the scandal, six local dairies have since been negotiating the creation of a milk-cooperative. As from July 1 2008, “Milchzentrum Gstaad-Saanenland AG” will be set up in order to coordinate and centralize the valley's milk production, although tough decisions about location and costs are yet to be reached.

Above from left: Bern lawyer Franz A. Zölch, with the six local dairy chiefs David Gander, Gsteig, Klaus Teuscher, Schönried, Jörg Trachsel, Lauenen, Ueli Bach, Turbach, Markus Bach, Saanen, und Hans-Ruedi Steiner, Gstaad.

The Hali playground behind the Gstaad sports center is about to get a make-over. In its new guise, it will have all the necessary ingredients for a kid’s farming adventure: there will be a miniature farmhouse and a barn complete with a farmyard. The different features will be connected by a series of exciting slides. Well-known Gstaad regular Gunter Sachs has expressed the wish for a typically local design. Together with Saanen Bank and other local firms, he has generously agreed to support the project. Sachs also helped to fund the original playground which was named after his son Halifax. The new recreational space is due to open in late summer.

Pretty dramatic headline, no? Well, back in November a sheep was actually killed in Teilegg near Saanen. At the time it was suspected that a wolf did the deed, and DNA analysis of feces has now conclusively ID'ed the predator as a wolf. Probably on a walkabout from France or Italy, it is not known whether it is the same wolf that ravaged flocks around the canton throughout last year. And although the wolf’s current whereabouts are unknown, since wolves tend to be nomadic it is likely that it left Saanenland some time ago. In any event, farmers and hikers need not be concerned since, contrary to the images of Little Red Riding Hood that are tatoo'ed into our minds from early childhood, wolves are actually rather wary of humans.

By Tim Kilchenmann

The Swiss political landscape has recently been marked by unusually aggressive campaigning from the main political parties ahead of the federal election on October 21. In particular the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) has moved centre stage. While known in Gstaad-Saanenland as a benign voice of farmers' rights, the SVP's allegedly racist posters, protests, and Il Duce-like focus on its leader Christoph Blocher have become what passes for substantive election debate in 2007. But if there is one institution that is truly gleeful about this year's controversial campaigning then it must be the international press. In September the (UK) Independent’s Paul Vallely proclaimed Switzerland as "Europe’s heart of darkness." More recently the Guardian described the SVP's manifesto as Neo-Nazi literature, and the New York Times published a cartoon of a Swiss cross being perverted into a Swastika. And it's not just the global major broadsheets, mind you. The United Nations has voiced its concern about racism in Switzerland, not to mention the murmurs of grass roots organisations such as Amnesty International. The themes of this year's Swiss elections are frankly embarrassing.

Below, whatever the climate in Switzerland, Gstaad has always been a multicultural environment!

Now matter how many years you've been in Gstaad, it's still quite a spectacle at this time of year to see the cows returning from the higher alpine pastures to graze amongst us in and around our villages and chalets (and airports). Indeed in the month of October, it's quite likely that you'll be drifting off to sleep to the faint clang of cowbells a few meters from your window. This Saturday October 13 sees the traditional Alpabzug, featuring florally-adorned bovines lugging the biggest bells their farmers could find from Saanen to Turbach via the Gstaad Promenade. Yes it sounds implausibly Swiss chocolate box, but really, it's quite a spectacle. They'll leave Saanen around 10h30, so expect them in the Promenade between about 11h30 and 12h00.

Updated Saturday October 13, 14h30: