GstaadLife

 
In Sunday's nationwide vote regarding new measures for tighter gun control, 20 of 26 cantons and 56.3% of voters rejected the proposal to no longer allow current and former military personnel to keep their weapons at home.  The table above shows how gun-mad Saanenland is, with over 77% of local residents in favor the keeping of weapons at home. Interestingly Geneva was one of the few cantons which voted in favor of the plan. There are an estimated 2 to 3 million guns in Switzerland (nobody knows exactly how many because there is no national registry of fire arms), and soldiers have been allowed to keep their weapons at home since World War II. This vote ensures that this militia tradition will continue, and will probably also mean Switzerland will maintain its place at the top of another less desirable ranking: the number one country in Europe for gun-related suicide.

Since January 1 2011 there has been a new CEO at the Spital Simmental-Thun-Saanenland (STS) AG. His name is Bruno Guggisberg (left), and he has in fact already been working for STS for the past 6 months. The 48 year-old from Münsingen worked for many years for the psychiatric department at the University of Bern (Universitäre Psychiatrischen Dienste UDP). We wish him good luck for what will surely be a very challenging position. 

 
The night skiing runs are open again. Wispile Zückerli & Rütti is open (weather permiting) from 19h00 to 21h30 on Wednesday December 29, January 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16, 23, and March 2. Prices are SFr 10 for adults. Rinderberg is open from 18h00 to 21h30 on December 29, February 4, 11, 18, and 25. So if you could not make it during the day - enjoy a night run!

The final decision is in, and the die has been cast for Zweisimmen Hospital which is being "transformed" into a heath center with a fixed ward in gynaecology and birth, general medicine, and surgery. Saanen Hospital will likewise be "transformed" into a heath center with, well, basically the same things it has now. So what has changed? We are not sure either, other than that the names have changed from hospital to health center, that the people of Saanenland and the Obersimmental now hate each other, a few consultants made a lot of money, and that even we have become bored of updating you on this tiresome story. So hopefully that really is the last of it.

In order to improve the four year-old Rinderberg-Ronda above St Stephan (which was quite tricky in certain conditions and ended for none-too-few on a stretcher) the piste will be extended by 100 meters. Alongside, the run will feature 15 new artificial-snow lances. The project cost runs to SFr 1.2 million. Bergbahnen Destination Gstaad AG (BDG) believes that these improvements to the Rinderberg-Ronda will make the two-hour round-trip more pleasurable for skiers of all skill levels.

Do you like horses or do you have children who are just crazy about them? Well, then we have the right event for you: The breeding association Saanen-Obersimmental (PZG) celebrates its 100th anniversary and is organizing a horse show where the fowles and young horses are evaluated by experts on Friday October 1 from 9:30 on and on Sunday October 3 there is a party with games, a show, a quadrille and a tournament for everybody starting at 10:00. The whole thing takes place at the Saanersloch parking lot.

The weather really bites right now - this is seriously the worst summer we can remember in the 10 years that we've been here. But assuming it will get better at some point, here are the cable cars which are already open or opening soon. Already open are: Zweisimmen-Sparenmoos, Col du Pillon-Glacier 3000, Schönried-Rellerli, Gsteig-Sanetsch, Château-d'Oex-La Braye. Zweisimmen-Rindersberg, Schönried-Horneggli and Gstaad-Wispile are opening on June 19, Reusch-Oldenegg on July 17 and Gstaad-Wasserngrat on July 29 - but only from Thursdays to Sundays. So hopefully summer will finally come and we can enjoy our favorite hikes and mountain huts.

From 2015 you won't have to change trains in Zweisimmen anymore. The completion of the Transgoldenpass project will see the introduction of all new rolling stock that will be able a change of wheel-base width from the narrow gauge rails of Montreux to Zweisimmen to the wider track setup of the Simmental. This will enable no-change journeys from Lake Geneva to Luzern, and for us Gstaaders make the rail ride to Bern or Zurich just a little easier.The trainspotters among you can already see a few of the new shiny white carriages that have already been put into service.

Here are the closing dates for the ski lifts in and around Gstaad: 
21.3. Gstaad–Wasserngrat
21.3. Gsteig
28.3. Château-d‘Oex–La Braye
05.4. St Stephan–Parwengesattel
05.4. Zweisimmen–Rinderberg
05.4. Gstaad–Eggli–Saanen–Rougemont
11.4. Saanenmöser–Saanerslochgrat
11.4. Saanenmöser–Hornberg
11.4. Schönried–Horneggli
11.4. Reusch–Glacier 3000
02.5. Col du Pillon–Glacier 3000

Already closed:
Schönried–Rellerli
Gstaad–Wispile
Lauenen

So not too much time left. It's been an odd year weather-wise but the ski conditions throughout have been surprisingly good. Kudos to the piste prep crews who seem to have surpassed themselves this season.  So get out there over the next couple weeks and enjoy some seriously good (if rather warm -- 17 degrees in Gstaad today) spring skiing conditions.

 
In order to move things along the following people - Hanspeter Grundisch-Matti, Gstaad; Fritz Würsten-Seewer, Gstaad; Peter Matti-Siegenthaler, Saanen; Urs Schwenter-Wolff, Saanenmöser - have initiated an petition for a new hospital in Zweisimmen. In their petition they request the commune of Saanen not to give any land to the hospital authorities, as they believe that the only solution is to a new hospital in Zweisimmen. They need 440 signatures to even get heard.