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Photo by Anne Pfeiffer-Brechbühl<br />

GSTAADLIFE<br />

No. 1 7 Jan 20<strong>05</strong><br />

The approach from the Schützen roundabout<br />

to the station is being planned.<br />

Proposed new road disgruntles local residents<br />

An element of the last phase of the Gstaad<br />

traffic concept is a step closer to realization.<br />

The approach from the Schützen<br />

roundabout to the station is being planned.<br />

After the public invitation to tender in<br />

November, 160 people came forward. The<br />

local authorities are very pleased at the<br />

amount of interest residents are showing.<br />

They, in turn, feel their requests are <strong>no</strong>t<br />

being taken seriously.<br />

The project<br />

The COOP in the centre of Gstaad wants to<br />

enlarge. The Landi wishes to increase its shop<br />

space and the MOB intends to construct new<br />

train tracks. These reasons, as well as private<br />

building projects, led the Gemeinde to take<br />

action. Basic planning by an engineering company<br />

from Berne foresees the construction of a new<br />

stretch of road connecting the Schützen roundabout<br />

with the station area. This would make the<br />

Ried-Gschwend residential zone accessible to<br />

lorries. It would also provide a connection to the<br />

COOP car park for private cars, and access to the<br />

“Tanklager” parking spaces to the west of the<br />

station. This land could later be used for the construction<br />

of a multi-storey car park with shops<br />

and apartments on the upper floors. To avoid<br />

unwanted traffic, the Riedstrasse would be<br />

blocked with bollards. Costs are estimated to run<br />

to SFr6-7 million.<br />

Gstaad<br />

to Saanen<br />

Dubi Bakery<br />

Migros<br />

Hotel Bellevue<br />

The residents’ opinion<br />

165 people, or 90% of the Ried-Gschwend residents<br />

came forward at the invitation of the authorities.<br />

They fear that the projected road will entail<br />

too many concrete constructions and traffic problems<br />

in the residential area. There are also concerns<br />

about the quality and safety of the pedestrian<br />

connection. The residents argue that instead of<br />

unravelling traffic and separating pedestrians,<br />

cyclists and motorized vehicles, as has been<br />

recently done in other projects, pedestrians will<br />

have to face tunnels, ascents of 6%-12%, and<br />

negotiate various entrances and exits. They reason<br />

that most traffic comes from Riedhubel/Rosey<br />

and that it does <strong>no</strong>t make sense to channel it on to<br />

a small road with <strong>no</strong> walkways, through a residential<br />

area. In the residents opinion the approach<br />

from the Laiterie fully covers their needs. To them<br />

the projected stretch of road is unnecessary.<br />

Further concerns<br />

Criticism has also been voiced with regard to the<br />

planned two-storey “Tanklager” car park,<br />

designed partly above ground, with up to 300<br />

parking spaces. Residents would prefer it completely<br />

underground, which would keep the landscape<br />

intact and maintain the option to later build<br />

apartments for local people or sheltered housing<br />

for the elderly.<br />

The calculated costs of SFr6-7 million are<br />

deemed far too high, considering that, according<br />

Curling Hall<br />

Coop<br />

New Road<br />

Schützen Roundabout<br />

P<br />

Landi<br />

P<br />

Tanklager<br />

Promenade<br />

Tunnel<br />

Station MOB<br />

Ried<br />

to Gsteig<br />

bollard<br />

to the residents, the traffic problem will be only shifted from the<br />

Untergstaadstrasse to the other side of the train tracks. Added to<br />

this, the usable area being given a new road connection is rather<br />

small, only 5,000 square metres, making people wonder whether it<br />

is all worth so much money.<br />

What <strong>no</strong>w?<br />

In the eyes of the residents, the new stretch of road has <strong>no</strong>t been<br />

fully thought through by the authorities, and the authorities have so<br />

far <strong>no</strong>t really taken <strong>no</strong>tice of the residents’ requests. It has therefore<br />

been decided that the public should be fully informed of the<br />

magnitude and repercussions of the project. They feel more coordination<br />

is called for, which would mean the development of an overall<br />

concept for the whole area, taking into consideration the projects<br />

of the COOP, the Landi and the MOB, and including a traffic<br />

study. Two representatives of the residents, Anita Heutschi and<br />

J. Markus Kappeler, have suggested a meeting of all parties concerned<br />

at the round table. by Anne Pfeiffer-Brechbühl<br />

Gstaad traffic concept<br />

In 1991 the Saanen voting community passed the Gstaad traffic<br />

concept. First to be built was the car park in upper Gstaad. The<br />

bypass soon followed and was opened in October 1997. With<br />

the construction of the “Promenade,” Gstaad became k<strong>no</strong>wn for<br />

its car-free centre. In two further stages the station area was<br />

renewed. The last part of the concept is the underground car<br />

park with an entrance in the station area in the direction of the<br />

Oberbort. This project was postponed because of exceedingly<br />

high costs. Now its first step is being planned.<br />

1


Hans Erni Theo Tobiasse Isabelle Vaillancourt-<br />

Brieger<br />

FRAMING BOOKBINDING GALLERY<br />

Gsteig<br />

Very charming and cosy 1-family-chalet for sale. Re<strong>no</strong>vated<br />

with taste and care, 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, modern,<br />

open-plan kitchen, high-ceiling living room with fireplace<br />

and mezzanine; veranda, balcony. Lovely view, walking<br />

distance to the village. Suny and quiet.<br />

presented by<br />

Gueri<strong>no</strong> Paltenghi Soshana Kneubühler Fred Stauffer<br />

BUCH BILD GALERIE<br />

galerie paltenghi<br />

KIRCHSTRASSE<br />

3780 GSTAAD<br />

T 033 744 89 66<br />

OPENING HOURS: TUESDAY TO FRIDAY 2 to 6 pm SATURDAY 10 am to 4 pm SUNDAY+MONDAY closed<br />

E x h i b i t i o n<br />

at the PALACE HOTEL GSTAAD<br />

Swiss Romantic Views<br />

Swiss Costumes<br />

Rare Books<br />

Drawings<br />

Old and Modern<br />

Master Prints<br />

Opening<br />

2 January 20<strong>05</strong><br />

11.00 a.m. - 02.00 p.m.<br />

Sunday, 2 January 20<strong>05</strong><br />

02.00 p.m. - 12.00 p.m.<br />

3 - 9 January 20<strong>05</strong><br />

11.00 a.m. - 02.00 p.m.<br />

<strong>05</strong>.00 p.m. - 12.00 p.m.<br />

August Laube<br />

Buch- und Kunstantiquariat<br />

Trittligasse 19 80<strong>01</strong> Zürich<br />

Tel. +41 1 256 88 99 Fax. + 41 1 256 88 98<br />

Catalogue on request or www.augustlaube.ch


Interview<br />

Chopard enlarged and “Caveau de Bacchus” permanent<br />

Chopard – the name stands for beautiful watches and jewellery,<br />

quality and a long tradition. Who is behind Chopard?<br />

Why did the owner, family Scheufele, buy the house with the<br />

boutique in Gstaad, and why do they keep returning to the<br />

Saanenland? GSTAADLIFE met with junior manager Karl-<br />

Friedrich Scheufele in Gstaad.<br />

GSTAADLIFE: Mr. Scheufele, what does Gstaad-Saanenland<br />

mean to you?<br />

Mr. Scheufele: It means peace, time to relax, family, fresh air, and<br />

nature. I love to go on hikes and ski tours with my mountain guide,<br />

Daniel Oehrli. I really miss it if for some reason I have <strong>no</strong>t been able<br />

to come for a while.<br />

GL: How often do you come here?<br />

Mr. S.: In the winter I spend every other weekend here and in the<br />

summer I come for a ten to fourteen day vacation. Apart from that<br />

we spend holidays like Christmas and Easter here, as the family<br />

feels very much at home in the Saanenland.<br />

GL: Since when have you been coming to the Saanenland<br />

and where do you stay?<br />

Mr. S.: We have been coming since 1987. In Lauenen we have a<br />

chalet. The distance between it and our home in the<br />

Lausanne/Geneva area is ideal.<br />

GL: At the end of last year you bought the “Fleuti-Haus”,<br />

where your boutique is, in the centre of Gstaad. What was<br />

the reason for that?<br />

Mr. S.: We wanted to secure the excellent location and also make<br />

sure that it would be thoughtfully re<strong>no</strong>vated and that the substance<br />

of the building would be preserved.<br />

Claudio de Giorgi runs the wine shop and tasting<br />

bar “Le caveau de Bacchus”. Many rarities, such<br />

as this Bordeaux, a Château Petrus 1998, which<br />

earned 98 out of 100 points and sells for<br />

SFr2,3<strong>05</strong> a bottle, can be found there.<br />

Karl Friedrich Scheufele – at home in Saanenland. In the re<strong>no</strong>vated boutique<br />

in Gstaad one room has been especially dedicated to men’s watches.<br />

GL: This autumn you re<strong>no</strong>vated the “Fleuti-<br />

Haus”. What did you change? What’s new?<br />

Mr. S.: The Chopard boutique has been enlarged.<br />

We <strong>no</strong>w have an extra room for private consultations<br />

and we have dedicated one room especially<br />

to men’s watches, of which I am particularly fond.<br />

GL: The caveau on the right hand side of the<br />

building is also yours. How come a luxury<br />

boutique branches out into wine?<br />

Mr. S.: My hobbies are wine and old-timers. In<br />

Geneva we have had a caveau for eight years.<br />

When we bought the house in Gstaad we had to<br />

find something at short <strong>no</strong>tice to fill the space<br />

where the Tiffany clothes shop had been. As the<br />

floor was covered with pebbles a caveau sprang<br />

to mind. We improvised, and with stock from<br />

Geneva put together a shop. Business was good<br />

so we decided to make the caveau permanent.<br />

GL: What are the caveau’s specialities?<br />

Mr. S.: We stock an excellent range of great Bordeaux<br />

vintages but also wines from Switzerland,<br />

Italy, and the Côte du Rhone. Novelties can be<br />

tasted at the wine bar. We also carry champagne,<br />

spirits, great whiskies, cognacs, Armagnacs,<br />

Grappa and even olive oil. And we have delicacies<br />

prepared by famous chef, Philippe Rochat.<br />

GL: What is the price range?<br />

Mr. S.: Prices start at SFr15.00 and go as far as<br />

SFr10,000. We have in total 3,000 bottles in<br />

stock.<br />

GL: Who is the manager?<br />

Mr. S.: Claudio de Giorgi, a wine expert of excellent<br />

repute, who worked for many years at the<br />

Palace Hotel.<br />

GL: Back to Chopard. The Gstaad boutique is<br />

<strong>no</strong>t the only Chopard boutique. How many<br />

are there?<br />

Mr. S.: Worldwide there are 72. Recently we<br />

opened the first one in China, in Shanghai. We<br />

see China as the future key market.<br />

GL: What is your trademark in the boutiques?<br />

Mr. S.: The fireplace, every shop has one – but<br />

only the one in Gstaad is real and can be lit, and<br />

of course the parquet floor. When we opened our<br />

very first boutique, in Vienna about ten years ago,<br />

we reused the existing fireplace and parquet<br />

floor. Since then these two elements have always<br />

been part of the shop concept.<br />

GL: Where did you spend the Christmas holiday?<br />

Mr. S.: In Saanenland of course.<br />

GL: Thank you for talking to us. We wish you<br />

good luck and success for the future.<br />

by Anne Pfeiffer-Brechbühl and Frank Müller-Brand<br />

100 years Karl Scheufele<br />

The owner family of Chopard are Karl<br />

Scheufele III (Chairman) and his wife Karin,<br />

their children Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and<br />

Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, both co-presidents<br />

and CEO. It is always the family council that<br />

decides on important issues. As a family they<br />

have overcome considerable obstacles in the<br />

last 100 years, combining the down-to-earth<br />

Scheufele spirit with the cosmopolitan openness<br />

of Chopard. The Chopard group today<br />

counts 1,250 employees worldwide.<br />

3<br />

Photos by Frank Müller-Brand


orient-antiquariat ag<br />

Fine old chest<br />

Cedar wood. Front side in extremely fine carving.<br />

Measures: 88 x 103 x 69 cm.<br />

Badakhshan(?) Nuristan. Middle of the 19th century.<br />

Cf. for the sample: Bergvölker im Hindukusch, p.58<br />

CHF 12 000.–<br />

orient-antiquariat ag marc-edouard enay<br />

chalet auerhahn · CH-3778 schönried/gstaad<br />

phone +41 (0)33 744 <strong>01</strong> <strong>01</strong> · fax +41 (0)33 744 <strong>01</strong> 02<br />

mail@orient-antiquariat.com · www.orient-antiquariat.com<br />

PRAISE FOR THE SERPENT AND THE MOON<br />

“Princess Michael of Kent has written an absorbing account, centered<br />

on the glamorous Diane de Poitiers, of a dramatic time in French history.<br />

Vivid evocations of court life under Henri II accompany shrewd<br />

analyses of the politics of royalty.” ARTHUR M. SCHLESINGER, JR.<br />

“History as high adventure! A fascinating period of time brought to<br />

life by a scholarly and masterful writer.” DANNY DANZIGER<br />

coauthor of 1215 and The Year 1000<br />

“I always knew that Diane de Poitiers was the mistress of a French king,<br />

but I never knew her fascinating, three-in-a-marriage romantic history until<br />

reading The Serpent and the Moon by Princess Michael of Kent.<br />

The author, who k<strong>no</strong>ws a thing or two about palace intrigue herself, writes<br />

with style and panache and serves up marvelous details of pageantry,<br />

court fashion, furniture, and gossip worthy of the master of the genre,<br />

the duc de Sanit-Simon.” DOMINICK DUNNE<br />

Her Royal Princess Michael of Kent<br />

THE SERPENT AND THE MOON<br />

Intrigue, Love, and Rivalry<br />

at the Court of Renaissance France<br />

The true story of an extraordinary love triangle<br />

that endured for 28 years and changed the face of<br />

France—the three-sided marriage between<br />

Henri II, his wife Catherine de Medici, and his<br />

mistress Diane de Poitiers who was eighteen<br />

years his senior.<br />

The Serpent and the Moon is a saga of love, war,<br />

intrigue, betrayal, and persecution, set during history’s<br />

most important cultural and spiritual revolutions,<br />

the Renaissance and the Reformation.<br />

Müller · Gstaad<br />

Her Royal Highness Princess<br />

Michael of Kent has for the past<br />

twelve years pursued a successful<br />

lecture career. She lives with her<br />

husband, Prince Michael of Kent, in<br />

their apartment in Kensington Palace<br />

and their house in Gloucestershire,<br />

England.<br />

CHF 48.–, $ 29.95 hardcover,<br />

to buy at Cadonau Shop, Gstaad<br />

352 pages, 16 pages of full-color photographs,<br />

50 black-and-white photographs throughout<br />

EAN: 978074325104452995<br />

0-7432-5104-0


What’s new in Saanenland<br />

The sporting goods shop in Rougemont, Silver<br />

Sport, has moved approximately 200 meters<br />

downhill from the village center towards the western<br />

entrance of the village (across from the Hotel<br />

Valrose) into the historic Chalet La Sapinière. Now<br />

skiers, s<strong>no</strong>wboarders and sporting enthusiasts<br />

can enjoy browsing three floors of display space,<br />

while surrounded by antique wood and old-world<br />

charm. The phone number remains the same and<br />

is 026 925 80 50.<br />

Want to k<strong>no</strong>w whether or <strong>no</strong>t you should wear<br />

extra sunscreen today? Well, thanks to the new<br />

environmental measuring system located in<br />

the shop window of the Kropf Pharmacy on<br />

Gstaad’s main street, you can arm yourself with<br />

the k<strong>no</strong>wledge to properly protect yourself<br />

against two dangers, UV rays and ozone. It’s <strong>no</strong><br />

news that the sun’s rays have strengthened significantly<br />

during the last few years, and that most<br />

people underestimate their strength. «A significant<br />

danger exists in the winter time in the mountains,»<br />

said Dr. Aldo Kropf, owner of the pharmacy.<br />

He added that UV rays are <strong>no</strong>t only stronger<br />

culture<br />

Palace Hotel<br />

Dilji - Gold & Silver Art<br />

High-Class Decorative<br />

objects 033 748 50 00<br />

6 - 9 January<br />

Walo Perreten, Ledi<br />

Local farmer who creates<br />

hand-made wooden cows<br />

& other animals<br />

Feutersoey<br />

033 755 11 31<br />

Boutique Nicole<br />

Gstaad<br />

Gstaad artist Thierry<br />

Peuvot and her signed<br />

geisha design on silk<br />

033 744 42 44<br />

Swiss Art (Bern)<br />

Weiss auf Rot<br />

The Swiss cross has<br />

gained a new popularity,<br />

almost a symbolic status,<br />

but in the process has<br />

lost its meaning and been<br />

downgraded to a decorative<br />

element. This display<br />

explores all these points<br />

and more, that are communicated<br />

via the ‘Swiss’<br />

brand.<br />

Museum for Communication<br />

Until 28 August<br />

www.mfk.ch<br />

UPON REFLECTION<br />

FYI<br />

because of our increased altitude, but also pretty<br />

much double in strength when reflected by the<br />

s<strong>no</strong>w. The UV index has a range of 1-7, with an<br />

index of 3 already prescribing sun protection. This<br />

nifty new gadget also measures temperature,<br />

humidity, and barometric pressure.<br />

Marti Interiors has expanded from its home in<br />

Chalet Zentrum above Gstaad Laundry to the<br />

retail space previously occupied by that very<br />

fancy antique furniture store across the street<br />

from Coop’s side entrance. Daniel Marti’s new<br />

shop is an interior shopper’s dream come true.<br />

There, you will find decorative wastebaskets,<br />

lamps, pillows, throws, and anything that might<br />

make your home inviting and warm.<br />

Last spring, the Brand Bakery was taken over by<br />

Stefan Romang of Charly’s Tea Room in Gstaad<br />

and is <strong>no</strong>w called the BrotBar. They have kept<br />

the same bakers, so don’t worry about the bread<br />

tasting differently. Conveniently, the BrotBar is<br />

open seven days a week until 18:30H and offers<br />

basic food staples in addition to some delicious<br />

Übersitz<br />

When one begins to look, culture can<br />

indeed be found anywhere. In Switzerland<br />

as the new year was welcomed in, I found<br />

myself <strong>no</strong>t so far away in the Valley of<br />

Haslital, in a town called Meiringen, where<br />

a wonderfully strange event took place<br />

called the ‘Übersitz’. This beguilling ceremony<br />

has its roots in banishing the ghosts<br />

of old to make way for the New Year. Taking<br />

pagan-like forms, the men or ‘Potzi’ as<br />

they are k<strong>no</strong>wn, paraded down the main<br />

street dressed in an assortment of furs,<br />

twigs and frightening masks, as others followed<br />

in traditional farming attire ringing<br />

an assortment of cow-bells. Switzerland is<br />

rich in history and the deeper we dig, the<br />

more gems we unearth.<br />

If you have a cultural event or are involved<br />

in a cultural organisation, then please<br />

email me at the address below and inform<br />

me as to what stirs your soul!<br />

contributions please contact: Marc Rome mr.rome@ukonline.co.uk<br />

Church services<br />

Château-d’Oex:<br />

St. Peter’s English speaking<br />

Anglican Church<br />

Sunday 9 January<br />

17:30H<br />

Revd. Clive Atkinson,<br />

Evening Prayer<br />

tasting bread and pastries. You can also go there for a cup of coffee,<br />

as there is seating <strong>no</strong>w.<br />

The Palace Hotel, one of the symbols of Gstaad, will <strong>no</strong>w be lit<br />

year-round thanks to a request by the Gstaad Tourism Bureau. During<br />

the off-season, the Palace will be bathed in white light, and the<br />

lights will concentrate on the towers. During the high season the<br />

more familiar colored lights will be used. by Diana Kiker-Oehrli<br />

Seen in Gstaad<br />

Paris Hilton<br />

Paris Hilton was recently seen in<br />

Gstaad. In the meantime the 23yearold<br />

has left for the opening of<br />

her first own nightclub in Orlando,<br />

Florida.<br />

Informed sources tell us that<br />

Val Kilmer, of batman fame, has<br />

been spotted dancing away the<br />

night at the GreenGo discotheque.<br />

Important Numbers<br />

Medical emergency number 033 744 86 86<br />

Hospital Sonnenhof AG 033 748 02 00<br />

Hospital in Château-d’Œx 026 924 75 93<br />

Fire-brigade 118 · Police 117<br />

Car accident service<br />

7 days, 24 hours, Tel. 033 744 88 80<br />

For additional useful numbers please<br />

visit www.gstaadlife.ch/usefulnumbers<br />

Friday 7 January until<br />

Friday 14 January, 20<strong>05</strong><br />

Friday, 7 January<br />

20:00H, Gasthof Bären, Zweisimmen: INFO: 033 722 18 16<br />

Folklore evening<br />

20:30H, Hotel Wildhorn, Lauenen: INFO: 033 765 30 12<br />

Folklore evening with the “Ländlertrio Heinz Annen”<br />

10:00H–17.00H, Kappälliplatz, Gstaad: INFO: 033 744 57 49<br />

“Gstaad Märete” market<br />

Saturday, 8 January<br />

10:00H, Innergsteig, Gsteig: INFO: 033 755 11 20<br />

S<strong>no</strong>w-Cross Motoneige Race<br />

©www.cyberturf.com<br />

20:30H, Ref. Church , Zweisimmen: INFO: 033 722 12 81<br />

Zweisimmen Jazz: J.-P. Brodbeck Trio<br />

Thursday, 13 January<br />

21:30H, Krone Bar, Zweisimmen: INFO: 033 722 26 26<br />

Boogie Woogie with Silvan Zingg<br />

Friday, 14 January<br />

20:00H, Gasthof Bären, Zweisimmen: INFO: 033 722 18 16<br />

Folklore evening events<br />

5


100 years MOB Montreux-Gstaad<br />

100 years ago, on 20 December<br />

1904, guests arrived in Gstaad by<br />

train for the first time. Before that,<br />

coming from either Thun or Bulle,<br />

the journey took eight hours by<br />

stagecoach. Originally the train line<br />

was <strong>no</strong>t supposed to go through<br />

Gstaad, but would have taken a<br />

direct route from Saanen via Gruben<br />

to Schönried and Zweisimmen. The<br />

determined effort of one person<br />

changed the course of the new line<br />

and with it the history of Gstaad.<br />

The beginning<br />

Many applications for a concession to<br />

build and run a train connection from the<br />

Lac Léman area to the Bernese Oberland<br />

were made, but only the project running<br />

from Montreux to Zweisimmen was realized.<br />

Construction began in 1897. By<br />

1904 the new line reached Gstaad, but<br />

<strong>no</strong>t without a struggle. Carl Reichenbach,<br />

a cantonal councilman, managed<br />

to convince federal and cantonal authorities,<br />

the MOB, and ultimately the<br />

Gemeinde of Saanen, of the benefit of<br />

taking the train line through Gstaad. At<br />

first, Saanen was totally averse to the<br />

idea and only gave in after losing its<br />

case in federal court. Reichenbach’s<br />

obstinacy changed the course of history<br />

in Gstaad. After the arrival of the train<br />

line, ten hotels were built by 1913 and<br />

five private schools opened, setting the<br />

foundations of today’s highly successful<br />

and much loved Gstaad.<br />

Successful down the years<br />

By 1906, the first dining car was already<br />

running on the new line. That same year<br />

6<br />

Masthead<br />

Editorial:<br />

Anne Pfeiffer-Brechbühl anne.pfeiffer©gstaadlife.ch<br />

Antoinette de Scheel antoinette.descheel@gstaadlife.ch<br />

Diana Kiker-Oehrli diana.kiker©gstaadlife.ch<br />

Xavier Ferguson xavier.ferguson@gstaadlife.ch<br />

Frank Müller-Brand frank.mueller@gstaadlife.ch<br />

Marc Rome (Arts column) mr.rome@ukonline.co.uk<br />

Peter Kuntze-Schneider (Advertising) peter.kuntze@gstaadlife.ch<br />

Advertisement<br />

the tracks reached the terminus at<br />

Zweisimmen. By the 1930’s guests<br />

lounged in beautiful belle epoque cars,<br />

pulled by the world’s strongest narrow<br />

gauge locomotive. The sixties saw the<br />

first air-conditioned carriages and the<br />

eighties brought the super pa<strong>no</strong>rama<br />

cars followed by the Crystal-Pa<strong>no</strong>rama<br />

Express. Today the Golden-Pass-Line<br />

from Montreux to Lucerne via Zweisimmen<br />

and Interlaken is internationally<br />

k<strong>no</strong>wn for its world class comfort and<br />

stunning views.<br />

Jubilee<br />

by Anne Pfeiffer-Brechbühl<br />

For Sale: Estate & Incorporated Company – near Geneva and Lausanne<br />

Two adjacent farm houses (1850 – 1890 C.E.): 1. re<strong>no</strong>vated house, over 30<br />

rooms (5 apartments); 1000 sq. meters of surface. 2. farm to be re<strong>no</strong>vated:<br />

2500 cubic meters.<br />

5000 sq. M. land with access to the Jura parkland & forests. Views on Alps &<br />

Jura. Pictures: http://homepage.mac.com/judy.mutziger/Montricher/PhotoAlbum44.html<br />

Owner: Judy@applefields.com. tel: + 41 (0) 21 864 55 25<br />

They all went for a free ride with the MOB from Saanen to Gstaad, dressed in<br />

historical costume. In front, in the middle, are Stefan and Jacqueline Jaggi, who initiated and<br />

helped organize the anniversary festivities.<br />

Publishing, Conception, Printing:<br />

Müller Marketing & Druck AG, Gstaad<br />

Subscriptions: Tel. 033 748 88 74,<br />

Elsbeth Wyss<br />

Photo by Frank Müller-Brand


The man responsible for the gift of modern skis<br />

Some twenty-five years ago in Lausanne,<br />

we had the opportunity to<br />

meet Donald Gomme. One day we<br />

were walking in Gstaad together<br />

with Aleco Goulandris’s ski instructor<br />

Sammi Würsten, who knew every<br />

single meadow and mountain of his<br />

beloved Saanenland. Hearing the<br />

name Gomme, he asked if there was<br />

any connection with the “Gomme<br />

Skis” he had skied on when he was<br />

a very young boy.<br />

So here the story begins<br />

Donald and his father (the then chairman<br />

of the large and long-established furniture<br />

company E. Gomme Ltd. of High<br />

Wycombe in England) had already developed<br />

high precision mass production<br />

adhesive methods that involved new techniques<br />

of synthetic resin bonding. They<br />

also had previous experience of laminating<br />

shapes. All this inventive development<br />

resulted in E. Gomme Ltd. being entrusted<br />

with important and urgent wartime contracts<br />

to manufacture and supply wings<br />

and fuselages that made such famous<br />

high-speed aircraft as the Mosquito into<br />

practical propositions.<br />

Donald, who had started skiing as a<br />

small boy in 1922 in Wengen, was far<br />

from slow in realizing how all these new<br />

bonding techniques could be applied to<br />

other ends. At that time, of course, skis<br />

were still made of wood and were <strong>no</strong>t<br />

very efficient and too easily breakable.<br />

The new bonding of various layers was a<br />

type of polymerisation which assembled<br />

molecules of metal, wood and plastic so<br />

The devastating tragedy in Southeast Asia<br />

has deeply touched the privileged people in<br />

our region, to whom life has been very<br />

good. Over the past few days, a private initiative<br />

of longstanding chalet guests and<br />

owners in Saanenland and Pays-d’Enhaut<br />

has brought about the founding of a committee<br />

with the goal to help alleviate the<br />

problems of the destitute with monetary<br />

donations.<br />

Sport/Appeal<br />

that they became an integral structure<br />

with the strength of steel.<br />

In September 1946 the modern ski was<br />

born. The two master patents for the revolutionary<br />

design were (1) the design of<br />

a ski which was very flexible longitudinally<br />

while being rigid in torsion, thus<br />

making it equally efficient on both piste<br />

and powder (indeed this paved the way<br />

for the subsequent development of modern<br />

techniques), and (2) the design of a<br />

running surface a great deal faster than<br />

that of any previous ski, which made<br />

daily waxing unnecessary.<br />

The experiment with the prototype<br />

caused a great sensation, but <strong>no</strong>-one<br />

believed that these new skis were the<br />

skis of the future! The Gomme ski was<br />

first put onto the map in a relatively<br />

modestly way by being selected for the<br />

British ski team in the 1948 Olympics in<br />

St. Moritz. They were later chosen as<br />

standard equipment by the official Swiss<br />

ski schools. Donald manufactured these<br />

skis at his factories in England for a<br />

short while, and then arranged to license<br />

Attenhofer in Zürich to make the skis<br />

according to Gomme patents. Licenses<br />

were later granted elsewhere, including<br />

Head skis in the USA.<br />

Skiing on these new precision instruments<br />

was a wonderful and entirely new experience.<br />

They created great interest and<br />

became in great demand. Of course the<br />

patents have <strong>no</strong>w since long run out, but<br />

the fact remains that the basic principles<br />

of all skis manufactured and sold today<br />

were originally invented by an Englishman.<br />

Donation appeal of the Committee of<br />

HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark<br />

HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark is the ho<strong>no</strong>rary<br />

president of the committee. Andreas Hurni,<br />

president of the municipal council of Saanen, and<br />

Jean-Jacques Mottier, mayor of Château-d’Oex,<br />

have been appointed as board members of the<br />

committee.<br />

“We are conscious of the fact that life has been<br />

very kind to us, and would like to show our solidarity<br />

with the victims of the flood catastrophe by<br />

helping them,” explains Beat Notz, co-initiator.<br />

For this purpose the committee has opened<br />

Mr. Donald Gomme carrying his, in 1946, revolutionary skis.<br />

Although Donald was a good friend, we, like far too many people, did <strong>no</strong>t k<strong>no</strong>w his<br />

fundamental role in the history of skiing. by Maria Embiricos<br />

accounts with the Saanen Bank and the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise.<br />

At a later date the committee will inform the public about<br />

which organizations have received money and how much has been<br />

donated in total. “The donations will go in full to the victims of the<br />

flood catastrophe”, promises Notz.<br />

by Anne Pfeiffer-Brechbühl and Anita Moser<br />

Donations can be paid into the following accounts:<br />

Saanen Bank, Gstaad, account <strong>no</strong>. 16.1.141.706.04, with<br />

<strong>no</strong>te “Seaquake Asia”, or Banque Cantonale Vaudoise<br />

BCV, Château-d’Œx, account <strong>no</strong>. 50966282, with <strong>no</strong>te<br />

“Séisme Asie”.<br />

7<br />

Photo by M. Embiricos


Top Real Estate<br />

Le Chalet, CH-3780 Gstaad<br />

Tel. 033 748 44 88, Fax 033 748 44 89<br />

Müller · Gstaad

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