no. 01/05 - GstaadLife print edition
no. 01/05 - GstaadLife print edition
no. 01/05 - GstaadLife print edition
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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