Reported by Olivier Darmon. Photos Alain Parinet.
Is it really reasonable to suspend a footbridge between the peaks of a glacier situated at an altitude of 3,000 m? On the face of it, no. But that's what makes the Peak Walk suspension bridge so attractive! Spanning the void, this 107 m long, 80 cm wide metal structure guarantees the highest level of safety. great sensations. Snow-covered faces, visitors instinctively cling to the railings as the footbridge sways in the gusts of wind. Inaugurated in 2014, this high-tech monkey bridge is the main attraction of Glacier 3000, the resort built on the Diablerets glacier, 20 minutes from Gstaad. With 25 km of colourful slopes, a Fun Park dedicated to tobogganing, cross-country skiing, hiking and dog-sledding, the site is an ideal playground for incentive groups, whether or not the participants are skiers.
The icing on the cake: the cable car station leading to the glacier houses a gourmet restaurant named after Mario Botta, the Swiss architect of this design balcony over Alpine mythology, who also designed the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Evry Cathedral. On the menu: local specialities and panoramic views of prestigious Alpine mountains such as the Eiger, the 'Ogre', legendary summit from the Bernese Oberland to the fearsome North Face, the Holy Grail of all climbers.
As well as the Botta restaurant, which can accommodate up to 140 guests, the more inquisitive can opt for the Espace refuge, a 45-minute walk from the glacier. The track, laid out to the letter, wide and groomed in the morning, undulates in a great white festooned with passes, ridges and crests. The ice crystals sparkle, the powder crunches underfoot. The gentle gradient of the route requires little more effort than walking up Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris. "Stay on the piste, crevasses!"However, the signs along the way warn you not to miss out. A rocky spur rises up at the end of the track. Local legend has dubbed it the "devil's keel", reflecting the fear the mountain once inspired. The refuge is nestled a few dozen metres away, on a platform anchored to the rock. Extended by a terrace on the edge of the cliff, the little wooden hut houses five tables inside, which are crowded with guests whose mobility is a matter of chance, crammed into their wetsuits and weighed down by their ski boots.
Rösti at the refuge
In a room the size of a pocket handkerchief, Inge and Roland prepare their dishes with talent and kindness. The atmosphere is friendly, with guests sharing tables and conversations. Michael, seated in front of a rösti - the famous potato pancake, a speciality of the region - is a regular at Glacier 3000. A pilot and instructor with Swiss Helicopter, he has just transferred clients there. "The development of the glacier from the 2000s onwards has made it possible to compensate for insufficient snow cover, but also to extend the season."he explains. His company, with a fleet of 35 helicopters, is suited to transporting groups. "In the vicinity, five glaciers make it possible to land You can organise a picnic, an aperitif or even a round of golf! In Gstaad, our regular customers enjoy heliskiing, while those who love freeriding in untouched powder can descend several peaks in the same day, accompanied by an instructor or mountain guide."he adds.
Gstaad, the favourite resort of the wealthy, is the stuff of fantasies, even though it keeps a low profile. A supermarket, an outdoor ice rink, an old-fashioned cinema... At first glance, there's nothing to suggest that Gstaad is the place to be. a gentry mecca. One clue, however, is the imposing silhouette of the Gstaad Palace, which towers over the chalets of the village like a liege examining the loyalty of his vassals. Erected on a hill, the medieval-inspired hotel does not seek to blend into the landscape, but to stamp its mark on it. It is reminiscent of a castle that might be described as "Disneylandesque". But there's no doubt that His Majesty and his crenellated turrets had a small effect on the tourists of the Roaring Twenties, all of whom were fed on literature extolling the "magic of the mountains".
Since the hotel opened in 1913, everything has changed here. a peaceful village adored by the gotha. The 50s. Louis Armstrong, Maurice Chevalier and Ella Fitzgerald performed here; Elisabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Sophia Loren and Grace Kelly were also to be found here. At the same time, parents whose children studied at Le Rosey, the prestigious boarding school on the shores of Lake Geneva, built a second home there to be close to their offspring when the institution moved its 'winter campus' to Gstaad, helping to spawn new generations of aficionados of the Alpine resort.
It would be a mistake to describe Gstaad as bling-bling. It's more like "authentic glamour"we were told. Noted. Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Prada, Hermès and Bugatti, the brand names on the pedestrian street known as "La Promenade", can certainly boast of duly priced expertise. I Love Gstaad, the tourist office's magazine, is full of interviews with some of the best-known names in Gstaad. village lovers Roman Polanski, Julie Andrews, Sean Connery, Prince Albert of Monaco...
Discretion assured
But for the rest, discretion is essential. "This is one of the reasons for the enduring success of the destination.says Anjte Buchs of Gstaad Tourism. Here, celebrities are guaranteed peace of mind, with no one pestering them for a selfie or autograph."Showing off isn't part of the game, as most of the social life takes place in the chalets: cosy pied-à-terre between 300 and 3,000 m2 nestling in the heights of the village, where the harmony of the landscape is preserved by draconian town planning regulations.
When it comes to activities, the resort and its surrounding area boasts 220km of pistes, some of which are open at night. However, noting that one in three holidaymakers does not ski, Gstaad has developed a range of alternatives There's a whole range of activities on offer: snowshoeing, climbing, an introduction to curling or snow biking, a hot-air balloon flight over the region or a night in an igloo. Corporate groups will also find plenty of opportunities for excursions. Three kilometres to the north, the village of Saanen, one of the most authentic in the area, invites you to wander through its narrow streets lined with old chalets and push open the door of its 15th-century church.e century, famous for its octagonal Romanesque tower and the frescoes covering the entire choir. Its perfect acoustics have made it the epicentre of the Yehudi Menuhin Festival - held from mid-July to early September - which the conductor, a resident of Gstaad, founded in 1957.
Romantic image
Nearby, in a 16th-century chalete In the 19th century, the Musée du Paysage recreates the various aspects of rural life in the past, based on livestock farming and cheese production. Also on display: paper cut-outs that make up extremely fine paintings. inspired by the alpine world. The tradition dates back to the XVIIe This activity can be the subject of workshops led by an artist. This activity can be the subject of workshops led by an artist.
Gastronomy also plays an important role in Gstaad, where restaurants are legion. Most of them, of course, serve dishes based on regional Alpine cheese with the Alpkäse designation of origin. On the menu: fondues, raclettes and dried meat, to be eaten with the local mustard made with cherry compote. Matured for two years or more, and then fuller-bodied and drier, Alpkäse is renamed Hobelkäse and can be enjoyed on its own as an aperitif, grated into thin strips called rebibes. The local producers' cooperative has set up its maturing site in the basement of a water tower to ensure a stable temperature of around six degrees all year round. The space can be made private for an educational and gourmet aperitif in the unique environment of 3,000 wheels of cheese weighing 10 kg and stored six metres high.
The architectural homogeneity required by the resort supports its desire to project a romantic image of Switzerlandwith its chalets, cows and folklore. Willi Bach is one of the players in this other Gstaad. This breeder of around thirty Simmental cows, the local breed with the piebald coat that is the star of milk chocolate bar ads, is happy to welcome groups to his farm to talk about the traditions of the profession, such as the transhumance. A festive atmosphere accompanies the flower-filled herds as they parade through the village equipped with their bells before heading off to the mountain pastures. While waiting for the summer, Willi has hung his collection of bells like trophies on the front of his house. Models of all sizes, some weighing five kilos and sounding like a bumblebee: "Each one is tuned differently, so I choose them very carefully. The sound of the herd reveals the identity of the farmer, says Willi. You can hear who's on the road straight away.
The bells compose the music of our profession, the music that speaks to our hearts."
Along with his colleagues and a handful of local craftsmen, Willi is committed to promoting a Gstaad that is less talked about, that of ecotourism, far from the trumpets of fame. His love of the country suggests the idyllic Switzerland described by 18th-century travellers.e... The pastoral world, the amplitude of the landscapes, alpine pastures dotted with spruce forests and larch wood dotted with genépis and carpeted with bluebells: the rural bliss celebrated in Heidi, a novel published in 1882 that became the standard-bearer of Swiss mountain purity before the industrial revolution. Long before celebrity magazines.
