ChrisC
Well-known member
Gstaad is one of the most iconic ski destinations in the Alps. However, it functions less like Zermatt, Val d'Isere, 3 Vallees, and more like the beautiful Jungfrau ski region of the Berner-Oberland. It is a series of small to mid-sized (by European standards) ski mountains linked together by a rail/bus network, with the central ski village of Gstaad (which is not directly lift-served) and a series of smaller yet equally upscale and charming villages sprawling from Zweisimmen to Saanen to Rougemont. Like the Jungfrau, many visitors are content just experiencing Switzerland in the Winter and will pursue lots of activities outside of skiing.
The setting and scenery are incredibly atmospheric, but instead of massive, in-your-face mountains like Chamonix-Mont Blanc, it is more reminiscent of Colorado/Austria, with rolling bucolic meadows set against the dominant backdrop of the Alps. Only the highest portions of Gstaad's ski mountains rise into the treeless alpine. While Gstaad's altitude is rather low (about 1000 Meters), it sits as the first range of mountains (sub-Alps) to be impacted by storms from the Northwest/Atlantic. So when mid-winter weather cooperates, ski conditions can be quite good. Again, there is zero powder competition, and even the WePowder authors deemed its unique combination worthy of coverage in their guidebook. Before my arrival, an orographic storm like this hit NW Switzerland, especially Engelberg, Jungfrau, and Gstaad, bringing 10-20 inches of new snow despite forecasts of only 4-8 inches.
Also, Gstaad's snow reporting is very conservative, but the resort does not need much snow to be quite skiable since it is mostly grassy pastureland and well-equipped with snowmaking. After a snowy long weekend with UK friends in Engelberg, I decided to finally visit Gstaad with nearly 90% of pistes reported open, but only a 50-70cm snow base!
Normally, I would AVOID any ski area reporting only a 20-28 inch snow base. Surprisingly, with the fresh snow, Gstaad skied quite well overall, even in some off-piste areas. It was a now-or-never decision for Gstaad; there will always be a reason to ski at another higher-altitude Alpine ski resort instead of slowing down and enjoying an authentic Swiss experience. While high-end, it is definitely not part of the massive Euro Industrial ski complexes.
Operationally, Gstaad enters its sweet spot of the season in February. Although January can be equally good for snow/temps, it appears some smaller ski areas, like Wispile, are now restricting operations outside the prime visitation weeks (Need to verify: Gondola might only be open now during the Christmas/New Year's holidays and February). Also, the Gstaad ski areas start shutting down by mid-March, so even if there is snow, certain terrain pods and/or areas could be closed.
There are four key ski areas that presently compose Gstaad and are included on the lift pass:
And a partner ski area:
Map of Gstaad Ski Areas.
Corresponding Topo Map with a NORTH orientation
Aside: I am a bit surprised no one from marketing has re-named/branded Gstaad's largest mountains - do people really want this hyphenated mess? I assume local politics plays a role in that every village wants its name counted, or was once an independent ski lift company. (See Austria's Skicircus Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn ski resort.)
Even crazier, the largest ski area of Gstaad is referred to in a few distinct ways by locals and international visitors, depending on the context:
Could you imagine Vail Mountain being referred to by its base areas of Lionshead-Vail Village-Golden Peak or its peaks?!
My visit
I stayed overnight at an inn just outside the walkable town of Gstaad, located at the base of the Wispile ski area. It was only a 5-minute walk to the Eggli gondola, which serves the larger Saanen-Rougemont ski area.
My initial plan for Gstaad was simple: one day to ski as much as possible and hit the highlights – the two larger Gstaad ski areas, and Glacier 3000. Overall, I didn't want to linger in Switzerland any longer, as the skiing in France, especially in the Tarentaise Valley and the Hautes-Alpes (Alpe d'Huez, La Grave, etc.), was considerably better.
However, nature had other ideas for the day. Despite clear, sunny skies with no wind in Gstaad, a small snow shower front was expected, and Glacier 3000 was already closed due to wind. I'd observed weather and operating conditions there before, and wind holds are common; their operations are very conservative.
So, I headed for the Eggli Gondola and the Gstaad-Saanen-Rougemont ski area.
Ultimately, things spiraled into visiting all four major Gstaad ski areas on my pass, and I'm glad I did. It was overwhelming, yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. I had only planned on the two largest areas, but Gstaad's unique character made me want to see everything.
Map of Saanen-Rougemont
It was obvious that the Rougemont-Videmanette Gondola, with a vertical rise of 1150m / 3800ft, would offer some of the most interesting terrain, so I made my way over there immediately. My Eggli gondola partner was a Sri-Lankan guy who worked for a shipping company and was seeing snow for the first time. I had to support his necessary photo collage before heading off, but this is the type of clientele Gstaad attracts - a lot of visitors just interested in experiencing a Swiss winterscape.
Also, I was perplexed by the number of surface lifts needed to connect the Porsche-designed Eggli Gondola to the Rougemont sector. It seemed a bit odd, but that's Gstaad for you – lots of throwbacks to skiing's earlier days.
Overall, I had a blast ripping the groomers from the summit of Vidamanette to Rougemont, with no one on the pistes. It resembled the super uncrowded Colorado skiing you might find early in the day in Aspen or Telluride. Great snow, great scenery.
However, the most distinctive feature was the private, on-demand 8-person cable car serving Les Gouilles-Mont Vidamanette. It helped novices descend from the peak, but, more interestingly, it provided access to a nice <1000-vertical-foot face/bowl for some legitimately steep, east-facing skiing. I kept pressing the Cable Car "Button" and took repeated laps. There was an attendant or a camera that operated the cable car once you were on board. Just unique and one-of-a-kind. Private min-tram skiing.
I covered the main ski zone in about 2-2.5 hours and was ready to move on and take a few runs at Wispile. Overall, I loved just how uncrowded things were, the vertical, the Mach 1 cruising, and the leftover powder from the weekend's storm.
Here are some photos:
Looking south down the valley from Wispile - Furggenspitze 2297 M
Base of Wispile ski area
Eggli Gondola from Gstaad
Gstaad Village
Impeccable, uncrowded grooming on Saanen-Eggli Lift
The Gstaad Palace
Looking over to Videmanette 2185m
Down valley towards Glacier 3000
Panorama
Saanen village
Further up the mountain to the Chalberhöni - Les Gouilles (Quad) Lift
Looking up to Videmanette and Rocher Pointe
Surprisingly steep terrain services by the on-demand, almost private cable car Les Gouilles - La Videmanette (8p)
Lots of great 3800 vertical feet of cruising pistes into Roguemont
Summit of Vidematte Gondola. Rocher a Pointes 2239 M
Some excellent freeride couloirs under the Vidematte gondola. If only more time....
To be continued...
The setting and scenery are incredibly atmospheric, but instead of massive, in-your-face mountains like Chamonix-Mont Blanc, it is more reminiscent of Colorado/Austria, with rolling bucolic meadows set against the dominant backdrop of the Alps. Only the highest portions of Gstaad's ski mountains rise into the treeless alpine. While Gstaad's altitude is rather low (about 1000 Meters), it sits as the first range of mountains (sub-Alps) to be impacted by storms from the Northwest/Atlantic. So when mid-winter weather cooperates, ski conditions can be quite good. Again, there is zero powder competition, and even the WePowder authors deemed its unique combination worthy of coverage in their guidebook. Before my arrival, an orographic storm like this hit NW Switzerland, especially Engelberg, Jungfrau, and Gstaad, bringing 10-20 inches of new snow despite forecasts of only 4-8 inches.
Also, Gstaad's snow reporting is very conservative, but the resort does not need much snow to be quite skiable since it is mostly grassy pastureland and well-equipped with snowmaking. After a snowy long weekend with UK friends in Engelberg, I decided to finally visit Gstaad with nearly 90% of pistes reported open, but only a 50-70cm snow base!
Normally, I would AVOID any ski area reporting only a 20-28 inch snow base. Surprisingly, with the fresh snow, Gstaad skied quite well overall, even in some off-piste areas. It was a now-or-never decision for Gstaad; there will always be a reason to ski at another higher-altitude Alpine ski resort instead of slowing down and enjoying an authentic Swiss experience. While high-end, it is definitely not part of the massive Euro Industrial ski complexes.Operationally, Gstaad enters its sweet spot of the season in February. Although January can be equally good for snow/temps, it appears some smaller ski areas, like Wispile, are now restricting operations outside the prime visitation weeks (Need to verify: Gondola might only be open now during the Christmas/New Year's holidays and February). Also, the Gstaad ski areas start shutting down by mid-March, so even if there is snow, certain terrain pods and/or areas could be closed.
There are four key ski areas that presently compose Gstaad and are included on the lift pass:
- Zweisimmen-Saanenmöser-Schönried (largest, best terrain diversity)
- Gstaad-Saanen-Rougemont (closest to town (Eggli Gondola) with big cruising pistes and some steeps)
- Wispile (close to town with beginner terrain, and a narrow 3,000 vertical ft spine that functions like a miniature Aspen Highlands)
- Wasserngrat (essentially a private mountain that has Gstaad's steepest black piste, Tiger Run, with a 2200 vertical drop)
And a partner ski area:
- Glacier 3000 - a 30-minute drive up to the Col du Pillon 1500m (divides French vs. German Switzerland), which serves glacier skiing at 3000m Included in Gstaad passes of 2+ days.
Map of Gstaad Ski Areas.
Corresponding Topo Map with a NORTH orientation
Aside: I am a bit surprised no one from marketing has re-named/branded Gstaad's largest mountains - do people really want this hyphenated mess? I assume local politics plays a role in that every village wants its name counted, or was once an independent ski lift company. (See Austria's Skicircus Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn ski resort.)
Even crazier, the largest ski area of Gstaad is referred to in a few distinct ways by locals and international visitors, depending on the context:
- The Primary Sector Name: Officially, the Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus and Rinderberg – Saanersloch – Horneggli operators market the zone by its main mountain names: Rinderberg–Saanersloch–Horneggli.
- By Entry Points: Skiers often talk about where they start their day, frequently referring to the "Saanenmöser–Schönried" area or the Zweisimmen side.
Could you imagine Vail Mountain being referred to by its base areas of Lionshead-Vail Village-Golden Peak or its peaks?!
My visit
I stayed overnight at an inn just outside the walkable town of Gstaad, located at the base of the Wispile ski area. It was only a 5-minute walk to the Eggli gondola, which serves the larger Saanen-Rougemont ski area.
My initial plan for Gstaad was simple: one day to ski as much as possible and hit the highlights – the two larger Gstaad ski areas, and Glacier 3000. Overall, I didn't want to linger in Switzerland any longer, as the skiing in France, especially in the Tarentaise Valley and the Hautes-Alpes (Alpe d'Huez, La Grave, etc.), was considerably better.
However, nature had other ideas for the day. Despite clear, sunny skies with no wind in Gstaad, a small snow shower front was expected, and Glacier 3000 was already closed due to wind. I'd observed weather and operating conditions there before, and wind holds are common; their operations are very conservative.
So, I headed for the Eggli Gondola and the Gstaad-Saanen-Rougemont ski area.
Ultimately, things spiraled into visiting all four major Gstaad ski areas on my pass, and I'm glad I did. It was overwhelming, yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. I had only planned on the two largest areas, but Gstaad's unique character made me want to see everything.
Map of Saanen-Rougemont
It was obvious that the Rougemont-Videmanette Gondola, with a vertical rise of 1150m / 3800ft, would offer some of the most interesting terrain, so I made my way over there immediately. My Eggli gondola partner was a Sri-Lankan guy who worked for a shipping company and was seeing snow for the first time. I had to support his necessary photo collage before heading off, but this is the type of clientele Gstaad attracts - a lot of visitors just interested in experiencing a Swiss winterscape.
Also, I was perplexed by the number of surface lifts needed to connect the Porsche-designed Eggli Gondola to the Rougemont sector. It seemed a bit odd, but that's Gstaad for you – lots of throwbacks to skiing's earlier days.
Overall, I had a blast ripping the groomers from the summit of Vidamanette to Rougemont, with no one on the pistes. It resembled the super uncrowded Colorado skiing you might find early in the day in Aspen or Telluride. Great snow, great scenery.
However, the most distinctive feature was the private, on-demand 8-person cable car serving Les Gouilles-Mont Vidamanette. It helped novices descend from the peak, but, more interestingly, it provided access to a nice <1000-vertical-foot face/bowl for some legitimately steep, east-facing skiing. I kept pressing the Cable Car "Button" and took repeated laps. There was an attendant or a camera that operated the cable car once you were on board. Just unique and one-of-a-kind. Private min-tram skiing.
I covered the main ski zone in about 2-2.5 hours and was ready to move on and take a few runs at Wispile. Overall, I loved just how uncrowded things were, the vertical, the Mach 1 cruising, and the leftover powder from the weekend's storm.
Here are some photos:
Looking south down the valley from Wispile - Furggenspitze 2297 M
Base of Wispile ski area
Eggli Gondola from Gstaad
Gstaad Village
Impeccable, uncrowded grooming on Saanen-Eggli Lift
The Gstaad Palace
Looking over to Videmanette 2185m
Down valley towards Glacier 3000
Panorama
Saanen village
Further up the mountain to the Chalberhöni - Les Gouilles (Quad) Lift
Looking up to Videmanette and Rocher Pointe
Surprisingly steep terrain services by the on-demand, almost private cable car Les Gouilles - La Videmanette (8p)
Lots of great 3800 vertical feet of cruising pistes into Roguemont
Summit of Vidematte Gondola. Rocher a Pointes 2239 M
Some excellent freeride couloirs under the Vidematte gondola. If only more time....
To be continued...
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