SAANENTAL
ACCESS AND INFORMATION
| Location | Immediately west of the Lauenental, and from Col du Pillon to Gstaad. |
| Maps | LS 262T Rochers de Naye and 263T Wildstrubel at 1:50,000 |
| Bases | Gsteig (1184m), Gstaad (1050m) |
| Information | Tourismusbüro, CH–3785 Gsteig (Tel 033 755 81 81 www.gsteig.ch); Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus, CH–3780 Gstaad (Tel 033 748 81 84 www.gstaad.ch) |
| Access | By train from Montreux or Bern to Gstaad, then postbus to Gsteig |
Walking in and around the Saanental is as rich and varied an experience as in most other areas visited within these pages. Some of the passes are surprisingly arduous to reach, their modest altitude distorting their true value. Certainly there are many surprises in store for those whose days have been largely spent in the heart of the Oberland and who suspect this western region of being rather tame by comparison. Those with an eye for the subtle shades and textures of the Alps, for the variations in form and substance and for the soft brilliance of mountain light will find many rewards here.
The massif of Les Diablerets contains the most westerly summits of the Bernese Alps. It is a great hulk of limestone with several peaks over 3000m whose shrinking glaciers hang on the north and east slopes, while elsewhere the landscape is abundantly green.
Les Diablerets is a watershed in several respects. Firstly, in the true sense, its streams flow south into the Rhône Valley, and also west by a devious route to join the Rhône farther down near the Lake of Geneva. But other streams drain from it too, to the east side of the Col du Pillon where they become the Saane and flow awkwardly through central Switzerland to join the Aare, which in turn feeds the Rhine. While the Rhône eventually spills into the Mediterranean, the Rhine empties into the North Sea.
Les Diablerets also marks the border, not only between the cantons of Bern and Vaud, but of Valais as well. In addition it signals the linguistic divide. East of the Col du Pillon, for example, all the Bernese Alps is German-speaking territory; to the west all villages and towns use French as their main language.
Below Les Diablerets the trim little village of Gsteig straddles the Col du Pillon road, and in the marshy meadows just outside it the Ruschbach and Saane streams converge. All is broad and gentle here: neatly shorn meadows sweep up to forest-clad hillsides. Set among the meadows are characteristic timber farmhouses, their roofs shallow-pitched, their eaves overhanging, their windows and balconies ablaze with petunias and geraniums. The valley flows gently northward with no great drop in altitude. Minor streams join the Saane from the eastern slopes, while two side valleys, the Tscharzistal and Meielstal, enter from the west. In the first of these lies the attractive Arnensee, at the head of the second rises the majestic slab of the Gummfluh (2458m). As you approach Gstaad some of the slopes have been laced with cableways, mainly used by winter skiers, but also useful for summer walkers.
If the lower hills are green and wooded, those at the head of the valley, forming a semi-circular basin, rise with a sense of drama. Oldenhorn and Sex Rouge, Mont Brun, the Schluchhorn and Mittaghorn come directly from Les Diablerets, while the conspicuous Spitzhorn sends its ridges south to the Schafhorn and Arpilhorn – the latter to act as a southeast bastion above the Col du Sanetsch, a traditional way from the Saanental to the Rhône Valley in Canton Valais.
GSTAAD (1050m) is dealt with under the previous section, the Lauenental, which should be consulted for details of facilities, accommodation etc.
GSTEIG (1184m) is a tiny village with character. It has a photogenic heart, with the flower-adorned Hotel Bären beside the road, the slender-spired church immediately behind it and the Mittaghorn, Schluchhorn and Les Diablerets as a backdrop. The Col du Pillon road begins its twisting ascent at this point, and a short distance along you will find Bergcamping Heiti (Tel 033 755 11 48) which is open from the end of May to the end of September. Gsteig has limited shopping facilities, although as far as food for self-catering/backpacking is concerned, the general store is very good. There are just three hotels: the 18th-century Hotel Bären (Tel 033 755 10 33 www.baerengsteig.ch); Hotel Viktoria (Tel 033 755 11 19 www.viktoria-gsteig.ch); and Hotel-Restaurant Heiti (www.restaurant-heiti.ch) at the campsite. There are also several chalets and holiday apartments in Gsteig and neighbouring Feutersoey. Dormitory accommodation may be had at the Altes Schulhaus – contact the tourist office (Tel 033 755 81 81). The valley is served by postbus which travels between Gstaad and the village of Les Diablerets on the far side of the Col du Pillon.
Gsteig