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But no matter how impressive the hotel roster, it is the chalet owners around whom most of Gstaad social life is centered; the at-home set includes such long-time residents as the Earl of Warwick, Conductor Efrem Kurtz, Violinist Yehudi Menuhin and Swiss Industrialist Louis Chopard, whose wife Nancy specializes in international parties usually attended by at least one countess. One successful hostess, U.S. Freelance Photographer Nancy Holmes, featured as house guests the Rex Harrisons, who made the night sky shake with a mambo in the snow. There are some 250 chalets dotting the valley in and about the village, and owners are expected to host one big party every ten days or so during High Season (mid-December to mid-March). Shipping Magnate Marcel Wagner complied nicely when his turn came a few weeks ago, threw open his four-story 18th century chalet to 100 carefully selected guests and ferried them to and from the village in a specially hired two-car railroad train.
High Twisting. Because of the eternal servant problem, many chalet parties end up at one of the town's three fine restaurants. Newest nightspot, and wildest by far, is Le Chesery, built last year for $575,000 by the Aga's Uncle Sadruddin Khan. Featuring a Cuban band imported from Montparnasse, the club encourages nightlong twisting, and unlike the rival Palace Hotel requires no necktie. The Gstaad old guard are not quite sure they approve; a group of rich young Greeks recently brawled over a girl at a Chesery party, ended by stripping her to her black lace panties. Far more the Gstaad style is the six-year-old Eagle Club, whose 190 lifetime members pay a subscription fee of $1,000, are guaranteed a place to sit down to eat and a breathtaking view from the 6,000-ft.-high lodge.
Until last week, Gstaad had only one shortcoming: the skiing season ended with the spring thaws in mid-March because none of the 25 lifts reached into the higher regions of eternal snows. But last week Gstaad's 2,000 permanent citizens celebrated the opening of a new 9,000-ft. lift that will keep everybody schussing on the high slopes even through the common people's summer.