Gstaad's very first winter sports season gets underway.

1935
The first "Funi", a predecessor to the aerial ropeway, is built on the Wispile. It is replaced in 1944 by a ski-lift operating along the same route.

Gstaad's local mountain, the Eggli, is accessed by a "Funi" for the first time.

Gstaad is convinced that the region has great potential as a future tourist resort and begins building Switzerland's first ever chairlift.

The first guests travel up to the Wasserngrat on board the chairlift.

The Saanenland's first gondola lift is set up on the Eggli.

The aerial ropeway to the Glacier 3000 (Les Diablerets Glacier) goes into operation. It is replaced in 2001 by an impressive gondola lift. The futuristic design of the valley and mountain stations is by Swiss star archtiect Mario Botta.

The mountain railways and ski lifts in the region flourish. 20 installations are up and running from Zweisimmen to Gstaad.


Late March 2004

With retrospective effect from 1 May 2003, 12 cableways merge to form Bergbahnen Destination Gstaad AG: they include the mountain railways & cableways Saanenland-Simmental AG, the Eggli Gondelbahn AG, the aerial cableways Gstaad-Höhi Wispile AG, the Rellerli aerial cableway Schönried AG, and the ski lifts and chairlift of Schönried-Horneggli AG. The chairlift Chalberhöni Pra Cluen AG, the Téléphérique Rougemont Videmanette S.A. and the ski lift Hühnerspiel GmbH follow suit on 24 May (retroactively to the end of 2003).

BDG is so far the only mountain railways and cableways company to be anchored at the supra-regional level. It extends across one language border and one cantonal border, and covers the territory occupied by seven municipalities.

Together with the remaining companies Glacier 3000, Wasserngrat and Télé Château-d’Oex, the company operates 62 facilities under the label GSTAAD MOUNTAIN RIDES. The marketing is in the hands of Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus.

BDG draws up a business plan for the years leading up to 2018. Of the many development scenarios scrutinised, the "Konzantration" concept proves to be the most appropriate. It provides for total investments worth CHF 160 m.


July 2009
The tariff association ‘Vereinigung der Bergbahnen von Gstaad und Umgebung VBG’ (Association of the Mountain Lifts of Gstaad and Surrounding Areas) decided at its meeting of delegates to trade under the name of "Gstaad Mountain Rides GMR" in future.