This stash is located near the summit of Wispile, a mountain overlooking the Swiss Alpine town of Gstaad. The location is easily accessible year-round; a short walk from the town of Gstaad and a two-stage gondola ride to the top. Once at the top, it's a mile-long walk to the far end of a marked and maintained loop hiking path, to just where the winter sledding run continues steeply downhill. After admiring the stunning views and the summit lodge, the gondola can be taken to the base, or the sledding run can be taken to a neighboring town.
When there's snow on the ground the path is groomed for walking and sledding and is therefore packed reasonably well. Although it's still below the treeline, it's exposed enough to mean that it can get windy and very cold. However, when I placed the cache in late January it was sunny and mild. Some people had snowshoes on but they're not necessary. During the summer there is no snow and the walk would be easy for anyone.
The cache itself is a very short distance off the path, on the down-hill side of a pine tree. See the pictures to easily orient yourself. It's a dark green ammo box.
Update in April 2005 - Sadly I've never been back to visit my cache, although I've visited Switzerland several times since. I'm always happy to check this page every six months and find more people have visited it and enjoyed the views! If the next person to visit it could take a picture of it and post it, I'd like to see what it looks like now. Thanks! Jesse
Update in June 2008 - I'm thrilled to see Gstaash is still safely tucked away, and continues to be regularly found, more than seven years since I first placed it there! If someone could post what's inside the box when it's next found, I would be happy to hear it! Jesse
Update in December 2010 - It's almost a decade since I placed this cache and I'm even more proud than ever that it's still going well and getting visits! Thanks to everyone that visits it for leaving some more information and adding to the history :-)
Update in March 2015 - With more than 200 successful visits to this cache (and more than 15 years after I first placed it), I'm still very pleased each time I hear of a new discovery. Congratulations to all who found this cache, and I wish success to all those who set out to search for it!
Update in August 2015 - Happy to find my historical cache in good shape! Hidden just where I left it in 2001. I'm sure many treasures have come and gone in that time. Congratulations to the many people who found it in the past years, and good luck to those who find it in the coming years!
A tip to save money on the gondola: For those visiting the area between 1st May to 31st October and staying in a hotel, a Gstaad Easy Access card (http://www.gstaad.ch/en/gstaad/tourist-office/easyaccess-card/gstaad-easyaccess-card.html) gives you three days of unlimited local transport, including the Wispile gondola, for CHF39 per person. In summer, the normal return price for this gondola is CHF45. It's one of the very rare bargains in this part of Switzerland :-)