A glance at the Alpine luxury resort of Gstaad

A glance at the Alpine luxury resort of Gstaad

Film director Roman Polanski will be confined to his chalet in the Alpine village of Gstaad until the Swiss decide if he will be extradited to the United States for a 32-year-old sex case. Here are some details about the exclusive winter resort:

— It lies 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) high in the Bernese Alps in central Switzerland.

— All-year population is 3,500, growing to 16,500 in peak seasons.

— Celebrities who have visited include actors Roger Moore, Liz Taylor, Jack Nicholson, Sharon Stone and John Travolta, and musicians Louis Armstrong and Michael Jackson.

— The mythical Gstaad Palace dominates from a slope above the town. Its penthouse costs 13,900 francs ($13,900) a night during holiday season.

— About 70 percent of Gstaad’s visitors come every year.

— There are 250 kilometers (155 miles) of ski slopes, 100 kilometers (62 miles) of cross-country ski trails and seven sled runs around Gstaad.

— More than a dozen restaurants in the area are rated by France’s Gault Millau guide.

— Prestigious boarding schools Le Rosey Institute and the John F. Kennedy International School have their winter campuses here.