Bruno Kernen
From Kitzbühel winner to host in the Saanenland.
Who is Bruno Kernen?
Bruno Kernen, born on 25 March 1961 in Unterseen near Interlaken, is a former Swiss ski racer and today a host in the Saanenland. He grew up in Schönried-Gstaad, where his family ran the Hotel Bahnhof, affectionately called the Bahnhöfli. Today the Hotel Kernen stands in its place.
At barely two years old, Bruno Kernen stood on skis for the first time in front of his grandparents' house in Schönried-Gstaad. His mother, a ski instructor and former racer, gave him his first lessons. From the boy at the Piccolo children's lift grew one of the fastest downhillers in Switzerland.
The victory on the Streif of Kitzbühel
On 21 January 1983, Bruno Kernen won the downhill of Kitzbühel on the Streif, the most famous and most feared downhill in the world. With bib number 29 he set the fastest time and beat the entire world elite. It was the greatest success of his career.
For over three years he belonged to the first downhill group of the world ranking and finished 22 times among the top ten, with a third place in the World Cup in Furano, Japan. His active career lasted from 1978 to January 1989, his last race was in Wengen.
Two ski racers, one name
There are two well-known Swiss ski racers named Bruno Kernen. The elder, born in 1961 and winner of Kitzbühel in 1983, is the hotelier from Schönried-Gstaad, known in the sport as BK 1. The younger, from Reutigen and eleven years his junior, became downhill world champion in 1997 and won Olympic bronze in 2006, known as BK 2. They are distantly related but not the same person. This page is about Bruno Kernen, the hotelier from Schönried-Gstaad.
From top sport to hospitality
Top-level sport means discipline, endurance and handling pressure. Bruno Kernen brings this attitude to his role as host today. His fame brought many guests to the Hotel Kernen and the Bahnhöfli restaurant in Schönried-Gstaad. From the racer grew a host who lives his home region, the Saanenland, with the same passion he once had for the sport.
Hotel Kernen in
Schönried-Gstaad
The Hotel Kernen stands where Bruno Kernen grew up, in the heart of Schönried-Gstaad. From the former Hotel Bahnhof, the Bahnhöfli, grew a personally run house that stands for hospitality, good cuisine and the down-to-earth warmth of the Saanenland.
The restaurant remains a meeting place to this day, for guests from all over the world as well as for locals. Anyone visiting Schönried-Gstaad finds a place with history at the Hotel Kernen.
→ More on the Hotel Kernen in Schönried-Gstaad: www.hotel-kernen.ch
Hotel Kernen
Familie Bruno Kernen
Dorfstrasse 58
CH-3778 Schoenried-Gstaad
T +41 33 748 40 20
Hotel Des Alpes in
Saanenmöser-Gstaad
A few minutes from Schönried-Gstaad, in Saanenmöser-Gstaad, lies the Hotel Des Alpes, the family's second house. Here too, the personal and warm welcome is at the centre. The house is run by Dudu Kernen, the wife of Bruno Kernen, together with her sister Zazá Innecco.
The Hotel Des Alpes is the ideal starting point for a holiday in the Saanenland, in winter as in summer, with the charm of a family-run house amid the mountains around Gstaad.
→ More on the Hotel Des Alpes in Saanenmöser-Gstaad: www.desalpes.ch
Hotel Des Alpes
Familie Bruno Kernen
Saanenmöserstrasse 168
CH-3777 Saanenmöser-Gstaad
T+41 33 748 04 50
Offers at the hotels of Bruno Kernen
Golf and summer in the Saanenland
Whether golf on the alpine 18-hole course in Saanenmöser or active summer days in the Saanenland, at the Hotel Kernen in Schönried-Gstaad and the Hotel Des Alpes in Saanenmöser-Gstaad you find the right packages for your stay. Two personally run houses of the family of downhill winner Bruno Kernen.
