Fründen Ridge, Fründen Hut from Kandersteg

The hike starts at the shore of Oeschinen Lake, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. You can walk there from anywhere in Kandersteg, or you can take the aerial cable car, which gains you about 500 meters in elevation. You hike from the lake shore to UnterBergli. There, you take the hiking path to the right towards the vertical cliffs that line the lake. At a height of about 300 meters above the water surface, there is a rock path in the vertical wall called Fründenschnur. The path is regularly secured with steel cables; caution is advised, as it is narrow and particularly exposed, suitable only for hikers without a fear of heights and with a steady step. The view is breathtaking; after about 3 km, the rock path bends to the left, towards Fründenhütte. The road from the hut back to Kandersteg runs parallel to the path for a while but keeps to the left at the fork towards Oeschinensee and then back to the village. It may be that the route for the return is no longer correct. It seems (2019) that there has been a limited landslide this winter, causing the old path to disappear in parts. However, the local tourism office has established an alternative route, making Fründenhütte normally accessible again. Follow the on-site instructions. Update (2020) The route for the return is now permanently closed. The reason for this is that part of the right bank has become unstable, partly due to the thawing of the permafrost, and shifts by a few mm per year. This causes the wall to crumble, putting the path on this side under constant pressure, making it too dangerous to go there. A very long time ago, the lake was formed after a collapse followed by a landslide. Therefore, one must go back and forth to the hut, along the Fründenschnur itself, as mentioned, a particularly narrow and exposed path. To ensure safety, caution and courtesy are advised. The total walking distance will therefore be very long, more than 20 km. You can do it in 2 days and spend the night in the hut, or you can save time by taking the aerial cable car from Kandersteg. Please check with the Kandersteg tourism office about the situation before embarking on this adventure.