I said to Barbara that I wanted to be near a lake. And that’s how Oeschinensee got onto our radar… When we found out that Fründenhütte had space. ‘Situated directly above the lake’ according to the tourism website… errm yes, but 1000 m higher… The normal ascent path being closed we were forced to approach Fründenhütte via the somewhat exposed Fründenschnur route.
Despite a long queue waiting to board the gondolas from Kandersteg to Oeschinensee station we get our turn reasonably quickly. Our path leads us on a path tangential and some way above the lake. Which meant that pretty soon we’ve left the crowds behind.
The Berggasthaus we had hoped to stop at for a drink is closed. Our two travellers are not happy. The water coming directly from a mountain stream tastes good though. And so we head on.
Traversing the Fründenschnur path
Once we reach the “Fründenschnur”, the high-level traverse above the Oeschinensee, we only see an occasional hiker. Those on a more adventurous hike, or others heading to or from the Fründenhütte.
It’s afternoon, and melt water is rushing down the mountain. Making two of the river crossings a little treacherous. Especially with a drop of a few hundred metres a too short distance from where we have to cross. The first one we can jump across relatively safely. At the second crossing, we decide to remove shoes and socks and wade through the ice-cold melt water. A couple that arrive as we’re taking shoes off, decide to jump… delicately… from one rock to the next. I don’t feel it’s safe, especially with packs on, which have a habit of throwing you off balance when you least expect it… they’re kind enough to hold their hiking sticks for us to hold on to while wading across.
Then we start heading upwards. Zig. Zag. Zig. Zag. Zig. Zag. Again and again and again and again. Occasionally we catch a glimpse of the hut above us. But we’re not getting any closer. We just keep on zigging and zagging. Then finally, we start diagonally upwards on a large rock ledge, and with the next turn we can see the hut within reach.
Bernhard, the hut guardian, welcomes us with a cup of mountain tea. ‘Haustee’ I think he called it. Or perhaps, ‘Bergtee’. Either way, it reminds me of travelling in Morocco and the Middle East where you’re welcomed with a glass of mint tea…
We’re allocated bunks and go and dump our gear. Then we have some real drinks – rehydrating and warming up!
The Fründengletscher is covered in mist. So we don’t get to see much of it until the next morning. We don’t see too much of the world below us either. But we’re treated to a spectacular sunset!
Sunset from Fründenhütte Sunset from Fründenhütte 
Sunset from Fründenhütte
Dinner is not bad either. And then we make our way to our bunks. I open the windows. Didn’t fancy the idea of fighting for oxygen with the other 10 or so occupants of the small room. My apology to the girls on the other side is met with a smile and a don’t worry.
The descent from Fründenhütte via the Fründenschnur
We wake on Sunday morning to a very different looking world. We can see the impressive Fründengletscher and bits of the even bigger Doldenhorngletscher above us. Below us, we have the stunning Oeschinensee and beyond the lake, layers and layers of mountains peeling away one by one…
After a leisurely breakfast and a short chat with Marianne (our hostess) we pack our bags and start on our way down. It’s a wonderfully sunny day and we’re looking forward to getting down to Oeschinensee…
Along the way we discover a small patch of the beautiful but elusive Edelweiss. I take pictures. Lots. One of them may come out good enough to share… I also take lots of pictures of the lake. From all possible angles. One or two turn out worthy of sharing.
On the far side of the lake, the touristy side, where it’s possible to get to the lake shore, we make our way to the water. We find a relatively private spot and slowly submerge our hot and sweaty bodies into the water of Oeschinensee. It’s cold. And invigorating. While in the water, we both wash our sweat-soaked shirts. After a while we reluctantly drag our bodies out of the water, and put some clothes on so that we won’t embarrass passers-by.
We dry out in the sun, then we put boots on and make our way to one of the Berggasthauses. It’s time for a cold drink. Afterwards it’s back on the gondolas for a ride down to the valley below. Another great mountain day slowly coming to an end.
Fründengletscher Oeschinensee, 1000m below the hut 
Fründenschnur – high level path above Oeschinensee Fründenhütte The touristy side of Oeschinensee
How to get to Fründenhütte via the Fründenschnur
- To get to Oeschinensee, make your way to Kandersteg. Follow the signs to the Kandersteg-Oeschinensee cable car station. Gondolas run continuously during operating hours – for more information visit the Lake Oeschinen (Oeschinensee) website.
- Fründenhütte is a SAC hut, open during the summer months – information about Fründenhütte.
Great post again Harry 😉
I always imagine these “hutte” are small shepherds type shelters but they look huge.
Love the Edelweiss 🙂
Thanks for sharing these great memories !
Hey Paul!
Huts range in size from being able to accommodate 100+ people on some of the very popular routes to space for 8 people in a very small space. Some of the huts operate in summer and winter and they will also have boot and ski rooms for winter use. Others are only open in summer, with a ‘winter’ room which can normally accommodate a small number of people. When the hut is open, they offer full catering and bar services. When the huts are closed you have to cater for yourself.