Bunderspitz hike: short and steep!

We chose a hike up Bunderspitz (2456 metres) today because, at only 7 kilometres long, it would give us time to visit Tourist Information and pick up some supplies from the Co-op this afternoon. Also, it was likely to be quieter than more popular hikes on a Saturday.

We took the Allmenalp Cable Car from Kandersteg up to 1730 metres, saving ourselves some climbing. The cable car is a tiny little red box, which only takes 8 people, and hugs the rock face as it climbs steeply. We could see people on the via ferrata high on the sheer cliffs above a waterfall… far too scary for us!

From Allmenalp, we took a wide track heading upwards towards Bunderspitz, winding between colourful flower meadows, past several herds of cows, the sound of their bells accompanying us most of the way.

After about an hour, the track became narrower and noticeably steeper and more difficult. This route has 800 metres of ascent in just 3.5 kilometres (just over 2 miles) and it’s been a hot day!

After a nasty crossing over a river bed, now dry and made up of slippery loose scree, the path climbed through banks of wild flowers and over scree covered slopes on tight switchbacks. The views got better and better as we ascended, stopping regularly to catch our breath, take on water and give our aching calves a rest.

As we approached the col, a wire cable helped us up, although the exposure on this trail didn’t cause us any problems. At the top of the Bundergrat ridge we paused for a snack and to enjoy the 360 degree views, all around us and down into Abelboden in the opposite valley.

From the col, we turned right for the final ascent to Bunderspitz, reaching it after 2 hours 45 minutes, just as the sign at the bottom had predicted! There was some low cloud swirling around the mountain tops as we climbed, but it didn’t spoil the superb views… the snow capped peaks surrounding turquoise Oeschinensee, and other well known mountains including the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

Finally, we dragged ourselves away from the summit and retraced our steps to Allmenalp. There we treated ourselves to a cold beer from their ‘fridge’, before taking the cable car back to the town. What a wonderful hike, perfect for our first step acclimatising to the heat and altitude.