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Oeschinensee/Kandersteg Switzerland Stein hazard zone

Posted by (Seattle, WA) on

When forum member “Wanderweg” mentioned on another thread that my favorite Berghotel Oeschinensee near Kandersteg is closed this summer, I wanted to find out why. The hotel website says the closure is due to “uncertainty surrounding the Switzerland Stei”. So I searched that term and found lots of reports, all in German, but you can run them through Google Translate. Basically, the rock wall above the lake is crumbling due to melting permafrost, and there have been numerous small rockfalls over the past 4 years, with the potential for a huge one to bring down up to 500,000 cubic meters of rock. The second article calls the Spitze Stein a “sword of Damocles” hanging over the village.

The photos alone tell the story.

https://www.infosperber.ch/umwelt/im-schatten-des-spitzen-steins/

https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/fels-in-bewegung-der-spitze-stein-haengt-wie-ein-damoklesschwert-ueber-kandersteg

This article has a map of the danger zone as of August 2022:

https://www.bernerzeitung.ch/folgt-jetzt-ein-bergsturz-422190221570

A July 14 2023 update from the community shows the danger level for the area above the lake has been reduced from red to yellow:

https://www.gemeindekandersteg.ch/spitze-stei

I cannot post YouTube links, but if you search for “notmassnahmen Spitze SteinKandersteg” you will get an impressive video of the construction going on to reduce the danger to the village.

Posted by
16333 posts

Nigel, did you find the YouTube video of the digging and soil moving they are doing to reduce the chance of rock debris and mudflow from reaching the village? It is so destructive and depressing for someone who loves this place, but apparently deemed necessary to protect the town and inhabitants.

Posted by
429 posts

It may be a bit of the issue you mention above with the mountain (there were multiple rock slides while we were staying there. You could hear them from our room, which was a bit unsettling), but the actual hotel closure was a bit more personal. We stayed there last summer for a week and talked to the owners while there. It seems a combination of burn out, staffing issues and some tourists creating a bit of a toxic environment contributed to them wanting to take some time off.

https://www.20min.ch/story/poebeleien-und-morddrohungen-hotel-am-oeschinensee-bleibt-diesen-sommer-zu-825564532617

Sad as it is a special place that is very unique. Hopefully it will return one day. For now they are just offering self service food to day trippers. I believe you can still stay overnight next door at Arva.

Posted by
16333 posts

Thanks for the article. That is sad, and actually shocking that “guests” would behave so badly. I wonder if Oeschinensee has become yet another victim of Instagram celebrity, attracting lots of boorish people who have no respect for the environment or the traditions of such a place.

We first stayed there in 2002, spending 3 nights. We were the only non-Swiss guests at that time.

Posted by
383 posts

Yes, the main reason they are closed is because of the burnout/rude guest issues. It was a big story here in Switzerland. I was last there in 2019 and didn't see any particularly rude guests in action at the hotel or its restaurant, but it was clear then that Oeschinensee had become much more popular with international guests who were not so interested in hiking or enjoying nature, but just taking selfies and videos of themselves. At least 50-60% the people there fit this description. We saw many people in completely inappropriate outfits (sundresses with heels etc) who were clearly only there to do social media. I would assume this change in clientele had some part to play in things.
I think the lake actually became a victim of its own attempts at marketing in recent years - it then got a bit too popular and possibly attracted a different type of guest than in previous years.

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