The Oeschinensee

Conditions at Kandersteg in February 2012 were excellent with deep snow in the village ,

Having taken the Gondolbahn lift to the mountain station we set off...

.....downhill towards the Oeschniensee with the Hohturli pass and the Blüemlisalp peaks to the right,

As can be seen from this signpost there was well over a metre of snow.

The track through the forest to Lager branches  off to the left at the junction and we were...

....treated to a succession of stunning forest and mountain views.

After Lager there is a track straight down to the frozen Oeschnensee but we continued down the main forest road to..

.....reach the restaurant above the lake.

The main track from the cable car station drops down...

.....to the lake which has tracks on it for those who can stand the extreme cold!

We continued along a forest track above the lake...

....with deep snowdrifts leading down to the lake.

Further along we could see these spectacular ice formations - almost like stalactites and stalagmites. Look at the people for an idea of scale.

From the restaurant the path climbs up quite steeply - as can be seen the sun had moved around and much of the Oeschinensee was in shadow and much colder than earlier.

The path back to the Gondolbahn station is shared with the toboggan run which can be a bit hairy...

From the plateau near the Gondolbahn there is a magnificent view of Kandersteg far below in the Kandertal.

Looking the other way is a panorama of the Hohturli pass and the Blüemlisalp(click on it for a larger image)