Augstmatthorn, a mountain at 2137m elevation near Interlaken, has gained in popularity recently, I feel, as photos of the pointed ridgeline keep popping up in magazines and travel blogs with increasing frequency and draw even more hikers (like us) to revel in the panoramic views of the Bernes Alps – in particular the Jungfrau Region’s highest peaks, the Eiger, Mönch, Jungfrau, Schreckhorn, and Finsteraarhorn – from the Brienzergrat and Hardergrat (a ‘grat’ is a ridge).

Coming from Central Switzerland, we arrived in Interlaken via Brünig Pass on route A8 that runs the entire length of Brienzersee (Lake Brienz) and hugs the lakeshore closely. Though it wasn’t the first time we travelled on this road, I gazed in wonder at the steep inclines rising to either side of the lake straight from its shores.

The steep slopes were also the reason we decided to start out in Oberried and tackle almost 1400m in elevation to the ridgeline instead of taking the funicular (Interlaken-Harderbahn) from Interlaken up to Harder Kulm. We wanted to earn our right, so to speak, to stand on the crest opposite of what is arguably Switzerland’s most famous mountain massif.

Busses to Oberried depart from outside Interlaken train station at regular intervals and there’s a large public car park conveniently close to the station in case you arrive by car. We were the only hikers on the bus that morning disembarking at Oberried and setting off on the trail towards Riedergrat / Blasenhubel (1940m). The fall colours were long past their peak and had lost their vibrancy but a thick blanket of freshly fallen, crunchy leaves covered the trail on the first stretch through deciduous wood.

With snow forecast for the following night we all the more appreciated this fine day, the last day hiking at these altitudes without snowshoes for this year. I cannot express with words how much I dislike winter, but the thought of no more hiking of this kind for at least a half a year was a very sad one indeed. Especially when the sun broke through the thinned out canopy and we stripped down to T-Shirts in bright sunshine as deciduous trees gave way to conifers.

Once out of the woods, we emerged into orangey-brown grassland but the relentless switchback climb continued. There really were no flat sections on this path until we reached the ridgeline but at least it wasn’t a difficult or exposed ascent. After three hours and 4.5km, we gained the ridge and started walking southwest on the skinny ridgeline that at times narrowed to a few handbreadths in width. I’m no great fan of heights but on the trail I didn’t feel uncomfortable, as the sheer drops to either side were thrilling but hardly dangerous.

Only once, scrambling up the arduous slope of Augstmatthorn (2137m) I was glad to not carry a 15kg backpack as that short stretch is steep indeed and the ground was slippery, saturated with snowmelt water. I hugged the wall using both hands for stability and was almost afraid of plunging backward into the abyss behind me.

From afar the ridge looks like a very fine line drawn with a sharp pencil but once you stand on it, it’s actually much wider. In a way this is similar to a steep rock wall that from a distance appears smooth but on closer inspection is full of cracks and crevices.

Nevertheless I wouldn’t recommend this hike in rain or strong winds. We were lucky as it started out a very fine, sunny day, but once the clouds moved in and blocked out the sun after lunch it cooled down considerably and the exposed, draughty ridge afforded no shelter from the gusts racing across the crest.

The view towards either end of the ridgeline, Hardergrat in the southwest and Brienzergrat to the northeast, really showed off its magnificent profile. The ridge is not a straight line at all, as one might expect, but rather a string of peaks joined together to a rugged wall that quite decisively separates Brienzersee from the Lombach valley. Even the stubborn patches of snow that remained from an earlier snowfall this season were shaped into a crestline that ran in perfect harmony with the ridge proper.

After climbing the iconic silhouette of Suggiture (2084m) and admiring the view of one turquoise lake to either side of Interlaken – Brienzersee just below and Thunersee (Lake Thun) in the west – we started on a steady descent on very muddy trails, courtesy of significant rainfall a few days ago. We dropped altitude quickly until the path disappeared into the woodlands that shielded us from any views but also the wind, and after 6:20 hours we arrived at Harder Kulm station (1322m) just in time for daylight was fading.

A restaurant and observation deck sit above the valley fairly centre between the two lakes and offer spectacular views also to the non-hikers who arrive here on the funicular that whisked us down to Interlaken in 10 minutes.

On the drive home, travelling up the valley along Lake Brienz, we watched as the ridgeline that had been sharply defined by daylight was blurred by darkness and planned to tackle the extension of today’s hike to Brienzer Rothorn at 2348m next season.