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Last Sunday (7 December) I wanted another spontaneous ridge day—no over-engineering, just a big view and a clean line. The idea was to do the Brienzergrat/Hardergrat from Brienzer Rothorn → Harder Kulm. That westward direction keeps the vertical gain lower than starting at Harder Kulm, where you’re looking at roughly double the ascent and a long day on exposed grass-and-rock. It’s still serious—narrow, airy in places, no shade and no water resupply—but logistically it’s easier when you can float a chunk of altitude with the train.

The steam train that sets it up (and sometimes stops the plan)

The Brienz Rothorn Bahn (BRB) is a unicorn: a mostly steam-operated Abt rack railway from 1892 that chugs 7.6 km from lakeside Brienz to Rothorn Kulm (2,244 m). It shut in 1914 during WWI and revived in 1931; today it’s one of the last places in Switzerland where steam still does daily summer duty. In high season there’s even an early hikers’ departure—07:36 from Brienz on summer weekends—which is why I planned to start on the Rothorn end.

Reality check: when I reached the valley station, tickets were sold out for the day. Staff suggested waiting for no-shows—so I gambled an hour. Everyone showed. No train for me. Plan B time.

Pivot to Axalp — and a superb substitute ridge

I drove up to Axalp and parked (day ticket CHF 8 on the municipal tariff), laced boots, and set off for Hinterburgseeli and the Axalphorn. If Hardergrat is the knife-edge blockbuster, Axalp is its intimate cousin: quieter paths, a deep-green lake, and a short, spicy summit finish if you want it.

• Hinterburgseeli (often written Hinterburgsee/Hinterburgseeli) sits in a steep cirque above the forest—clear water, a pocket beach, and the well-known woodcarving trail (Schnitzlerweg) leading to it. I took a long snack break here because… how could you not.
• Axalphorn (locally “Axalphoren”) tops out around 2,321 m. The last section runs under the ridge with some exposure; not a place for vertigo, but dry rock, three points of contact, and it’s straightforward. Views sweep from Lake Brienz up to the Hohgant and the Rothorn group.

The route I did (simple, satisfying)

• Start: Axalp village parking (pay & display; I paid CHF 8 for the day).
• To the lake: Follow signs for Hinterburgseeli (family-friendly Schnitzlerweg variant is an option). Expect ~5 km round-trip and ~300–350 m if you only do the lake loop.
• Add Axalphorn: Extend toward Tschingel → Axalphorn. It becomes a proper mountain path. Budget ~5–6 h round-trip Axalp ↔ Axalphorn depending on pace.