Info About the Northeast Face of Blåbærfjellet
The Northeast Face of Blåbærfjellet is one of the more elusive lines within the Backcountry of Tamokdalen. While the Southern face is quite a popular ski tour the Northeast side is skied far less often. With the lower section being hidden from view and a long and painful traverse back to the road it is much more challenging to the average ski touring community. The thing that makes this line difficult is that the lower section of the Northeast face is lined with a cliff band that needs to be carefully navigated through.
Why the Northeast Face of Blåbærfjellet
After our day on Istinden Samppa decided that we should head up Blåbærfjellet. Unlike my previous tour in the area this time we would ride the Northeast face. Being that the weather was good and there was powder to be had I was game.
Heading out of the Tamokhuset Backyard
Samppa had a Gentemstick he wanted to use. Being that it was a solid board he was going to use snowshoes instead of skinning. By now there was already a route put in so we made our way up at a quick pace.
After a few hours of climbing we were standing on the summit getting ready to ride the Northeast Face of Blåbærfjellet. Looking down the snow looked awesome as far as I could see. Samppa mentioned that I needed to follow his tracks as there was a cliff band in the lower section.
Dropping into the Northeast Face of Blåbærfjellet
Watching him drop in he played down huge turns kicking up snow every time. From my perspective the clouds of snow were twice as tall as he was and before long he was gone.
Giving him a minute to be in a safe spot I dropped in and followed his tracks. Wrapping around a cliff band he had traversed back into the lower bowl. While riding down I could see my shadow kicking up snow behind me.
The slope dropped of on a blind roller below us as we met up right above it. So far the Northeast face of Blåbærfjellet had been in prime conditions but things were about to get interesting.
Making Our Way Through the Crux
Standing on top of the roller we chatted about the route below us. We needed to stick on the skiers right as it was one of the only ways through. From my vantage point I watched him make his way through before following him down into the lower bowl.
Once through the crux we enjoyed some wide open powder turns occasionally traversing. We had a long way out of the valley and wanted to use our vert to make it shorter.
The rest of the trip was a brutal toe side traverse as we made our way down into the valley. Before long we were in the flats and needed to transition to hiking out. Making our way back to the road we were happy about the route we had chosen. I would have been nervous to ride the line blindly. We still had one last day to get out before he needed to head back to Lyngseidet.
If you are interested in this ski tour here is the topo route below
