Info About the Northwest Bowl of Istinden
The Northwest Bowl of Istinden is a beautiful face within the Tamokdalen Backcountry. What the line offers in great skiing is made a challenge by accessing the line over the challenging ridge of Istinden. With the climbing route blocked by numerous cliff bands it requires crampons and a willingness to be in exposed places. Once into the Northeast bowl it should be skied with caution as it goes through two separate cliff bands which can be a challenge if you don’t know the route ahead of time.
Why the Northwest Bowl of Istinden
My friend Samppa arrived to get out and do some ski touring. He had been the hut keeper for the past few years and knows the terrain better than almost anyone else. Knowing that I was game for whatever ski tour he wanted to do. Asking him what gear I would need he said to put the crampons into our backpacks. Wherever we went it was going to be a wild day.
Heading up Istinden Ridge
We skinned up the into the bowl behind Tamokdalen and started heading towards Istinden. Before long we were on the high ridge and quickly gaining elevation. From our vantage point we had an open Northeast bowl below us and Blåbærfjellet in the distance.
Looking to the East below us was the two open bowls in the alpine behind Tamokhuset. The area had some steep lines before dropping into the flat basin below.
To the West was the Rostakulen Complex with a massive north facing basin. Off in the distance there was a sea of clouds but we were still in the sun. Though normally I would be nervous the forecast was calling for clear sky’s all day.
Making our way up the route was straightforward. Though we were able to skin on the lower section by now it had switched to rime ice. Putting on crampons we kept gaining elevation heading towards the summit of Istinden.
After a small traverse onto an open face to get around a cliff band things got a bit more technical. We needed to climb up and over a near vertical face to access the Northeast Bowl of Istinden.
Preparing to Snowboard Down
Arriving on the summit it was time to take off the crampons. Hanging out in the sun we took a quick break while transitioning to skiing down. Looking around us we were one one of the highest peaks within the area.
Riding off the summit we made our way to a low col between Istinden and Rostafjellet. Being our drop in point we took a few seconds to look down before our descent.
Being that Samppa knew the area he dropped into the Northwest Bowl of Istinden first. After a few turns he was out of my sight so I waited for a few seconds before I heard him yell up that all was good.
Following his turns down it started fall line before a hard traverse to the skiers left. By now I could see him in a safe spot having spotted the way through the cliff bands below. After a quick chat he mentioned that we would meet up again above the lower cliff band than was gone.
Dropping over the roller our opening was a few meters wide. Fortunately it was great powder snow which made riding easy before meeting up with him again on top of the final cliff band. Looking down we were on the last crux of the Northwest Bowl of Istinden.
Once Samppa skied through I could see him making turns in the valley and followed him down. Looking back up the Northwest Bowl I was happy that he knew where to go. While it was a great ski run I could see it going bad if we went the wrong way.
Once in the valley we skinned up and over a low shoulder and we’re back on a summer road traversing back to Tamokhuset. Being that he was around for a few days I could only imagine what tour he would come up with next.
