Info About Melkefjellet and Istinden Ridge
Melkefjellet and Istinden Ridge are the North facing bowls located just behind Tamokhuset. Being the main touring area in the area they can be accessed via a summer road that goes all the way into the alpine with a bridge that crosses the creek. The summit of Melkefjellet is 1,350 meters with the starting point at 223. With the area being North facing these are some of the best easy access powder slopes within the Tamokdalen Valley.
Why Melkefjellet and Istinden Ridge
The Melkefjellet and Istinden Ridge Traverse was a trip I came up with after touring up Istinden. With a clear view of most of the lines I wanted to link them up in a single day. Being that the faces were North facing the hope was that they still held powder. Having Jussi, Petri, Rasmus and I together the terrain offered a few different descent lines so everyone could have there own lines.
Exploring the Terrain Behind Tamokhuset
Leaving Tamokhuset we skinned up one of the cut out ski runs before hitting the lower ride. From our vantage point we had a clear view of our intended ski runs off in the distance. While there were rocks everywhere quite a few gullies were filled with snow.
Wanting to turn the trip into a scenic traverse we made our way up Melkefjellets Northern Ridge. Making switchbacks between open rocks we gained elevation before arriving on the upper flat slopes.
Heading to the top of our first ski descent we followed the ridge. With a drop off to both the East and West sides we used caution to stay on the crest. The weather was flat light as high clouds blocked the sun but visibility was still quite good.
Arriving on the summit of Melkefjellet we took a few minutes to take in the views while transitioning. Looking to the West was the backside of the bowls behind Tamokhuset. While the north side had clean lines to the valley the south side had a massive cliff band that went as far as I could see.
Snowboarding Down Melkefjellet
Looking at the photos we had taken earlier Petri and I dropped off from the summit. It was a bit nerve wreaking as we couldn’t see into the line at first but soon enough it came into view. Watching Petri drop in we were dealing with only a few inches of edgeable powder.
With both of us riding to the upper valley we watched Jussi make his way down. The snow wasn’t as good as we hoped for but still fun.
Jussi and Rasmus decided to head back down to Tamokhuset while Petri and continued the Melkefjellet and Istinden Ridge Traverse. Climbing up a nice ridge we made it to the top of the Eastern Bowl before riding down the headwall. While the line had numerous rocks we were able to find a clean route all the way to the frozen lake in the basin below.
Finishing Off the Ski Tour on Istinden Ridge
With two hours of daylight left we made our way up Istinden Ridge for our final descent. Knowing that there was a chute that dropped into the North facing bowl below we started searching for it. Carefully navigating a steep ridge we finally had a view of the line we were looking for. By now the sun was setting as we dropped in and rode down to the valley.
In the end the Melkefjellet and Istinden Ridge Traverse made the most out of the terrain behind Tamokhuset. While it wasn’t unconsolidated powder it was still a great tour and well worth the time we had spent.
If you are interested in this ski tour here is the topo route below
