Info About the Sjufjellet, Lille Russetinden and Blåbærfjellet
Sjufjellet, Lille Russetinden and Blåbærfjellet are located across the valley from the Tamokhuset in Northern Norway. All three of these peaks drain south into the Finnskaret drainage and are prominent peaks within the Tamokdalen Valley. They dominate the view when ski touring within the area and offer numerous aspects and slope angles. While Sjufjellet and Blåbærfjellet are quite popular during the winter season Lille Russetinden is a bit more remote.
Why Sjufjellet, Lille Russetinden and Blåbærfjellet
For my final trip in Tamokdalen I wanted to end with something big. Having looked at the surrounding terrain for over a month I decided to do the 3 peaks just north of Tamokhuset. Being a solo trip I needed to minimalize my exposure to avalanche terrain. Looking at the maps I decided to come up with a route on Sjufjellet, Lille Russetinden and Blåbærfjellet. Following ridges and low angled slopes I could link them together into a long traverse while riding some awesome lines along the way.
Riding Down Sjufjellet Northeast Bowl
After an hour skin up Sjufellet I rode down the north couloir wrapping around the upper cliff-band. Making it into the main drainage I dropped into the lower basin before making my way onto to the main drainage. Switching to skinning I climbed over a low col on Russetinden’s east side.
Climbing up Lille Russetinden
Once at the col I switched over to snowboarding and made a long low angle traverse over to the base of the North side of Russetinden. After a few minutes of attempting to skin up firm conditions I switched to crampons and bootpacked near the rocks trying to make a fast pace up to the summit.
Snowboarding the North Face
I waited for the sun to come out before making turns down the north face. Following my ascent route between the rocks I was able to ride all the way to the creek at the bottom. Being tired and thirsty there Was an opening in the creek where I grabbed as much water as I could drink. The next part of the trip was going to be long so I needed to be a bit rested before climbing.
Starting the Final Climb up Blåbærfjellet
Heading East I passed by my old skin track and started climbing up a snow ramp. The weather seemed to be improving while I was climbing and I was happy to be back in the sun.
Once at a low col I made my way up a steep and firm headwall to get onto the final ridge. Getting onto the slope I put on my crampons and started climbing. Heading up with just my front points breaking into the snow I looked down at sharp rocks sticking out of the snow. While a fall wouldn’t have been fatal it would have been painful.
Once on the final ridge I made sure to stay away from potential cornices. The snow was firm so I decided to keep my crampons on walking along the long ridge. It was incredibly scenic as I took in views of the lines I had climbed earlier in the day while the sun started setting.
Finishing off the Sjufjellet, Lille Russetinden and Blåbærfjellet Traverse
After an endless bootpack I finally made it to the summit of Blåbærfjellet just as clouds started to head in. Deciding there was no time to rest I transitioned to ride mode and snowboarded towards the south face. Standing on top of the line it seemed far too firm to ride solo. Going with Plan B I followed the ridge down to the low angle slopes below and rode all the way to the road.
It was a long but beautiful route that allowed me to see a massive amount of terrain in a single tour and a great way to spend my last day in the Tamok area and end my 2019 season.
If you are interested in this ski tour here is the topo route below
