Melissa Brandner
The stoke is real
In the Lyngen Alps, Melissa moves through winter with equal parts drive and joy. A worldclass snowboarder with podiums from the Freeride World Tour qualifiers and challenger series. She’s as comfortable threading steep couloirs as she is playing through pillows and open faces on her splitboard. But for Melissa, the real magic lives in the full day: an early cup of tea, gear packed the night before, fresh snow brushed off the car, and the quiet excitement of heading out with friends who love learning and moving in the mountains as much as she does.
Her experience runs deep, shaped by competition, long training days, and hard-earned lessons from close calls in avalanche terrain. One spring evening taught her just how unforgiving timing and persistent weak layers can be, reinforcing a respect for conservative decisions even when everything else looks inviting. She’s known among partners for her strong sense of direction, steady presence, and for pulling mini chocolates from her pocket when energy dips. Whether lapping local lines under a high sun or warming her feet by the fire after a long day out, Melissa carries a simple truth with her: every day she gets to snowboard is a good day.
Get to know Melissa Brandner
Go-to snack in your pack?
Cheese quesadilla
An 'oh no' moment you learned the most from?
A few years back I was heading out in the spring time with a friend after work. We got to the bottom of a bowl up to the mountain Middagstinden on Kvaløya, spotted a small crown on the lookers right side of the bowl so we decided we would hike up a ridge rather than entering the bowl and taking the normal route. After getting changed as we were about to start off, the bowl released intially a small slab which cascaded to the buried weak layer, we ran up onto a small high point and the giant wet slide turned in front of us. It covered the path thatt we had taken up, however we did see that the route we had planned ahead had not slid. We learnt that we had used our knowledge to make a good decision from that point, however heading out late in the day in the spring with the persistent weak layer was a very bad call on our part.
One tip for great days?
Carry some mini chocolates in your pocket so when your partners get low on energy you can pick them up
Guilty-pleasure song – giving you energy while skinning?
Your 'superpower' in the mountains?
My sense of direction, many a blind line i've found my way down
Your perfect day recipe
Waking up early to a cup of tea, my gear is already packed from the night before, there is fresh powder to brush off the car. We head to a local spot , the sun is shining and we lap the mountain taking different lines, gullies, rock gardens to play in and fast turns down a big open face, and of course a quick lunch and saft break with the sun warming our cheeks.
Your mountain mantra
Every day that I get to snowboard is a good day
How do you choose partners
I pick the friends that are happy to train their mountain skills with me every year, that love the sport as much as I do so can enjoy flatt tterrain as much as the gnarly stuff. Im also happy to take out people new to the mounttains and share my passion with them.
Post ski ritual
Cup of tea and warming my feet by the fire
Coffee, tea or cocoa on tour?
Warm blackcurrent squash, solbaer saft
Biggest gear fail (and lesson)?
Riding a couloir in Svalbard my ankle strap snapped, I train riding with and without my straps done up ;)
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