Savage driving with snowmobiles in cabin fields in Alta – NRK Troms and Finnmark

– That people are willing to go to such lengths to evade control is frightening, says Inger Anita Øvergård, head of the reindeer police in Finnmark.

She was given up after a snowmobile check in one of Finnmark’s largest cabin fields, Bollo, just outside Alta, this Easter.

While the patrol had few or no challenges elsewhere in the county, it was the wild west in Bollo.

Failure to wear a helmet, driving without a valid driver’s license and overloading the snowmobile were some of the offences. But the worst part was that several ran away from the police.

– There were five who ran away and the feedback from our people at the scene was that they were almost run over, says Øvergård.

– Can be driven everywhere

Alta municipality has 21,000 inhabitants and over 5,000 registered snowmobilers. This means that almost every fourth resident has their own snowmobile.

Many of the inhabitants go to the mountains at Easter to ice fish and make fires. Many also go to the cottage fields Bollo and Detsika, which are right next to each other a few miles south of Alta.

The cottage fields are idyllically situated with low pine forest, small hills and hills, and several fishing lakes.

The problem for many of those who go to the cabin to enjoy themselves is that the area is characterized by a lot of snowmobile traffic, including unreasonable and illegal driving.

Complaints about ski tracks being destroyed are a regular occurrence.

– It is driven everywhere. It’s been so bad that we’ve had to go inside because there’s been so much noise and noise from scooters that wreak havoc on the slopes and on the water, says Arnt Andersen.

Andersen has had a cabin in Bollo since 1991. He believes the development has been negative. And he has tried to do something about it.

– I have driven after the young people and tried to talk them into sense. Ask them to go further up the mountain and not stay close to the cabins, he says.

Andersen says that this Easter it has been much better around his cabin than before. But he does not think it has anything to do with the fact that he has spoken to the scooter drivers.

– No, not at all. I have heard that they are going to drive around the cabin, to provoke me, since I have spoken up, he says.

– Can’t you put up with a little noise?

– I have nothing against the normal use of snowmobiles. But this is not about that. It is about idiot driving, which means that others cannot enjoy themselves in the cabin, he says.

Escapes from the cottage at Easter

Cabin owner Knut Suhr is not surprised by what either Andersen or Øvregård tells.

– It is a miracle that there has not been a major accident in this area, says Suhr.

His cabin is more sheltered. But he knows that many are troubled. Suhr says that he met a lady on the ski slope in Bollo some time ago.

– She said that they were not going to the cottage at Easter. There was too much commotion and noise. She said that the scooters could keep going until 5-6 in the morning. It destroyed them, says Suhr.

NRK also knows of others in Bollo, who run away from the cabin at Easter due to reckless driving. However, they will not comment. Some are also afraid that the cabin will be sabotaged if they talk to the media.

Mini scooters for the children

Statistics show that the number of snowmobiles in Norway is increasing. In Finnmark and Alta, the number of mini scooters for children has also increased.

In Alta, dealers tell NRK that they sell around 30 such vehicles a year. They estimate that there could be somewhere between 300 and 400 mini scooters in Alta alone.

Miniscooters are small snowmobiles that are suitable for children as young as six years of age. But it is not allowed to drive with these except on a closed track.

Many people do not relate to this. Seeing small children wandering around the garden or at the cottage with their little scooters has become an increasingly common sight throughout Finnmark.

– It is full of mini scooters in Bollo. Many have several outside the cabin and it is driven several hours a day, says Arnt Andersen

He believes these scooters are not as bad in terms of noise. At the same time, he believes that it is problematic.

– In this way, children are almost encouraged to become lawbreakers, he says.

– The parents must be on the field

Recreational driving with snowmobiles is spreading throughout the country. In 2021, the government set up a motor traffic committee, which was to look at the regulations with a view to liberalisation.

On 21 May 2024, the proposal must be presented.

Andersen does not think there will be less illegal driving, even if the trail network is expanded.

– No, this is about attitudes, he says.

Knut Suhr believes that the cabin association in Bollo should have been involved, in addition to the police having more frequent checks.

– At the same time, you cannot expect the police to be here around the clock. A certain self-righteousness is needed from the young people who engage in this. Not least the parents have to be on the pitch, says Suhr.

The head of the Bollo cottage association, Erlend Lillemoen, does not want to comment on the matter. He believes it is a matter for the police.