– I didn’t give up, he says and smiles. When he was 13, he was finally allowed. Not only by dad, but it is also the age limit for starting cross country in Norway. It was the start of an adventurous cross career, both in Norway and internationally. Magnus has competed in, among other places, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Italy, Russia and the USA. – It was great to compete in the USA, but to become European champion on home ground in Lakselv was of course very fun. Johan Mathis Gaup In 2013, Magnus became Norwegian champion for the fourth and last time. I have raced cross-country almost all my life, but now I have switched to freestyle skiing. Dreams of free riding Snowmobiles have become a lifestyle that Magnus shares with many throughout Finnmark. – Snowmobiling is an important part of life for us who live up here. Therefore, the 36-year-old urges that separate areas should be opened for so-called free driving in Finnmark. That means off-piste driving. Such driving is not legal today. Nevertheless, Magnus has bought himself a snowmobile which is primarily designed for driving in deep snow. A donation named Shredder Lynx 850 turbo. Price tag: a quarter of a million kroner. In comparison, Sweden has several areas where snowmobile drivers can drive freely. This is what Magnus dreams of. – It is time that Norway also set aside areas for free driving, he says. In addition to free riding areas, Magnus wants a wider network of trails and also “longer opening hours”: – I wish the season for trail riding had lasted until it was no longer possible to ride anymore. That it will not end by a certain date, he says. In parts of Nord-Troms and Finnmark, the slopes are closed after 5 May. Prohibited to drive freely Driving as Magnus does in the video is illegal if you have not received a dispensation. news was granted a dispensation to film Magnus free-riding with the snowmobile in Kviby, a few miles from where Magnus now lives, Alta. – It would have been nice to have a large free-riding area here in Kviby. It is close to the track and it is also close to Alta. Here you could have lit a fire and enjoyed yourself. Driven, jumped and steered. The problem for Magnus is that no dispensation is granted for free riding off the track. It is only given for commercial use. For example, to collect firewood in the forest. But he thinks nature is big enough for both animals and free riders. – I think there is room for everyone. – Differential treatment But can free rangers, reindeer husbandry, birds and wildlife coexist in the north? The law must take account of the calving of reindeer and other animals and birds in the wild. Magnus thinks it is strange that there is apparently not as much focus on wildlife in southern Norway. – I think it’s strange that in Oslo, the fjord is full of boats as soon as it’s high season for it, and it doesn’t seem like any birdlife is taken into account there. Magnus believes that the law treats people in the north differently compared to people in the south. In Norwegian fjords, it is legal to drive jet skis and recreational boats during the nesting period after 5 May, when animals give birth and birds nest, but it is forbidden to drive snowmobiles during the same period in the north, out of concern for wildlife. – If Vidda had been in Oslo, there would have been areas for free driving here, he says. Jet skis are free in the Oslofjord. Vegard M. Aas / NTB scanpix Storting representative Bård Hoksrud (Frp) was one of the champions of the repeal of the jet ski regulation. Vegard M. Aas / NTB scanpix In 2019 it became legal to drive jet skis in Oslo. Storting representative Bård Hoksrud (Frp) does not own a watercraft, but he is concerned that people should thrive in Norway. In 2016, he literally drove to the front to lift the jet ski ban in Norway, together with members of the Norwegian Jet Ski Association. Three years later, the Storting decided to allow jet skis and equated them with leisure boats in Norway. Municipalities still have the option of creating their own guidelines for watercraft, but they cannot prohibit it. Now Hoksrud will fight for it to be legal to drive snowmobiles also after 5 May and to establish free driving areas in Norway. – There is no reason why there should be a difference in Norway if you are in southern Norway and do watercraft or if you are in northern Norway and drive a snowmobile. FRP formed a majority together with Høyre, Venstre and KrF to change the Motor Traffic Act in 2021. Now there are over one million recreational boats in Oslo alone. A total of 95,934 snowmobiles were registered in the whole of Norway last year. One of the snowmobile owners is Mihkkal Máhtte. He is allowed to drive freely when he is herding reindeer. I think the law should be as it is today. Mihkkal Máhtte Gaup Throughout the winter, Mihkkal Máhtte Gaup’s family has herded their reindeer in a larger herd together with other families. They have been looking after their reindeer a few miles north of Kautokeino. Before moving the reindeer to the coast, they have driven the herd into a dividing fence, where they extract their reindeer. Mihkkal Máhtte’s family has a separate area where they let the reindeer calve, in Kviby. It is the same area that Magnus thinks is a suitable place for free riding. – Free-riding stressed the reindeer herd Last year, Mihkkal Máhtte spotted someone driving a snowmobile off the trail and into the mountainsides in Kviby. Mihkkal Máhtte says that he told the driver that they had reindeer on the mountain and asked him to turn around. – He denied that he was driving illegally and said he could drive wherever he wanted. According to Mihkkal Máhtte, this stressed the reindeer herd, which began to move in different directions. – We had to drive quite a bit more to regain control of the herd. Mihkkal Máhtte thinks the Motor Traffic Act works very well as it is today. – We have good contact with the county governor, and are unsure how the communication will be if the local municipalities are to take over more responsibility, he says. Divide fence in Suotnju five miles northeast of KautokeinoJohan Ánte Utsi Spinning on mountain sides Reindeer graze lichen and other herbs that grow naturally in nature, therefore Mihkkal Máhtte is against more trails and free riding. He says it ruins the reindeer’s food dish. – Some spin on the mountain sides so that the soil is turned up and leaves black spots. The snowmobiles have become very powerful and the belts have become rougher, he says. He says that driving on trails does not damage, but he is not too fond of the resting that takes place off the trails. – There are remains of campfires on almost all the bare patches in the spring, exactly the places that are most valuable to the reindeer. There they could have obtained nourishment without having to dig in the snow. Mihkkal Máhtte believes that more slopes can lead to more illegal driving off the slopes. Tracks off the trail mean that the snow melts more slowly, which in turn gives less access to pasture for the reindeer. Mihkkal Máhtte is in full swing separating his reindeer from the large reindeer herd. Photo: Johan Ánte Utsi / news “Special” causes anger in the Sami Parliament The fact that Mihkkal Máhtte and other reindeer owners are allowed to drive freely in connection with business is regulated by another law: the Reindeer Herding Act. Here it is stated that “Anyone who practices reindeer husbandry has access to the use of the necessary means of access and transport in accordance with the district plan”. They can be fined if they drive freely in areas that are not connected to reindeer herding. The Motor Traffic Act has been important in protecting, among other things, the reindeer on the plains. This consideration has been natural for the Sámi Parliament to support, because as an independently elected body it should be the mouthpiece for the Sámi in wider society. But in recent years, a rapidly growing opposition party has promoted a different policy than the traditional parties. “What about all the other people who live in Finnmark who have traditions of using open fields?” asked the Nordkalott people when the Sámi Parliament considered the consultation report for the motor traffic law committee in March. The Nordkalott people want everyone in Finnmark: Sami, Kven and Norwegians, to be able to use and harvest from nature. And preferably with motorized vehicles. The party believes that reindeer herding’s permitted commercial driving is a so-called special right which is unfair, and advocates that industries such as berry picking, hunting and fishing should be equated with reindeer herding. But the party is in the minority in the Sámi Parliament and did not get a majority for its proposals. Instead, they submitted their own consultation report. The majority of the Sámi Parliament, led by the Norwegian Sámi National Association, believes there is a need to secure permits for commercial driving in the countryside for Sámi outside of reindeer herding, because it will “strengthen and safeguard the cultural basis for Sámi culture”. Eyes of hope Now, however, the politics of parties such as Nordkalottfolket and Frp have given Magnus hope that there may be change in sight for snowmobile enthusiasts. In Norway, it is only allowed to drive snowmobiles on marked tracks, but snowmobile drivers have the opportunity to ski 300 meters off the track. There will only be more of those who allow themselves to be tempted to drive off the trail network. This is clear from the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate, which reports an increase in illegal off-piste driving. Some people drive illegally knowingly and expect to be caught and fined. Changing the law is the right way to go, says Magnus’s friend, Andreas Pedersen. The 32-year-old speaks for himself and everyone who wants to use the snowmobile for purposes other than just commercial driving. Altaværingen has chosen to get involved politically in the Finnmark Community Council for Snowmobiles and ATV Users (FFSA). The FFSA board member thinks this is a unique opportunity to ensure that the younger generation also gets their voice in the umbrella organization for the snowmobile and ATV associations in the north. – I want to work on getting a revised legislation for more activity outside. It provides more opportunities for everyone, including free driving within a carefully researched area, says Andreas. He himself makes several trips to Sweden to freeride with snowmobiles, because there he can legally drive off-piste in certain areas. – Now it is time for Norway to look towards Sweden, the USA and Canada, he says. Snowmobiles designed for deep snow have been sold in Norway since 1993, he emphasizes. – As the law is today, there is a high probability that many will break the law due to free driving, he says. Andreas calls for some form of evidence-based research that shows that free-riding areas are not possible to achieve in a good way. When it comes to the early closure of the trail network at the beginning of May, he completely agrees with Magnus. This is the best time on the mountain. Then it must be allowed to drive snowmobiles and have fun if there is snow and good conditions for traffic, says Andreas. – If the trails are to be closed earlier, this must also be based on research, not the opinion of individuals, he says. Looking at the law Now a separate motoring law committee will look at how the motoring law can be simplified. The committee must look at two contradictions. They must both protect the natural environment and promote people’s well-being. Briefly explained, natural environment means an area that is not affected by us humans. – I will not say anything about the work on the law until we have submitted the proposal. That’s what the leader of the motor traffic law committee, Jon Christian Fløysvik Nordrum, says. The committee must propose changes to the Storting by 1 December this year. But what will weigh more heavily: Nature or well-being? Is there room for both? Geahča TV-ášši sámegillii:
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Free driver Magnus Lindbäck will drive snowmobiles in deep snow – reindeer herding will preserve the Motor Traffic Act – news Sápmi
