Norway Sledding With Alvilde Abelsen

Snowmobile Athlete Spotlight with Alvilde Abelsen

Name: Alvilde Kristiansen Abelsen Age: 20 years old From: Alta, Norway Instagram: @alvildeee MTNMOB Ambassador  

How Did You Get Into Snowmobiling?

  Ever since I was a little girl we have owned snowmobiles. I loved the feeling of riding this amazing machine that could take us everywhere. Even though the snowmobile we had was an old Yamaha Et340, it was so fun! In Norway, when you turn 16, you are just allowed to ride a 550cc snowmobile until you turn 18. The rules are so strict, that if you drive an 800cc as a 16-year-old, you´ll get a fine. I always wanted a snowmobile of my own so when I turned 16, my parents bought me my first snowmobile. After that, it just escalated from trail riding with my Arctic Cat f570 to bigger machines and backcountry riding.  

What’s Snowmobiling Like In Norway?

  Norway is a big country. The cold and snowy conditions are mainly in the northern part of Norway. There are certain places that are allowed to ride on. As mentioned before, the rules are very strict. The government has set up these trails where you need to be within 300 meters. If the police catch you, you´ll get an f****** big fine that costs more than a flight from Norway to Idaho (look it up, your jaw will drop to your knees, I promise). But back to the question: Most snowmobile riders in Norway probably know someone who rides who has influenced them into riding snowmobiles. It could be a family member, a friend or maybe even a famous snowmobiler.  

What Type Of Terrain Do You Snowmobile In?

  Last season I started pushing my own limits, and this year my riding will probably be more in the woods. One thing I really want to learn is to jump, but since I’m so afraid of heights the jumping is a problem. At the end of the season, I started to let go of the fear that was holding me back. I got some airtime at the end of the season, and next year I’m gonna throttle it out and go bigger. Other than backcountry riding, I’ve tried hill climbs and hill cross. It´s all a lot of fun, and I think I´ll sign up for hill climbs next year as well.  

Social Media And My First Brand New Sled

  This season I started sharing pictures from our sledding trips on my personal Instagram. The number of followers started increasing and people were actually interested in what I was sharing. Today I´m posting regularly, and mainly about snowmobiling. March of this year, my boyfriend bent the tunnel on our 2012 Polaris Pro RMK. Enough was enough – I knew it would take a long time for the sled to be in a rideable condition. Two days later I went to the local dealer and bought myself my first brand new snowmobile. A Polaris Axys 800 Pro RMK.  

Starting The Kids Young On Snowmobiles

I have a son that is 1.5 years old that I spend most of my time with. I can barely wait until I can get him his first mini-snowmobile! I would say that I’m just a regular girl(and the coolest mom ever), with a passion for snowmobiles.  

Get Ready For Sled Chick Camp Norway Style

  This upcoming year, myself and five other girls are arranging a Norwegian girl’s camp that´s taking place at Riksgränsen in the beginning of March. There will be an instructor(still a secret), a photographer and room for 20 girls to attend the camp. Really excited for this, I hope we can pull this off without any problems!  

Brands That Are Killing It In Norway

  The most popular snowmobile gear brands in Norway are:

FXR

     

Tobe Outerwear

Jethwear

      This year I predict that Scott will get a bigger piece of the market here because they have launched their own line of snowmobile monosuits. We also have Klim, but I only know one guy who rides with their gear, so I won’t say that they are so big among the guys I know and ride with. MotorFirst isn’t a well “known” brand here, I think it is because they don’t have any dealers in Norway?  

How FXR Kills It In Norway

 

It is not a secret that FXR pretty much “owns” the snowmobile market in Norway. I would say that they have done the best job marketing here in Norway. Mainly because they do a lot of rider support(sponsor). For example, Maria Sandberg is the most famous sled chick from Norway and she rides the FXR brand. Other than rider support, they have dealers in almost every city all over the country. They are less expensive compared to some of the other brands, and that might be one of the reasons that they are so big compared to the other brands. I personally don’t know which brand I’m going with this year, but I assume that both of the girls I ride with are going with FXR.  

Which Snowmobile Manufacturer Is The Most Popular In Norway?

    Polaris and Ski-Doo are the biggest ones. Everyone that I ride with, ride either a Ski-Doo or a Polaris. I personally prefer the Polaris because of the handling. It’s easy to ride and overall a very fun sled to ride. I’m not that into Ski-Doo’s because I think the steering on the doo is kinda ****** up, haha. But if I ever get the chance, I would definitely try the new 850. When the axys came on the marked, they sold plenty of them here in Alta. I guess it’s gonna be kinda the same thing with Ski-doo’s 850. They also say that the 17′ cat has stepped up its game, but I’m not sure what to expect since I haven’t ridden one yet.