Driving a snowmobile in Alta: do you need a license?
Yes, to drive. Norway lets only holders of a valid class B car license take the handlebars of a snowmobile, and the guides check the card on the day. If you have none, you can still join as a passenger. Below, the rules for each operator, what the first minutes on the sled look like and how much of the tour you spend driving.
The rule in Norway
Æventyr's listings put it plainly. In Norway a snowmobile driver needs a valid class B driving license, and the guide asks to see it before you start.
Class B is the ordinary car license. A plastic card from your home country is what the guide expects to see, so pack it with your passport rather than leaving it in the hotel safe.
Norway also keeps motorized traffic in the outdoors to marked routes and permitted tracks. That is one reason nobody rents you a sled to roam the Finnmarksvidda alone, and why every tour here follows a guide.
Riding without a license
No license means you ride as a passenger, which works fine on every tour that seats two per sled. On Æventyr's rides the minimum passenger age is 12, so younger children cannot join at all.
Alta Adventure sets its own limits. Drivers must be 18 or older, and the passenger may weigh no more than 75 kg (165 lb), which leaves many adults out of the back seat.
Families with teenagers usually work it as a parent driving and the child riding behind. Our guide for families lists every age limit in one place.
No experience needed
None of the tours asks for previous snowmobile experience. Each one starts with a safety briefing and driving instructions, and Alta Adventure adds a demonstration before anyone starts an engine.
The controls are simple. A thumb throttle on the right handlebar makes the sled go, a hand brake slows it, and you steer by turning the bars and shifting your weight on bends.
Once out on the track, the group drives in a convoy behind the guide. Æventyr says the pace follows the group's experience, so a first-timer is not pushed to keep up with a confident driver.
How much of the tour you drive
On Æventyr's four-hour tours, the actual driving adds up to about two hours. Transport and dressing in the thermal suit fill much of the rest. So do the briefing and the stops for coffee and snacks.
Pairs swap seats during the trip, so if you share a sled, each of you drives part of the way. Agree beforehand who takes the climb and who takes the way back, or the guide will suggest a swap at a stop.
A daylight ride for first-time drivers
Æventyr's daytime tour climbs from the Gargia Valley lodge through snowy forest to the open plateau, so you learn the controls in good light with about two hours on the sled.
Daylight makes the first drive easier, since you can read the track ahead. If you would rather start at night, the northern lights ride follows the same old postal road in the dark.
The first minutes on the sled
Most nerves fade within the first few hundred meters. The sled feels heavy at a standstill, then surprisingly steady once it rolls, and the guide keeps the opening stretch gentle.
Keep a steady gap to the snowmobile in front, roughly the distance the guide shows you at the start. Braking hard on fresh snow is rarely needed if you ease off the throttle early.
Lean into the turn on bends and let the skis do the work. If the sled drifts off the track, slow down until it settles rather than wrestling the handlebars.
Questions are welcome at any stop. The guides ride these routes every winter and would rather explain twice than have a nervous driver at the back of the line.
A checklist for drivers
A few small things save trouble on the day. Run through them the evening before, while the hotel desk can still help.
- Your physical class B driving license, not a photo of it
- The booking confirmation with the pickup place
- Warm gloves or mittens that let you work a thumb throttle
- Glasses if you need them to drive, worn under the helmet
- A sober evening before an early ride
The passenger needs none of the license paperwork. They do need the same warm layers, and on Alta Adventure's safari a weight under the passenger limit.
The contract at Alta Adventure
On Alta Adventure's safari, the driver signs a contract accepting responsibility for the snowmobile. The listing gives no damage figure, so ask what that responsibility covers before the day.
Your travel insurance may or may not include snowmobile driving. A quick check costs nothing, and our price comparison covers the rest of the small print on each tour.
If you share a sled and swap seats, ask Alta Adventure whether both of you sign the contract or only the person who books. The listing does not say.
Alcohol and health limits
Alcohol and drugs are not allowed on the tours. The same rule as on the road applies, so save the drink for the evening once the suit is back on its hanger.
Each listing also names people the ride does not suit. Pregnant travelers and anyone with back problems cannot join any of the three shorter rides, and Æventyr's night ride adds mobility problems and an age limit of 70.
Weight limits differ too. No rider over 100 kg (220 lb) can join Alta Adventure, while Æventyr allows up to 130 kg (287 lb) at night and 140 kg (309 lb) for ice fishing.
Driving in the cold
Your hands do most of the work. Warm gloves or mittens therefore matter more for the driver than for the passenger. A thumb that goes numb on the throttle makes the ride jerky for both of you.
The tours lend thermal suits and helmets. What goes underneath is up to you, and our what to wear guide lists the layers, while our guide to sharing a sled or riding solo explains how the two seats feel.