Norwegian skateboarding from 78 to 89...

skategeezer · 03-22-2007, 01:21 PM

It was BANNED completely by the country

can anyone shed some more light on this.

sk8rs_dad · 03-22-2007, 02:07 PM

From Wikipedia (because we know how factual wikipedia is

)

Skateboard ban in Norway

The only country ever to ban skateboards was Norway, in the period between 1978 and 1989. The use, ownership and sale of skateboards were forbidden. The ban was said to be due to the perceived high amount of injuries caused by boards. The ban led skateboarders to construct ramps in the forest and other secluded areas to avoid the police. [11]

mangels · 03-22-2007, 02:14 PM

Given the Scandanavian folklore, I'm picturing trolls out in the woods riding ramps.

Oslodunc · 03-22-2007, 02:29 PM

I think there's actually a film about the early days in Norway.
Maybe jshalvorsen can elighten us, he's a local.

It's not a problem anymore.See skaters everyday.

J.. · 03-23-2007, 04:23 AM

Ahhhh those were the days!!

I remember my parents smuggling in a board after a vacation when I was 6 or so. The airplane crew saw the board when we were leaving, and told us to take the trucks and wheels off so we could hide it easier.. They even borrowed us the tools to take it apart.

The reason for the ban if I remember correctly was that the government read some statisics and calculated that atleast 30.000 or so norwegians would get injured from skating every year. So they banned it because it was seen as too dangerous, and owning, selling and buying boards was totally banned. Where I grew up as a kid we built a ramp in the woods in my neghbourhood, and I we never saw any cops. When we skated in the streets we always had a scout in each end who would call out if he saw any. But I know they used alot of energy to find hidden ramps, and everyone with a seen with a board was fined and the board confiscated.

J..

skategeezer · 03-23-2007, 05:33 AM

I love the internet
J, if you could pm me with any more tales, I'd love to hear them
I am doing something for the next issue in concrete wave
thanks
Michael

jshalvorsen · 03-23-2007, 06:35 AM

I think the reason for the ban was that after seeing some statistics the Norwegian government saw that concussions occurred more often on skateboards than other sports. And our bright norwegian brains had to be protected.... My first skateboard was homemade by my dad, with wooden!?! wheels and no bearings. I'll se if I can find a picture somewhere and post it.

A documentary has recently been made, and yes the skaters built verts out in the forest far away from the law to be able to skate. I can remember hiking in the forest with my family and suddenly there was this huge wood construction just sitting out in the woods, wich I later learn't was a vert.

Luckily the situation has changed and all kinds of skaters can now cruise or skate around without getting busted by the cops. Although I'm not sure they approve of our DH sessions down from one of the biggest tourist attractions in Oslo.

mangels · 03-23-2007, 10:30 AM

Isn't health care coverage provided by the government in Norway? I guess that would explain why they would be worried about too many people taking up this new and dangerous sport.

sk8rs_dad · 03-23-2007, 12:10 PM

Putting the Norway thing in perspective, the country has about same population as Los Angeles. 20 or more U.S. cities banned skateboarding in the late 60s -- Brooke, Michael (1999) The Concrete Wave - the History of Skateboarding. Warwick Publishing

Another useless fact:

In Canada, the risk of being abducted by a stranger is pretty slim. There was one incident between 2000-2005 according to a careful review by the RCMP. Children killed in car accidents is astronomically higher, as is hospitalization and/or death from childhood obesity. Yet parents regularly drive their kids to school rather than letting them walk (or skateboard) for fear of being abducted.

The moral of the story: "If you make decisions in a vacuum they're going to suck"