ABSTRACT
This chapter is dedicated to a case of organized transportation over the wild winter roads of Northern Russia, their particularity consisting in the lack of institutional support at the stages of both laying and functioning, in contrast to most winter roads. Wild winter roads are usually built through private initiatives of specific groups of people, whom the author refers to as infrastructural brokers. Just like cultural brokers, they have a one-off position in the region’s logistical system, as they open specific infrastructural opportunities having gained ground in both urban and rural communities. The very figure of a wild winter road driver has a historical background and comprises the need for a driver to master the technique of driving and maintaining an automobile, have wayfinding skills, and also to have the social connections necessary to support the stable functioning of the infrastructure.
