To Wax or Wax-Free Skis for X-country

Waxing Ski-ryrical

Today was a new first for me, out on x-country skis which require waxing to both grip and glide properly. Until now I have been content with the one-way-pattern "waxless" skis.

Should new beginners go straight in for waxed skis and cut out this middle man?

Fish-scales as some people call them, save of course guessing the temperature and you are guaranteed fairly good grip on herring-bone ascents. They do slow your glide down though and there are limits to their effectiveness of grip, at below -9 and above 2'C. However you can actually combat this by using ....glide wax and "klister" wax, akin to UHU glue in consistency and adherence. Kind of defeating the purpose, but in fact in winter conditions and in the high hills at easter, wax free can give you a trouble free day and some good training.


Waxed x-country skis, ie normal, glide faster and you just adjust the wax to optimise the kick. However you do have to wax and re-rub off and occaisionally rewax the "sole" to a base wax. Problems come when conditions under foot are very variable, and this is the case where the sun or mild winds get access to part of the ski runs. Combine this with a gradient against you and it's time to stop up and do some major cosmetic surgery on the soles of your erstwhile sliding-shoes.

Incidentally, the very best wax free skis are available in carbon fibre, and are intended for both such tricky conditions in racing and training. So they're not just for poosies and lazy gits who can't read a thermometer.

Waxing is not only its own language and currency of conversation, it is its very own culture of excuses and denials. Like we brit's talk about the weather to break-the-ice with strangers, so Norwegians ( at least, if not scandinavians) will suddenly engage you in warm conversation which otherwise would, as is par for the course here, be lacking ( "No Banter" said one mate who lives in Oslo and works for GE Healthcare). Also any bad performance, slow progress on one part of the course or general bad mood can be explained away under the "wrong wax, failed wax" book of excuses. I find myself reaching for the first chapter now, unwittingly....


In general, wax less skis give you better kick but less glide: I think this is probably an area for debating their overall value to beginners: if you kick but don't glide enough then you are not learning the complete technique and you are wasting energy. If however, you ski in variable conditions, prepared and just ski-made-tracks, and have more of a walking style than "Jogging" then waxfree are all you will most likely ever need.


If you want to get the most exercise out of the sport, then in fact wax free can also help you in the beginning because of the rather unique "stride and hold" gape. If you are fit already, then you may find , as I did actually on carbon wax frees, that you end up injuring yourself because your quadracepts will be strong enough to work really hard while your little crotch and knee muscles engaged in x-country are not ready for the punishment your major abductors are giving them. Waxfree makes it easier to "hold" because the ski grips on the back foot better and the glide is somewhat "on the brakes". You could of course over-wax with higher temperature wax applied to a longer area under the ski onto a normal ski.

Waxing will allow you to really get into the swing of things, literally, because you will get the full benefit of the more jogging-come-striding style. This is faster and give's you argueably a better work out, both forcing you to keep a rythm and also rewarding you with faster progress.

There is one other good reason to buy an entry level set of waxfree skis is that even if you just get one holiday', course' or season's use out of them before you feel, like me, that they are braking your speed and limiting your technique. Keep these as your reserve skis for those difficult days, for those tours in certain hill and moor ski tracks but not prepared runs, easter, summer glaciers and when you venture to terra nova not knowing if the conditions and availability of tracks.

Cracking the Code

Once when I worked at a large US based corporate I took it upon myself to socialise with other departments at a christmas doo. It didn't take me long to appreciate that they were a bunch of trogs. However one informed me it was worth cracking the code, breaking into the group becuase once you were in there.....I nodded politely.

Now I am new boy, bad smell, needy baby. Again....in two areas.


Firstly of course as this is a Norway rant, the local yocal and general work life code to crack. This involves a long period of stalking, being mild, keeping quiet and trying to be alone somehow so people think you should get invited to social events. Impossible if you are not single.

You have to learn to be small and use just a little charm to squeeze your way in. Once you are in and Godkjent, then everyone is suddenly there: and not worth it. Conversation is often dull as ditchwater and revolves around false modesty and sly boasting: keeping up with the jones in legnth of yacht and improvements to the cabin.

The other area I am only a little bit more successful in is Social Media.

The key here in fact is NOT actually creating a social network on line: it is to snowball out of one you have in REAL, or to ride the back of an established (or many established) groups and fanpages.


Both of which I am very bored with trying and just can't be bothered. Usually when things hitrock bottom a little angel gets sent on some kind of probatory duty to help me out. "oh god, not another undeserving type looking for a nano miracle to steer them away from the dark....well, here goes.....ding....someone asks him to socialise, or he will get a job interview..."

Angel times? Plenty...getting the motivation to do my best at my degree. Bumping into Wallace and then dave...Getting the flash motor and pleasent job at leo. Getting my fifth year of uni fiunded. Getting called up to go on the smeg. Bumping into GLX reno 5 driver Gill. Getting called up for the km job. Striking in first time at mccanns. getting a job , with more pay, quickly after HCC fell through. Jim liking my CV.

Since then though I have made my own luck and had to work at it. Now I give up. If I beleive in angel , delinquent one , then I must let it fall on me soon.

A man in free fall again.

Peed off with Norwegian Employers and "Pals"

This week I am been mostly pist off with norwegians



My issue is that I have not cracked the code apparently, and well, do I actually want to?

I lived in aberdeen/ and shire a couple of years and by the time I found out there was a code to break and time to be spent making social networks I wasn't frikkin at all interested in the inward, inbred, boring and rather naval gasing aberdonians.

I did note you got about 5 mins respect and politeness as a guest, the rest was a brush off. So you get a bit more pushy maybe on trying to make pals. WRONG! you have got to go the other way and be invited to be a potential booking for an interview to discuss the possibility of getting a qeue ticket number to start maybe being on a list of potential people to be acquantances with.....or not if you decide on that day to cold shoulder the pushy outside away.

Well, same here, but the "guest" period lasts longer particularily if you move around a bit like I have: each place and work environment affords you a little honey moon period before it is back to head down, hope you maybe make a pal but don't expect too much.

It is of course partly a function of my age and having family, but it sucks. It is alien for me to have to ask some people so softly-softly-catch-a-monkey for a pint: this is seen as a bit pushy.

In norway, once your guest 5mins of welcome is up, you have to shut up and let and get on with doing menial, quiet things before they maybe will deem you to be worthy of a socialising bone. Try just a little too hard, and they back off. TOo hard can mean ONE single text message too many out of three per annum.

Huts, boats, holdiays, lobsters etc : if you are in the guest phase you get some of this, but it is abruptly OUT OF BOUNDS for you to ask when you are between valued guest and new friend.

New friend status, that still nervous phase before fast cameraderie, may take several YEARS to attain.

And, you know what, it isn't worth it.

Getting Norwegian Wood over the women

Well Norwegian women are better looking, long-term thinner and more game for outdoor pursuits than most any other country I have been in.

There is a steady stream of Brits and Yanks who get struck by the boy-meets-viking-jente and land up here, convinced to move and start a family on the oil fired paradise.

You should be sceptical ! Economically it can be a catastrophe, I heard more stories about budding middle managers getting stuck in mid rank consultants and delivery bitches here from a guy in Oslo this week.

Here are some questions:

1) does your prospective bi-acch own a house?

2) do her or her family own a cabin ? (hytte say hutte, they will know what you mean)

3) does other half to be earn more than 420 000 NOK?

4) Can her family or close friends help you get a job in a comnpany which you may actually be able to do in english first?

5) Could you work for either a) a company with offices in norway before you come 2)a norwegian company in your home land before you come?

6) are you proffessionally a : oil industry engineer/geologist/HSE expert etc ie "OIL worker" , electronic engineer, joiner, painter, burning successful entrepreneur, tiler or Java programmer?

7) can you speak german with also either chinese, japanese, spanish & italient or russian?


If you have answered 'no' to more than two of these you will really, really struggle in Norway

For instance, during the recession companies in my "state" have just whacked a lot of people: unemployment rose by 22% , but unemployment amongst immigrants rose 49%!!!!

Even a senior business consultant who has worked for most of the big 5, says you are a second class citizen here and you should behave like a guest at the party.

Be humble and extrememly grateful for what chances you get in work life.

Lacking the economic cushions I ask you to consider above in the questions, life will be an uphill struggle outside the oil industry. You will get contract work, dressed up sometimes as leading to a firm position, you will be first to get "whacked" and you will be often marginalised in your authority by longer established coworkers who are not actually as important as your position should be. Also you will be overlooked for real career opportunity jobs, and like me, quite possible pushed out of jobs in favour of the group of bosses and their pals offspring.

To share in the high standard of living you have to get the lead-start by marrying the right viking! One with a well earning family wwith the free time life on offer, and also contacts who can get you a job.

Eye Candy

Eykandy

You knnow it is a very strange thing that you don't really notice how important a nice-bit-of-ass in the office is until you don't have anything to look at all day, all week, all month at work.

I think I miss the titilation and the "maybe she would" - the basis of many a female sales persons career. Depending on the audience- with GPs ( doctors) it is best to have them not TOO pretty, just a bit middle of the road, a little busty, thin to plump with that hint of slutt which a middle aged man interprets wildly at a subconscious level.

In our little biochemical or perhaps also soul worlds of the unconscious mind I am sure that there are sexual entanglements when the vibes are positive.

I have a foriegn version of good old anita murphy at my side here. Too many years of too much make up, she is on the shelf now dvrcd and right on the very brink of becoming past her sell by date. She knows it. But her career, like muffies, has come first, although her progress has been less than meteoric in relation to the long hours she puts in.

Anyway, she sure ain't eye candy. A dull analyst. The girls nextdoor work in telesales and one or two are of the "hmm, three pinter" variety, but nothing gord' like linda and her bumpy bits in the kra-office.

I've always had some crumpet really! Even in my first ever job! Even in the last yab in oslo the owamw thing with the boobs and ass were good, and the slutty old sales boss too boot. Plus the shop girls upstairs- two or three absolute stunners.

The "might happens" of course do happen, but you have to open your mind to it and feel the pheramones. Age is not a real barrier, either way. Poor old astrid would have got a proper rogering or lizzie, with her HRT and big tits and what a bum for a 50 year old! Or whazzername in hyde, owamwooooo!"

I just like having a semi for part of the day. Kind of tantric sex with the cousin type relationships we have in the work place.

Here in norway the eye candy one might employ as a boss can be oh-sooo much better than any UK or USA boss could get away with ( unless they were a female and therfore probably a lesbie or a honey pot hunter) I mean having a couple of bird who are model status and one who is a prawn star figure would not be anythign to batt an eyelid to in a company of over 10 people. Under that it would be a major fukup though- too claustrophobic for all sides. But the same ratio could apply and be inversely proportional - a bigger company may have 50% of staff female and 75% of them as well tasty or "might put out a bit" types. I've seen these companies! Why employ dogs?

yeah. no need here or in the recession bound western lands. A pretty barmaid, waitress, receptionist or what ever sets a bit of a sexy tone of arousal and thereafter the theme should continue on every office floor. A smattering of lovelies. Keep us boys liking the work place, because like I say, you only REALLY notice it when there ain't any and then it sucks.

Well we have some new staff coming but I don't see this changing in nerdland.

You Know You Have Been in Norway too Long when....

Well you certainly know you have been in Norway too long when any of the following top 10 happen to you!

You can read more of the same and link up wiht many (mostly east europeans?) at www.immino.no

1. When on tours abroad, after a couple of days you find yourself yearning for a brown, plastic like sickly, caramelised sandwich filler made from burnt milk...(dvs brunost)
2. While on sandwiches, in fact a UK sandwich with a top and bottom, seems absolutely ludicrous over use of bread. Open sandwiches are no longer difficult to pack and eat with the ingenious employment of small bits of paper...
3. Where-ever you are in the the world, on friday evenings around 5pm and saturdays around the same time you begin to twitch unconsciously in the anticipation of 'last chance to buy wine or beer' respectively..
4. You no longer feel guilty about not speaking to the neighbours.
   
5. ; 1 - 4 only blokes....When travelling abroad you start ogelling and drooling over decent sets of (natural) boobs
6. .......whilst you wonder why girls have such dreadful legs and bums outside scandinavia
7. You completely forget the expression " want to grab a quick beer?" with colleagues.
8. You get jealous of people's ownership and their flippant, infrequent use of small shacks out in the midge-ridden woods.
9. Once establishing a friendship you are no longer surprised at being offered their entire material assets for your disposal.
10. ....whilst you see no point in trying to take 99% realtionships with colleagues beyond the work place
    

the lastest rant on jobs

Well well, here I am doing what I have never really done before ...

working in a temp job at the shitty end of the stick.
With this telephoni-time monitoring system I see how much time I actually wasted at work before. I remember at KMP that I used to work like a nigger and actually get through the day by 5ppm usually - just by focusing and not being arsed to socialise ( although I could have quite happily stuck the bayonet in either janet or alison on reception)

Now instead of wasting time on surfing, chatting, blogging and so on, I waste time on ring outs, dead people, and busy arseholse in one-man bands. So they waste my time and through their own money down the drain on a numbers driven telesales office. I'm going to go over to 4 days a week.

How on earth do managers in call senters and telesales actually justify treating people just as stats when they at the same time have to keep a positive and motivating atmosphere? Call centres saved the scots economy- but if all that money had been spent getting graduates to start their own businesses (and mostly fail to the fruits of them and the fittest who survive) then the economy could be even more knowledge based and dynamic. Now, like here, it is a house of cards based on the credit and home market booms of the last 20 years- has that come to an end and Scotland has to actually work 'clever' for a change?

Recessions are good because they clear out the dead wood- companies which just didn't have enough energy and quality to survive- companies and employees who just didn't bother to develop. People who turn up and take their money for a shitty delivery with a snarl in return end up in public service somehow- a disgrace that the lazy shit heads can leech off our taxes but that's how it goes- get a job wi the cooncil-

I think this pretty much brings it all full circle here- back to the old people-pushing sales managers. Latest wheeze, as in employees are always wrong and to be pushed first, is that we don't send e-mails out. They get more up time and we push away more business into can't be bnothered. Really we should close on some SPIN risk selling but what the hell.

Soon home to a life I had not ever quite imagined at 40!