Mixed Bag – Who Uses What Poles In Men’s Top 10

Mixed Bag – Who Uses What Poles In Men’s Top 10

Gear News, Newsfeed
As noted, every single one in Women's Top 10 in 2018–19 FIS Cross-Country World Cup was competing with Swix Triac poles. 10-0 for the Norwegian company's racing department & marketologists! But we can't but wonder why things are so different in Men's Top? The virtual "Constructors' Cup" in poles department in 2018–19 went to Leki! Three Norwegian starts, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo ( Number 1 in overall standings), Simen Hegstad Krüger ( 4) and Didrik Tønseth ( 5) use HRC Max poles from Kirchheim unter Teck which happens in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. [caption id="attachment_13526" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Johannes Klaebo[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13528" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simen Krüger[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13525" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Didrik Tønseth[/caption] The second place was taken by Swix Alexander Bolshunov ( 2) Emil Iversen (6) and Sergey Ustiugov ( 10) use the Norwegian…
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Review: Best Ski Poles Right Now, Part 1

Review: Best Ski Poles Right Now, Part 1

Gear News, Newsfeed
A few words before we start: All poles in our review are top-of-the-crop from their respective producers, all are made of 100 % Ultra High Modulus Carbon Fiber - and all are World Cup quality ( the fact that reflected in many a model's name) We don't differentiate among Classic and Skating poles - we simply see no reason as models only differ in size, not in construction. Some skiers in our photos have changed poles' sponsors since but all the sticks pictured are still produced & sold. Except for one model that we have doubts about - of which more later. As with the skis, there are two distinct categories: poles used by many a top skier - and those used by only a few or even one WC-class…
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ISPO 2018: What We Saw, Noticed and Liked

ISPO 2018: What We Saw, Noticed and Liked

Gear News, Newsfeed
ISPO is huge. No photo or even video could convey ginormous size of the exhibition spread over 16 cavernous halls. It also would not let you forget for a second that industrial heart of the world these days is beating in China. And in India. And in Bangladesh. And Pakistan. [caption id="attachment_6585" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Marwe had its people dressed in real cool looking vests with multiple pockets. Production perspectives uncertain as Asian manufacturers are only willing to produce in volume [/caption] Since cross country skiing is a niche sport, alas, Asian manufacturers who think in terms of volume, are not yet big in this sector. The things, however, are slowly changing – several Chinese producers had their products on display, mostly entry-level ski boots and rollerskis. ISPO is fundametally different…
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Is He Millionaire Yet?  Klæbo’s Appeal To Advertizers Grows Sensationally Fast

Is He Millionaire Yet? Klæbo’s Appeal To Advertizers Grows Sensationally Fast

Money & Finance, Newsfeed
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is finishing the year in remarkable style: No male skier before him won seven FIS Cross-Country World Cup titles at the beginning of the season, Welcome to 2017 when titles mean publicity, publicity ((smartly used) means large following in social networks, publicity + popularity translates into big money. Ergo, Klæbo is firmly on his way of becoming the youngest/quickest millionaire ever in cross country skiing in US dollar terms. Because the sport of narrow skis skiing is well behind established sports such as football or tennis, where stars' earnings are almost automatically made public and become a major athlete's badge of honor ( as in “Neymar Jr., yearly salary 36.8 million EUR ") , it is difficult to say for sure what Klæbo is making these days. Which…
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