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Why are Norwegians so good at skiing?
"Today, people ski about 20 per cent faster than they did in the early '90s," says researcher.
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You've probably heard that Norwegians are 'born with skis on their feet.'
That idea may not be so far-fetched. Norway has a populiation of just 5.6 million, yet it has won more gold medals than any other country in the Winter Olympics.
But do Norwegians automatically become good at skiing?
No. Behind the medals lies countless hours of training – and a great deal of research. So what do people who study skis actually do?
Butter and herring under the skis
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Audun Formo Buene is a ski researcher. He and colleagues at NTNU have said they aim to develop the world's fastest skis.
"We've been experimenting with ways to make skis faster for as long as people have been skiing," he says.
And that goes back a long way.
"There are rock carvings in Norway that are 4,000 to 5,000 years old showing people on skis," he says.
Researchers believe that people in Sámi areas used skis between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago, according to UiT The Arctic University of Norway (link in Norwegian).
And when snow conditions were poor? People tried whatever they could. Salt, butter, or even herring was smeared onto the base of the skis, according to the Great Norwegian Encyclopedia (link in Norwegian).
Today, ski wax is the standard choice.
Research at the micro level
"Much of the research on skis takes place on the micro- and nanoscale," says Buene.
That means researchers focus on extremely small details, visible only under a microscope.
Among other things, researchers study the pattern on the underside of the skis. Using special grinding stones, they create patterns that improve glide.
"At first, it was almost only Norway that used this technique," he says.
Now everyone does.
"The Norwegian national team even has its own truck equipped with grinding machines, so they can create the exact right pattern on the skis before each race," he says.
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"Do you think you'll be able to research and develop completely unbeatable skis?"
"If the snow we ski on didn't keep changing, it would be easy to make the perfect skis," says Buene.
But snow conditions are rarely the same from one day to the next. The key is to find the right skis and the right wax for the snow on that particular day.
Skis for everyone
"If you succeed in making the world's fastest skis... who will get to use them?"
"Norwegian athletes may be the first to test the skis. The goal is that good skis should eventually be available to everyone who enjoys skiing," says Buene.
That's likely good news for former ski star Ola Vigen Hattestad.
Many people believe that money plays a major role in Norway's success in cross-country skiing.
Hattestad told Norwegian newspaper VG that he thinks things should be more equal for everyone.
"The dream is that everyone skis on exactly the same equipment. That athletes are handed skis at the start line. Completely at random," he said.
We ski 20 per cent faster
Researchers also study how people move on skis.
"It's something Norwegians have been doing for a long time," says Thomas Johansen Losnegard. He is a professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.
How should you use the poles? What works best when skiing uphill and downhill? How do you turn as fast as possible?
Research means that we keep getting better.
"Today, people ski about 20 per cent faster than they did in the early '90s," he says.
A secret ski formula?
"Is there a secret formula among Norwegian skiers that explains why they are so good?"
"The secret probably lies in the quality of each individual training session. That's often difficult to copy," says Losnegard.
Ski research is important for Norway's results, but other factors also play a role.
"We have many children and young people who ski," says Øyvind Sandbakk. He researches elite sports at NTNU.
That increases the likelihood that talented athletes choose skiing.
In other countries, they might instead choose hockey, football, or handball.
Sport should be fun
Norway also has extensive networks of ski trails to enjoy.
"There are probably no other countries with as many kilometres of floodlit trails," he says.
Sandbakk adds that Norway has strong ski clubs that make it possible to train well from a young age.
"Just as importantly, sport needs to be fun when you're a child. That can encourage more people to keep going and aim higher," he says.
Sandbakk also says that ski research is important.
"Norway does a lot of research on skiing, and we share what we know with one another. That's something much of the rest of the world struggles to do," he says.
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Translated by Alette Bjordal Gjellesvik
Read the Norwegian version of this article on ung.forskning.no
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