Fischer E-109 vs. Asnes Ingstad

[lilcliffy]

It was "LeYeti" in Montreal that originally was stocking Asnes...until LaCordee bought Le Yeti.

Ben (bgregoire) apparently had Asnes skis in his hands when he was in Montreal before the holidays.

I HOPE- that the Asnes sales experience has been positive for LaCordee- I'd be a little upset if they dropped them!

[MikeK]

LaCordee doesn't carry the Cecelie skis. A major faux pas!

[lilcliffy]

My wife is bothered enough about all of the scantily dressed women on the forum website- I don't know what she would think if I had Cecile's face all over my skis!

Which brings me to a point I have been meaning to raise-

Who do we speak to about the ladies?

I admire and like looking at the female form very much- but it is unnecessary and inappropriate on the forum!

OR- is the forum exclusively intended for a certain audience?

There are many people that would be turned off due to the background imagery...

[Cannatonic]

LaCordee doesn't carry the Cecelie skis. A major faux pas!

so, with the Canadian Dollar being .7 US dollars, the Asnes skis are currently cheaper for Americans to buy in Montreal than from Neptune. Looks like all the good lengths are gone though, they need to order more next year.

btw Mike, if you're concerned about waxing you can always have an XC shop wax the skis for you. The waxes today are improved though, they spread evenly with less effort than 20-30 years ago. It's really not a big deal. Just a few minutes to smooth some wax on at your house before you leave.

[Cannatonic]

There are many people that would be turned off due to the background imagery...

I'm not one of them!

[MikeK]

My wife is bothered enough about all of the scantily dressed women on the forum website- I don't know what she would think if I had Cecile's face all over my skis!

Which brings me to a point I have been meaning to raise-

Who do we speak to about the ladies?

I admire and like looking at the female form very much- but it is unnecessary and inappropriate on the forum!

OR- is the forum exclusively intended for a certain audience?

There are many people that would be turned off die to the background imagery...

My wife doesn't like it either. And I'm a pretty big feminist. I've talked to the man who has control of that and it was discussed being changed at one time, and it even did for a little bit, but there were some issues with that background I guess.

Also you have to maybe understand the guy who put those pictures up there a bit... I'm still trying to haha... but this is the same person who loves wearing pink, can usually be seen with a sweatshirt that says love on it with a big heart, is starstruck by rainbow umbrellas and lollipops and has professed that he wished he was a girl. He had his own bubble gum punk band for years. He owns a pair Asnes Cecilie Skog skis for himself, not his wife or his daughter.

I've hung out with him. I can almost never tell if he is serious or joking. I think his entire existence is a juxtaposition. I don't think he cares what we think of him or the pictures, only what they mean to him.

I really wish I had an answer for you. I think it is meant to be slightly offending to some but pay homage to others. I really hope it's not enough to stop anyone from posting here. If it is, you should contact Johnny directly. He's a really mellow, nice guy. I'm sure he'd have something to tell you about it.

[MikeK]

LaCordee doesn't carry the Cecelie skis. A major faux pas!

so, with the Canadian Dollar being .7 US dollars, the Asnes skis are currently cheaper for Americans to buy in Montreal than from Neptune. Looks like all the good lengths are gone though, they need to order more next year.

btw Mike, if you're concerned about waxing you can always have an XC shop wax the skis for you. The waxes today are improved though, they spread evenly with less effort than 20-30 years ago. It's really not a big deal. Just a few minutes to smooth some wax on at your house before you leave.

Nah... I hate dealing with shops. I have all the stuff to do it. I'll figure it out.

[Cannatonic]

at the risk of starting a massive flame-fest - why are these pretty girls offensive? Women don't seem to complain at the litany of naked female bodies in fashion ads, or cosmetics ads, ads for yoga apparel, etc. So maybe they should start some advocacy aimed at the exploitive beauty industry rather than a telemark skiing website?

I'm forced to look at women's butt cheeks in yoga tights everywhere I go - checking into hotels, the bank, the grocery store, coffeeshops, the office, car wash, the dog park. I think it's repugnant and lewd. Now a couple pretty girls are posted here and it's a problem? Am I missing something?

[MikeK]

at the risk of starting a massive flame-fest - why are these pretty girls offensive? Women don't seem to complain at the litany of naked female bodies in fashion ads, or cosmetics ads, ads for yoga apparel, etc. So maybe they should start some advocacy aimed at the exploitive beauty industry rather than a telemark skiing website?

I'm forced to look at women's butt cheeks in yoga tights everywhere I go - checking into hotels, the bank, the grocery store, coffeeshops, the office, car wash, the dog park. I think it's repugnant and lewd. Now a couple pretty girls are posted here and it's a problem? Am I missing something?

I dunno - my wife knows Johnny too... she seems to tolerate it better now.

I honestly don't have a problem with female bodies or the pictures in general, it's just sometimes the way it is presented can be off-putting for women, and I get that. You simply need to think about it if it was the other way. What if it were a bunch of muscly jocks in speedos? Oh wait... that's Bri7!!

No seriously, you might be turned off by that if the pictures were reversed, and that's the whole point the girls are making about it.

[lilcliffy]

at the risk of starting a massive flame-fest - why are these pretty girls offensive? Women don't seem to complain at the litany of naked female bodies in fashion ads, or cosmetics ads, ads for yoga apparel, etc. So maybe they should start some advocacy aimed at the exploitive beauty industry rather than a telemark skiing website?

I'm forced to look at women's butt cheeks in yoga tights everywhere I go - checking into hotels, the bank, the grocery store, coffeeshops, the office, car wash, the dog park. I think it's repugnant and lewd. Now a couple pretty girls are posted here and it's a problem? Am I missing something?

(plenty of women (and men) do complain about the exploitation and objectification of men and women (and especially young girls) in the media and fashion industry)

These "pretty" girls aren't offensive to me- at all.

But- there is an disproportionate number of sexualized female skiers in the images (one could ask what sexualized images have to do with a forum about Nordic skiing in the first place).

If sexualized images are what we want for a backdrop...then go for it- we need male and perhaps even transgender sexualized skiing images as well! (forgive me if I am leaving other sexual orientations out of this)

Do I sound ridiculous? Exactly my point.

And no offense intended man- but I don't see how the fact that sexualized fashion and imagery is now pervasive in our culture, has anything to do with what is on the background of this forum...

I know my wife (an avid- high-performance skier) has no interest in reading and posting on a forum with those images in the background- I seriously doubt she is alone- my wife is not extreme in her views about anything.

Neither my wife nor I are sexually-conservative- but I do find it bizarre and uncomfortable having my children, family, friends and colleagues (thankfully no students yet!) constantly asking me why there are scantily-dressed women all over this website...

But- if it bothered me enough- I would stop posting.

(If a student saw that screen at work- I'd be done)