Norwegian Pro Team headhunts a key wax technician from the national team and a rival to become the head wax technician.

Last autumn, top wax technician Christian Nordkvelde joined Team Aker Dæhlie after ten years with the Norwegian national team’s waxing trailer. Now he is changing jobs again: Nordkvelde will become the head wax technician for Team Ragde Charge. 

“He comes to us after ten years in Norway’s waxing trailer, responsible for glide up to and including the World Championships in Trondheim, and was with Team Aker Dæhlie this winter. But now we have hired him,” says Jørgen Aukland to Langrenn.com with clear satisfaction.

“We hope he can elevate the skis for the team, as that is where much of our problem lies. We have not been good enough with the skis, and we hope he can bring in some new thoughts and ideas compared to what we have had,” says Aukland. 

Taking action after a disappointing season 

The hiring is one of several measures the Norwegian Pro Team is taking this spring “to turn things around and come back”.

“This winter was a failure, the worst season we have had since we started Team Xtrapersonell (over 15 years ago),” says Aukland. 

The team manager at Team Ragde Charge is brutally honest about the current situation. 

“We have had many good seasons with numerous victories. This winter, we have achieved two wins: Stina (Nilsson) at La Diagonela in January and Johan (Hoel) at Reistadløpet in March. Overall, it has been too poor, and when we do not deliver at Marcialonga, Vasaloppet, and Birken, then we have failed,” says Aukland. 

“But we are not going to lie down and die because of that. Now we are fighting back, investing, and aiming for a great season next winter.”

New wax truck

Furthermore, the team is investing in a completely new wax truck. Despite being one of the largest and oldest teams in Ski Classics, Team Ragde Charge has not had one.

“We see that larger wax buses and trucks are being set up at races. We are one of the teams that have not had that and therefore have not been able to wax skis at the start in the same way as our competitors. We will have that next year,” says Aukland. 

They plan to equip it with more gear and more hands. 

“We see that we need many more test pilots and more crew, so we are addressing that. It will not be due to a lack of equipment,” he says. 

Strengthening the athlete roster

In addition to securing one of the world’s best wax technicians and acquiring a wax truck, Team Ragde Charge has also signed a new key athlete on the men’s side. He will join four other athletes: Andreas Nygaard, Johan Hoel, Mikael Gunnulfsen, and Håvard Solås Taugbøl.

Read more: “He has some extreme specialized skills”

Stina Nilsson, who accounted for one of the team’s two victories this winter, made her decision back in March. Stina Nilsson makes a career decision after season break.

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