diff --git a/include/armadillo_bits/op_sp_var_bones.hpp b/include/armadillo_bits/op_sp_var_bones.hpp
index 36b0e512..81c653d4 100644
--- a/include/armadillo_bits/op_sp_var_bones.hpp
+++ b/include/armadillo_bits/op_sp_var_bones.hpp
@@ -26,10 +26,13 @@ class op_sp_var
   : public traits_op_xvec
   {
   public:
-
+  
   template<typename T1>
   inline static void apply(Mat<typename T1::pod_type>& out, const mtSpToDOp<typename T1::pod_type, T1, op_sp_var>& in);
-
+  
+  template<typename T1>
+  inline static void apply_slow(Mat<typename T1::elem_type>& out, const SpProxy<T1>& p, const uword norm_type, const uword dim);
+  
   // Calculate variance of a sparse vector, where we can directly use the memory.
   template<typename T1>
   inline static typename T1::pod_type var_vec(const T1& X, const uword norm_type = 0);
@@ -39,23 +42,21 @@ class op_sp_var
   // as well as the actual number of elements when zeros are included.
   template<typename eT>
   inline static eT direct_var(const eT* const X, const uword length, const uword N, const uword norm_type = 0);
-
+  
   // For complex numbers.
-
+  
   template<typename T>
   inline static T direct_var(const std::complex<T>* const X, const uword length, const uword N, const uword norm_type = 0);
-
+  
   // Calculate the variance using iterators, for non-complex numbers.
   template<typename T1, typename eT>
   inline static eT iterator_var(T1& it, const T1& end, const uword n_zero, const uword norm_type, const eT junk1, const typename arma_not_cx<eT>::result* junk2 = nullptr);
-
+  
   // Calculate the variance using iterators, for complex numbers.
   template<typename T1, typename eT>
   inline static typename get_pod_type<eT>::result iterator_var(T1& it, const T1& end, const uword n_zero, const uword norm_type, const eT junk1, const typename arma_cx_only<eT>::result* junk2 = nullptr);
-
   };
 
 
 
 //! @}
-  
diff --git a/include/armadillo_bits/op_sp_var_meat.hpp b/include/armadillo_bits/op_sp_var_meat.hpp
index 3faee38b..d3ae2b75 100644
--- a/include/armadillo_bits/op_sp_var_meat.hpp
+++ b/include/armadillo_bits/op_sp_var_meat.hpp
@@ -28,9 +28,6 @@ op_sp_var::apply(Mat<typename T1::pod_type>& out, const mtSpToDOp<typename T1::p
   {
   arma_debug_sigprint();
   
-  typedef typename T1::elem_type  in_eT;
-  //typedef typename T1::pod_type  out_eT;
-  
   const uword norm_type = in.aux_uword_a;
   const uword dim       = in.aux_uword_b;
   
@@ -42,13 +39,43 @@ op_sp_var::apply(Mat<typename T1::pod_type>& out, const mtSpToDOp<typename T1::p
   const uword p_n_rows = p.get_n_rows();
   const uword p_n_cols = p.get_n_cols();
   
+  if( (p_n_rows == 0) || (p_n_cols == 0) || (p.get_n_nonzero() == 0) )
+    {
+    if(dim == 0)  { out.zeros((p_n_rows > 0) ? 1 : 0, p_n_cols); }
+    if(dim == 1)  { out.zeros(p_n_rows, (p_n_cols > 0) ? 1 : 0); }
+    
+    return;
+    }
+  
+  op_sp_var::apply_slow(out, p, norm_type, dim);
+  }
+
+
+
+template<typename T1>
+inline
+void
+op_sp_var::apply_slow
+  (
+        Mat<typename T1::elem_type>& out,
+  const SpProxy<T1>&                 p,
+  const uword                        norm_type,
+  const uword                        dim
+  )
+  {
+  arma_debug_sigprint();
+  
+  typedef typename T1::elem_type  in_eT;
+  //typedef typename T1::pod_type  out_eT;
+  
+  const uword p_n_rows = p.get_n_rows();
+  const uword p_n_cols = p.get_n_cols();
+  
   if(dim == 0)  // find variance in each column
     {
-    arma_debug_print("op_sp_var::apply_noalias(): dim = 0");
+    arma_debug_print("op_sp_var::apply_slow(): dim = 0");
     
-    out.zeros((p_n_rows > 0) ? 1 : 0, p_n_cols);
-    
-    if( (p_n_rows == 0) || (p.get_n_nonzero() == 0) )  { return; }
+    out.zeros(1, p_n_cols);
     
     for(uword col = 0; col < p_n_cols; ++col)
       {
@@ -79,11 +106,9 @@ op_sp_var::apply(Mat<typename T1::pod_type>& out, const mtSpToDOp<typename T1::p
   else
   if(dim == 1)  // find variance in each row
     {
-    arma_debug_print("op_sp_var::apply_noalias(): dim = 1");
+    arma_debug_print("op_sp_var::apply_slow(): dim = 1");
     
-    out.zeros(p_n_rows, (p_n_cols > 0) ? 1 : 0);
-    
-    if( (p_n_cols == 0) || (p.get_n_nonzero() == 0) )  { return; }
+    out.zeros(p_n_rows, 1);
     
     for(uword row = 0; row < p_n_rows; ++row)
       {