POLES: IT’S MORE THAN WHAT YOU THINK
POLES TO HELP YOU BALANCE
A lot of skiers don’t put any thoughts in their poles and just view them as a pair of sticks. How wrong ! A ski pole is a precision piece of equipment that can help change the way you ski. If your poles are too long or too heavy, they will be cumbersome and will hinder your skiing by affecting your balance negatively, whereas the correct size will promote a better stance and posture and will help you link your turns with rythmn and flow.
How do you select the correct pole ?
-> look for comfort and quality of movement: less effort, and quick position placement. Less is more ! Experiment with different lengths until you find the right size for you.
-> get into your skiing “ready for anything” position with your poles in your hands, and move the baskets back and forth, like walking your shoes down the hill. Do the tips hit the ground during the swing movement ? Do yo need to move the poles to the side to get the tips forward ? If you replied yes to these questions, your poles are too long… and yes, the old way of determining pole length is well, old… It will feel awkward at first to ski with shorter poles, but your skiing will improve greatly. Don’t believe a word I say: experiment and try for yourself !
-> check the handle: finding the right grip will reduce the tension in your hand and your wrist and will allow you to move freely and effortlessly. Tip from Morgan Petitniot from LE LABO DU SKIEUR (cf the Resources table of content): if you want a cutting edge and really improve your balance, you can add tape around the handle to make it perfectly fit the shape of your hand. Try and you will feel the difference !
-> check the straps: they connect to the handle and go around your wrist, and are designed to maximise energy transmission when planting your poles or skating along on the flat or uphill. The correct way to use them is to put your hand underneath and up, and put your thumb and the palm of your hand over the strap and then hold the handle. Common mistake is to put the hand down with the thumb underneath the strap: beware of dislocated thumbs ! Some manufacturers have designed safety systems that release the strap during a big fall to prevent thumb and wrists injuries. Holding the straps properly will also help you on white-out days: if you drag the poles, the strap supporting the palm of your hand will give your brain extra sensory feedback on what the ground is doing – is it getting steeper, flatter, or off-camber – and will help you place your feet and your skis to follow the ground efficiently.
-> check the baskets: without them a pole is pretty useless. They help counter the heavier weight of the handle end of the pole, and prevent the poles from sinking too far into the snow. Make sure you have the right type for the conditions you are skiing: smaller baskets for hard snow, and powder baskets with a bigger surface area to prevent your poles from sinking in deeper snow.
-> I like the LEKI ADJUSTABLE POLES:
- you can adjust the length at will to suit your needs and experiment until you find the correct size.
- with the trigger system, the straps integrate with your gloves and can be easily detached from your poles, meaning you don’t have to fiddle around putting on or taking off your straps every time you get on and off the lifts, or if you need to take something out of your pockets.
- it’s very convenient when wearing mittens on cold days !
