Question: How do I use my poles effectively?

[PowderLover]

This may seem like a silly question but I basically learned to ski without using my poles. Now that I am skiing more difficult runs and bumps I'm realizing that there I need to be using them but I'm not really sure how or how to practice using my poles effectively. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[volklgirl]

A basic pole touch signals the beginning of your next turn....left pole touch begins a left turn, right pole touch begins a right turn.

Touch the tip of the right pole slightly downhill of and near the tip of the right ski, then roll your ankles and knees into the tight turn. As you're turning right, begin swinging the left pole forward, readying yourself for the touch and start of the left turn. As you finish that right turn, touch the left pole and roll into the left turn.

The poles should be moving smoothly and gently with the rhythm of the turns....no herky-jerky plant or stab needed. The arms shouldn't move a lot as the motion is mostly just a flexing of the wrist and a light swing and squeeze with the hand.

There's a good video with Bode Miller....I'll see if I can find it.

 

[PowderLover]

Thanks.

 

[mountainxtc]

a pole plant is a movement from the wrist, so don't swing your arms or it will disrupt the stability of the upper body.

many people find it more beneficial when learning to think of the pole plant as the end of a turn rather than the beginning (obviously it is essentially the same thing in reality) to help with timing. timing is a very important component of a pole plant, you especially don't want it to be too late....

IMO the pole plant is one of the hardest things to teach.... might be worth getting a lesson....

 

[nopoleskier]

This may seem like a silly question but I basically learned to ski without using my poles. Now that I am skiing more difficult runs and bumps I'm realizing that there I need to be using them but I'm not really sure how or how to practice using my poles effectively. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

hey powderlover, I threw away my poles 20yrs ago, you'll be a better more balanced skier without them. Bumps/woods are EXTREMELY difficult w/out but with sure footedness that comes from no poleing,it can be done.
They may interrupt your turn if you're not using them properly, leaving you 'in the back seat' or dragging a shoulder.. Poles should be used to keep your turns on time in the right place. If you're late in your turn, the fun factor goes way down especially in bumps & trees. Good luck & have fun. praying for snow not rain tonight...

 

[ski&bfree]

I had a hard time learning the pole plant. I was so worried about getting it right that I totally forgot how to gracefully ski!!! VG wrote a great explanation. You may also want to read through this thread as it helped me when I was unsure of how to use my poles.

 

[Jcb2ski]

Thanks Volklgirl, what you posted was very helpful and affirms what I was taught last year. I found it to be very helpful. The instructor told me that it can even help at first to over emphasis the pole use to help with the turn.

I find the poles to help me turn. I am sure I move my arms a bit to much and am working on it.

 

[mountainxtc]

I threw away my poles 20yrs ago, you'll be a better more balanced skier without them.

that's not exactly true. there will come a point in your skiing where not using your poles will hold you back from getting any better. a lot of people mistakenly believe that the only reason for pole planting is to develop timing and rhythm. this is, of course, important but there are many many other reasons that a pole plant will help your technique. to name a few: it helps to keep your body moving down the hill and therefore to release your edges at the end of the turn (crossover movement). it blocks your upper body from rotating. it provides a third point of contact which aids in stability on the steeps. the list goes on.

I had a hard time learning the pole plant. I was so worried about getting it right that I totally forgot how to gracefully ski!!!

right. it's why we don't teach a pole plant right from the beginning. adding a movement with the hands takes the focus away from what is happening with the feet (obviously the more critical body part in skiing). before you even consider starting to use your poles you should be in the consolidation phase of parallel turning on at least blue terrain. that means that this level of skiing should come naturally without you having to concentrate hard. this way, you can focus on the poles without worrying that that skis will run away on you. you should expect a little regression while you perfect the pole plant. it's normal, and won't last long.

 

[SnowHot]

Here is a thread on EpicSki that I reviewed as I worked on my pole plant.
4 years ago I had NO pole plant at all. That has changed a lot!\https://www.epicski.com/forum/thread/59718/what-s-your-favorite-drill-or-progression-for-pole-plant
Here is Weems' video about Hand Jive,
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For more of his videos, go here.
https://www.youtube.com/user/wwweems

 

[lynseyf]

One thing I got told by an instructor which I liked was to make your pole planting like changing from 4th to 3rd gear when driving. This is to stop you swinging your arms and make sure the movement is from the wrist. It also helps stop you leaving your uphill pole behind you which I have a tendancy to do when its steep.

 

[pinto]

I had an interesting experience the other day ... DS snapped his pole in half getting off the lift, so I used his poles the rest of the day (we duct taped the two halves together so I would at least have equal weight and something to "swing"). The run we were about to ski, though, was the steepest part of the mountain, the Chutes in Steamboat (about 35 degrees). You really notice the inability to plant a pole when you're in a steep and narrow place. On the other hand, I didn't ever leave that one behind my turn, which I do very occasionally.

Of course, the next day, we had another pole problem and I ended up with one 48-in. and one 50-in. pole. That wasn't all that terrible, but it was definitely noticeable in the bumps ... I kind of choked up on the longer one, but that made it tough to flick my wrist.

Nothing earth-shattering to say, except to stress the utility of poles -- of equal length and weight -- in steeps and moguls!