Lessons learned this season...

[Skisailor]

Agree with shorter poles. I think the standard guideline of your arm making a 90 degree angle when you hold the pole means poles that are too long - for me anyway. I had mine cut down a bit (no idea how long they are) and encouraged a friend to do the same - made a big difference. I had to "override" the guy in the shop who insisted our poles were the right length.

Totally agree. That "arm at 90 degree angle thing" really does not work. First of all, in skiing we flex our joints! So we aren't standing tall like we would in the shop. And then, a good hand position while skiing is a little lower than the elbow. When you add those things up, shorter poles are necessary to allow a proper pole swing.

And the battle with shop guys who don't want to cut them shorter is apparently universal. What's that about? Lol!!!

I've learned just how important pole length and proper pole usage is. It can have a major effect - good or bad - on your skiing. I constantly struggle with rental shop pole lengths in our beginner and low intermediate lessons. It's impossible to get someone "forward" when their poles are too long.

And with advanced skiers, poles that are too long (which is quite common) and the resulting bizarro pole touch arm movements can be very detrimental, especially in bumps.

I'm 5'2" and I use 41" poles - which I had to argue with a shop guy to get cut down.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

Last year at the end of the season I bought 42" poles but only used them one day. This year however I decided I'd use those exclusively; I like them better than my 44" poles. I'm 5'4". When I travel and don't bring my skis I usually end up with 44" poles but funnily enough those usually feel shorter than the 44" poles I own. Sometimes the adult rental poles don't come in anything shorter than 44"--and the grips on the kids poles are too small to be really comfortable.

 

[marzNC]

Last year at the end of the season I bought 42" poles but only used them one day. This year however I decided I'd use those exclusively; I like them better than my 44" poles. I'm 5'4". When I travel and don't bring my skis I usually end up with 44" poles but funnily enough those usually feel shorter than the 44" poles I own. Sometimes the adult rental poles don't come in anything shorter than 44"--and the grips on the kids poles are too small to be really comfortable.

Agree about the grips on kid's poles. Even for my relatively small hands.

Powder House at Alta gave my friend's kids adjustable poles when they rented in April. That was really helpful. Could easily go down to 30-some inches. Plus experiment a bit, which was very useful for the girl who was using poles for the first time during ski school (Level 6 of 9).

 

[bounceswoosh]

I like my shorter poles for steeps and bumps.

I found them less than awesome this season, when I spent most of my time on groomers.

If I do get my schedule together to teach next season, I'll probably buy some cheapo poles to use while teaching - and I'll get them at regulation length. That way it'll be easier on groomers, and I'll subject my bamboo poles to less student-induced damage.

 

[veronicarella]

Season's lessons:

• Snow addiction is real. Powder fever is real.
  
• The more I try to not buy anything new this season, the more I inevitably end up buying.
• I can't say no to a good deal (best deals of the season: 75% off Kjus jacket & 50% off a pair of skis).
  
• Trusty backcountry buddies are hard to find.
  
• Telemarking is not as hard as I thought it would be.
• Sit skiing is way harder than I thought it would be.
• Confidence is our best friend to ski improvements.
• Falling off a double black head first for 400 vertical metres destroys said confidence.
• Always respect the mountain!
• Marathon training and ski season do not mix.
• Pilates and yoga are great supplements to skiing.
• Ski resort is like a snow globe - A small bubble community. Once in awhile, someone shakes the snow globe and there is more powder.
  
• Ski resort is a mecca for flus, viruses, and food poisonings.
• Bullying and sexual harassment still exist on and off the slopes.
• Ski Divas are a great source of advice!

 

[CarverJill]

Season's lessons:

• Sit skiing is way harder than I thought it would be.

That's awesome @veronicarella you got to try sit skiing. Where did you do it?

 

[veronicarella]

That's awesome @veronicarella you got to try sit skiing. Where did you do it?

@ the Whistler Adaptive Snow Sports. Do you sit ski? Any tips of the trade?

 

[W8N2SKI]

I experimented with slightly shorter poles and decided I like shorter. Seemed to make more sense after skiing a bunch of bump runs at Taos. My Alta instructor agreed that shorter made sense for the off-piste terrain that I can enjoy these days. Shifted from about 41-42 inches 40 inches.

My original poles bought in the early 1980s were 44 inches, but I cut those down to 42 inches several years ago. (I'm 5'0".)

Don't you have adjustable poles @marzNC , or am I thinking of someone else?

 

[W8N2SKI]

Give us a hint?

I wish I could @Skisailor . I know my explanation would be incomprehensible. I'll ask my ski bud for his view of it; he'll have a much more cogent description, I'm sure.

 

[marzNC]

Don't you have adjustable poles @marzNC , or am I thinking of someone else?

Yep, I have adjustable poles that I've been taking out west. At Massanutten I use my ancient Scott poles with the oddball grips. That's not likely to change.

I started thinking more about pole length because I was on the lookout for regular poles partially because my Alta instructor doesn't like adjustable poles on principle. Now it turns out that a pair of poles I bought for my daughter a while back that seemed too short are perfect. I took them for my recent trip to Alta and used them most of the time.

 

[W8N2SKI]

Yep, I have adjustable poles that I've been taking out west. At Massanutten I use my ancient Scott poles with the oddball grips. That's not likely to change.

I started thinking more about pole length because I was on the lookout for regular poles partially because my Alta instructor doesn't like adjustable poles on principle. Now it turns out that a pair of poles I bought for my daughter a while back that seemed too short are perfect. I took them for my recent trip to Alta and used them most of the time.

A lot of instructors seem to dislike adjustable poles. I've never heard the reason why. I got a pair last season b/c I wanted to focus on bumps and wanted to be able to shorten them for that purpose.

 

[bounceswoosh]

A lot of instructors seem to dislike adjustable poles. I've never heard the reason why. I got a pair last season b/c I wanted to focus on bumps and wanted to be able to shorten them for that purpose.

They're heavy and have terrible swing weight ...?

 

[marzNC]

They're heavy and have terrible swing weight ...?

My Alta instructor isn't worried about weight. For that matter, my adjustable poles are pretty light. His concern is not trusting an adjustable pole to hold. Meaning it might collapse at a bad time when off-piste.

The first pair of adjustable poles didn't hold well at all. Have had times when I using a pole to pop a binding when it's slides unexpectedly. So I can understand his thinking.

 

[Jilly]

I was thinking that was the reason.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

I was thinking that was the reason.

This. ^^ Have seen it happen to people. Apparently, not all adjustable poles are created equal??

 

[marzNC]

This. ^^ Have seen it happen to people. Apparently, not all adjustable poles are created equal??

My first pair were the "twist" type. The second pair that I've been using for a few years have a "clip" that opens to make an adjustment. But there is a screw that tends to loosen so needs to be checked every so often. I did a little research on brands before buying the second pair.

 

[W8N2SKI]

My first pair were the "twist" type. The second pair that I've been using for a few years have a "clip" that opens to make an adjustment. But there is a screw that tends to loosen so needs to be checked every so often. I did a little research on brands before buying the second pair.

Mine are the second type. They are either Black Diamond or Leki -- I get brands confused b/w my ski and hiking poles.

 

[bounceswoosh]

My first pair were the "twist" type.

I have hiking poles that twist. They're now my backup pair. They had a tendency to loosen up when I was snowshoeing, so I was constantly having to fix them.

The clip works pretty great. The weird thing is that if it *does* open up, you could end up dropping the lower half right down onto someone's head. You would think they could address this with a groove through the interior of the top half of the pole, which would stop before the lower half could fall out.