Helpful Articles

1. To pole or not to pole?

When should a skier use a pole plant? Where should they pole plant? How should they pole plant?

Without falling in to the trap of describing too specifically the answers to the above questions, we thought it an idea to explore the most useful aspects of the 'pole plant' apart from just using it to stop anyone jump the lift queue in front of you!!

A few tips to start with!

Poles should not be a hindrance to you and should be held in a natural position diverging slightly outwards behind you rather than converging inwards.

A basic rule is to hold your poles forwards from your hips and slightly outwards...as naturally as possible, without tension in the arms and shoulders.

There is no need to make massive adjustments to your arm carriage using the whole arm and shoulder in order to plant the pole. Think of maintaining a good arm position and use your wrist and arm in a more fore & aft movement to plant the pole.

There is no need to constantly hold the poles too high off the surface of the snow, just think of them as an extension downwards from your hands, as little antenna that can give you feed back from the surroundings below and to the side of you.

Make sure you hold your straps properly, it’s amazing how many people are not taught to place these properly around their wrists. Ask a professional if in doubt!

If you feel as though your poles are too heavy and it is a effort to always hold them, then go and try some lighter poles, you will be amazed at the difference!

When do we use the pole more positively?

We start to familiarise ourselves with the use of a pole plant in parallel skiing.

It becomes a more active and a vital action as we move in to shorter radius turns, short swings, steep slope skiing, off piste and bumps.

2. Parallel Skiing - Longer Turns

A 'point of support' to aid the fluidity of moving from turn to turn.

The pole plant should naturally evolve as a skier moves in to parallel turning. The focus should be on the pole being an aid to help timing and rhythm as a skier moves from one turn to the next and most importantly becomes a point of support at the 'cross over' phase of a parallel turn. e.g. the point where your most unstable as the hips move over the feet in to the new turn.

In longer, faster parallel turns the pole plant only needs to lightly touch the surface of the snow.

TIP: There is no need to aggressively prod the pole in to the snow and swing yourself around it. Think of lightly touching the surface of the snow when you plant rather than aiming to reach too far in front of you and stabbing the snow too hard.

3. Parallel Skiing - Shorter Turns

A firmer plant and grip is required to help you turn and pivot your legs underneath you.

The pole plant is much more actively used when performing any form of shorter radius turn. A firmer grip is required and stronger pole plant itself in order to stabilise the upper body and allow the legs to work more positively and freely underneath your upper torso. Timing and Rhythm play an important part in the whole picture, by holding a stable arm carriage and not constantly swinging the poles backwards and forwards will allow the feet to work that much quicker and in conjunction with the pole plant rather than being disruptive to this more athletic skiing turn.

TIP: Try and keep the arm working in a straight line as it swings the pole forwards, rather than swinging the hand and arm outwards away from the body.

4. Hop Turns and Steeper Slopes

Lever yourself up and over!

The pole acts like a 'pole-vaulters' pole and works like a lever. If you maintain a strong arm carriage having planted the pole and think of pushing down on it, this will help lever you upwards and off of the snow. By keeping a firm arm and having established that the pole can help support your upper body, the legs and skis can turn more effortlessly out of the snow.

TIP: On very hard packed snow or ice, it is difficult to gain as much support from the pole plant. Test to see if the point of the pole will slightly impale in to the surface of the snow, every bit of support can help.

5. Off-Piste

A steadfast point of support.

Poles can be very useful when skiing off piste. They act very similarly to the above description especially when on steeper off piste slopes, helping you lever yourself up and out of the snow and creating a steadfast point of support to aid balancing. When on lesser inclines, they help with your rhythm and timing, similar to shorter radius turns. They are also a great way of testing the snow itself and you will see many experienced, qualified off-piste skiers using their poles to prod down in to the snow to test the stability of the slope by feeling for the differences in snow layers and texture.

TIP: In very deep off piste when a base can not be felt by the pole, it becomes very difficult to use the pole to help support your body weight - you’ll have to rely more on your strength, speed and balance.

6. Bumps

A must in the bumps!

In bumps we are effectively completing short radius turns in between lumps and hollows. The pole again helps stabilise our upper body, creating a point of support on the earths surface, aiding balance and the precision and timing of turning and stretching our legs, feet and skis.

TIP: Keep a strong grip and contracted arm to maintain contact as long as you need to. Be careful not to jolt and injure the wrist if you are keeping the arm too static, the whole arm may need to rise and fall as the pole is planted on the bump and the legs take the hollows.

Poles are a great advantage throughout our adventures on the slopes. It is certainly worth observing if you use your poles as much as you could especially when it comes to skiing shorter turns, steeper slopes and bumps. An added advantage that is often not used is the opportunity they offer to gain a peripheral vision either side of your body as they act as antennae. If you keep them always slightly diverged at the back you'll find that your domain has been marked and will hopefully keep skiers from coming too close! Safe Polling !

7. Tips for the Bumps

Tackling those 'beasts of the piste' is no easy task. All to often skiers attempt to battle the bumps, tackling what they can but never quite knowing where to start or how to achieve their perfect descent.

Picking up too much speed, unable to control your line, being thrown out of the troughs and ruts, are the memories and images that so many skiers have of these mountainous moguls. When things get tough it seems easier, and possibly essential, to revert to traversing across the bumps, quickly hopping or stepping the skis to change direction until you reach the bottom, or aiming for the easier flatter terrain to the side of the slope, leaving these beasts for the younger, more athletic skier to tackle and for those who have stronger knees!!

So, what's the magic behind skiing the bumps?

Sadly, there is no magic!

Perceptions of how you think you should tackle bumps, a technique that could be practised to help or just the confidence to take a particular route may be the inhibiting factors behind the magic you see others perform. With some sound fundamental tools and the confidence to take these tools into the bumps, it will be fun, rewarding and you'll be searching the mountain for the slopes where you can practise your newly acquired skills.

Here are some visual clues and tips of how to make your descent more successful and fun, allowing you to take the fall-line, the straight line down the slope rather than the straight line across it!

8. Pivot on the Line

AIM: To keep your feet on this line whilst still travelling down the hill making rhythmical curves.

PRACTISE: On pisted, shallow slope, then take it into some shallower bumps.

TIP: Keep the thighs open, remember to pivot and turn the inner leg as much as the outer leg.

IMAGINE: There is a red line directly down the slope.

FEEDBACK: Don't rush the action, let the legs and feet unwind so the skis face down the fall-line as you pivot the legs from one turn to the next.

Try the same action on some shallow bumps - think about the red line!

9. Pole Pivoting

AIM: Learn to use the pole in the bumps.

PRACTISE: Shallow slope or bumps.

TIP: Allow the pole to take your body weight as you lose the support of the lower ski.

IMAGINE: Planting your pole in a cup of a golf hole. Push down on the pole as you try to turn your legs and skis around it.

FEEDBACK: If you are having difficulty turning the upper ski, rock off the edge so the ski goes flat to help you pivot.

Keep the arm strong and think of pushing down on the pole.

10. Check your Speed

AIM: Check and reduce your speed on the steeps and bumps.

PRACTISE: Pisted slope to start with, take it into some shallower bumps

TIP: The 'check' happens at the end of one turn before the beginning of the next. Aim for the back of the bump to check and pole plant.

IMAGINE: Imagine stubbing out a cigarette with the naked heel of your foot but act quickly as it's still HOT!

FEEDBACK: Keep the leg you are checking with soft, don't allow it to straighten or block at the ankle.