Pole Planting

thanks for the tip,with the caps lock,but mike did say that he skied with his poles trailing behind him, i think we can all agree that is not a good skiing technique

poleplantingisforgods wrote:The first is a video of some of the best (past and present) Canadian skiers.. they might not make a solid pole plant but the move is there.

So please explain what function the poles have for them please ?

In the interest of forum niceness, I should say this is a trick question :wink:

Trencher

To keep pole planting enthusiasts such as myself happy, well at least that is what they tell me at pole plant camp.

Maybe you should start carving with poles, make it that bit more natural... :wink: :wink:

poleplantingisforgods wrote:To keep pole planting enthusiasts such as myself happy, well at least that is what they tell me at pole plant camp.

Maybe you should start carving with poles, make it that bit more natural... :wink: :wink:

But seriousely, are the poles serving a function ?

Trencher

As a bit of a novice or "early intermediate" I only learnt to pole plant last year and it made a massive difference.

It was a bit like switching on a light. It increased my control, confidence and subsequent speed. To me the key to skiing seems to be about keeping the rhythm of your movements smooth and the pole plant helps beat time to that rhythm.

Steve

stevesmoothie wrote:To me the key to skiing seems to be about keeping the rhythm of your movements smooth and the pole plant helps beat time to that rhythm.

Exactly. When people first start skiing they tend to put turns in as and when they can and not always when the should. Getting some sort of rhythm going where you turn at set intervals can really help. This can be achieved by thinking about planting your poles rythmically, or as my girlfriend does, just counting - 1,2,3 turn 1,2,3 turn. She does this out loud which can seem a bit odd but it works for her :wink:

I think it does also help to get you more forward if you tend to ski a bit in the back seat.

Conversely, I now can't ski without poles. I just wouldn't know what to do with my hands :-)

Pole planting definetly serves a purpose,
mainly balance ,posture,and timing for turns.

Correct skidmarks. Pole planting is essential for Timing and co-ordination through the phases of the turn.
As with any sport - learning to ski properly at the outset will make it easier to adapt to conditions as you improve to advanced or expert level.
This is what racers do!!
If you have the opportunity to stop a video of racers in full flow, you will see that in the vast majority of cases their positioning is excellent with regards to angulation, rotation and weighting/unweighting of the skis.