Alpine Skiing - Ski Poles

Ski poles are the most crucial part of skiing as they provide control, balance, and navigation for a better experience over flat or downhill terrains.

The Origin of Ski Poles -

The oldest ski pole was found in Sweden and dated back to 3623 BC, whereas the earliest man seen with a ski pole was found in Norway, dated 4000 BC. Early skiers would use this pole for adjusting, braking, and turning. Alpine communities in Nordic districts or the Altai peaks used their ski poles to chase, giving them spear-like features. Skiers started to use two ski poles in 1741. Two ski poles give more balance than one pole and quickly push the snow.

Construction Aspects –

Ski poles can be made from various materials, depending on how and where you ski.

Some of the most common types of elements used in construction are:

1. Carbon poles: These are solid & flexible poles with carbon as their central element. These poles are hard to bend/break but are expensive than others.
2. Aluminium poles: Mostly these ski poles are made of aluminium because they are solid & lightweight. Adding on, they are inexpensive, reliable & durable.
3. Composite poles: These are a combination of various materials like aluminium, carbon & graphite. These are lightweight in design due to which they easily break on continuous use but have a better shock-absorbing ability than the traditional aluminium ones.
4. Fiberglass poles: Usually, downhill racers use these as they are thin yet super strong, providing high performance.

Parts of Ski Poles–

1. Grips: The top part of the pole is the grip which helps you hold the pole comfortably.
2. Straps: The strap is the part that goes around the wrist and needs to be in your size to avoid any discomfort and help you while you lose your grip.
3. Shafts: The long cylindrical part of the pole is the shaft. The shafts are made of aluminium or carbon fibre. They should be strong, lightweight, flexible & resilient (i.e. when it bends, it shouldn't stay bent!)
4. Tips: It is that of the pole which digs in the snow and helps you move forward; it is made of metal with plastic on it.
5. Baskets: This is the disc-like object present above the plastic part of the tip to avoid sinking into the snow.

Different Types of ski poles -

1. Alpine poles are used for downhill skiing across many types of terrain. These poles have an easy-grip handle, a straight shaft & a standard snow basket.
2. Freestyle/Park poles: These poles are made for conquering the terrain park and are also known as park poles. They have thinner shafts & are typically shorter in length to avoid obstacles.
3. Nordic poles/Cross country poles are used for skiing flatter surfaces like hiking, skating, snowshoeing, & trekking.
4. Powder /backcountry ski poles: These poles have thicker shafts to help cushion the impact of skiing in the deeps as they also handle fluffy white stuff. They are also adjustable depending upon the conditions.
5. Ski Racing poles: Race poles are thin & lightweight, having less drag and allowing racers to move at high speed. They are commonly found with high-tech features & are constructed with rare materials to boost performance.

Why do we need to choose the right one?

If the ski pole is too long, you would have to put on more effort, making you feel uncomfortable, or if the ski pole is too small, you have more chances of rolling down the mountain than skiing. So, it is essential to know the right choice for you.

But before that, you need to know how to choose a perfect ski pole? The length of the pole plays a significant role.

Steps to follow to get a perfect ski pole:

1. Bend your arm with the elbow at a 900 angle in a standing position.
2. With the help of tape, you can determine the length from the top of the hand to the floor.
3. Now, you need to add 2 inches more to the measured length to get the exact length of the ski pole.