Pole Planting

Neiltoo wrote:
I would say though that if you dont learn to plant your pole at an intermediate level you will always struggle to ski bumps or very steep slopes. )

Couldn't agree more.

Just so you know that I practice what I preach, here's my run on our local (simple) carving cup style race from last Sunday. I'm not much of a racer, but it's a lot of fun :D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSrUR7L870Q&feature=PlayList&p=149EfD699176B898&index=1

Trencher

Looks pretty good to me (although i think you would ski better with poles)

Trencher wrote:Just so you know that I practice what I preach, here's my run on our local (simple) carving cup style race from last Sunday. I'm not much of a racer, but it's a lot of fun :D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS7UR7Lnt0Q&feature=PlayList&p=149EBD699176B899&index=1

Trencher

Do you see a use for poles when skiing moguls, or powder?

I don't make much use of my poles on groomers, but when the going gets tough I find skiing without them pretty difficult.

Gooseh wrote:
Do you see a use for poles when skiing moguls, or powder?

I don't make much use of my poles on groomers, but when the going gets tough I find skiing without them pretty difficult.

TBH I don't do moguls. Can't see the point, because it's not fun. Powder is another matter. I prefer to board on powder, but if I ski, I take poles. Not because I use them skiing so much, but they are great for standing up and moving around when you can't skate.

Really, I live for the carve. I'm not very interested in anything else. To carve is divine, to skid is human. When I go out west, I'm the only one hoping for it not to snow. I want icey groomers.

Trencher

Trencher wrote:


TBH I don't do moguls. Can't see the point, because it's not fun. Powder is another matter. I prefer to board on powder, but if I ski, I take poles. Not because I use them skiing so much, but they are great for standing up and moving around when you can't skate.

Really, I live for the carve. I'm not very interested in anything else. To carve is divine, to skid is human. When I go out west, I'm the only one hoping for it not to snow. I want icey groomers.

Trencher

Poor Trencher, not getting the buzz from skiing the zipper line down a bump field. You would hate European skiing, we let em grow naturally, and folks ski what's there.

Here's one I tackled in 2006, and I think ise is also somewhere in the photo. It was icy and fun )

My limited experience with off piste involved the biggest mogul field I could have imagined ever! I had never been taught to do steeps or moguls, and I have to say it certainly wasnt "enjoyable" at the time, but having got to the bottom without incident, I went straight back up to the top and did it again, as there was a huge sense of achievement in it. Had you shown me it from this side before I went down, there is no way I would have considered myself able to get down it. My poles however were my best friends on the way down here, I used them on the steeps (as I had seen on the Warren Miller DVD) and also I found they just made me feel more confident, and I found myself doing lots more pole planting on the pisted sections after that strangely.

This is what I found myself on:

Gooseh wrote:
Do you see a use for poles when skiing moguls, or powder?

Any terrain other than the completely flat is going to need poles. I can ski backwards, on one ski taking photographs on easy terrain but it doesn't make it a good idea or a realistic technique if you want to ski the whole mountain. That said some of the local boys can ski some impressive stuff backwards :D

Moguls and powder are fun if you can do them and for that you need a fully developed all round technique, trying to ski without poles is going mean moguls never will be fun and you'd never be able to ski powder.

TonyH wrote:I went straight back up to the top and did it again, as there was a huge sense of achievement in it.

That seems to reflect what I'd expect to be a normal approach, that desire to be challenged by the terrain and ski the whole mountain. The "All Mountain Skier" book is much recommended here, the emphasis being on All Mountain.