POLE PLANT
Once you’ve been skiing for a little while, you might start looking at the people around you and how they ski. You’ll notice beginner skiers may look like Bridget Jones with their poles tucked under their arms very awkwardly, they might have their poles so close to their knees they look like a right angle. This is how you will see upper intermediate to expert skiers’ ski at all.
Before you learn the pole plant
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You should be used to skiing with your arms forward and to the side in front of you
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Try skiing like you’re hugging a giant beach ball, it might feel funny at first but it will open space between your body and your arms
- Revisit our page on your body position if you are struggling
Source: alex orfa · Ski basics ⛷️ Basic position #alpineskiing #skiing
What is a pole plant?
- A pole plant is the act of touching your pole to the snow on the inside of your turn Why do we do it?
- It helps generate flow and rhythm
- It maintains balance
- It assists in releasing the skis during the turn
What does it look like?
Source: Inspirational Skiing · How to do The Basic Pole Plant in Skiing
- It is a flick of the wrist and elbow, you don’t want to heavily stick your pole in the snow but lightly touch it, this is why you might also hear it called a pole touch
- The pole is planted between the ski binding and the tip of the uphill/inside ski (inside of your turn)
How to become pro
- Practice the placement when you are standing still on the snow
- Try it in your traverse (see the previous article)
- Try it in your traverse with your upward and forward motion you have already practiced, you plant the pole as you come up and forward then move downwards to start your turn
Link it all together
- Try a pole plant to initiate your first turn
- Try turning in the other direction with a pole plant
- Try linking your turns with your pole plant