Poles and Pole Straps

Overview: Poles in ski racing play multiple vital roles, including aiding in confident starts, enhancing power during skating, hand protection while clearing gates, establishing race rhythm, and optimizing aerodynamics. A video reviews the various types of poles and offers guidance on determining the correct pole length for different racing disciplines. Guidance on how to properly wear pole straps is also provided.

Ski Poles for Racing

In ski racing, poles serve the following important functions.

1. Push out of the start hut with confidence
2. Increase power and speed when skating
3. Protect the hands when clearing gates
4. Establish rhythm and timing during the race
5. Properly positioned poles can reduce wind resistance, making a small difference in high-speed races where every fraction of a second counts.

The different types of poles and how to determine the correct length is reviewed by the following video produced by Artech Ski.

Video by ArtechSki

Most Masters racers have two sets of poles; a pair for Slalom and a pair for Giant Slalom. Slalom poles are straight and have hand guards fixed on the grip. Giant Slalom poles are a bit longer and are slightly curved to be more aerodynamic when tucking. Some advanced adult racers will have poles for Super G and Downhill which are more curved.

Giant Slalom Poles longer than Slalom Poless

Your Giant Slalom poles will be about 5 centimeter longer than your Slalom poles. The longer length enables you to push out of the start gate with more power and skate towards the gate where you will start your first turn.

Pole Straps

Pole straps need to be properly worn to push out of the start, execute powerful double pole strokes, and quickly recover your poles if accidentally dropped.

There are two types of pole straps; traditional straps and straps that clip onto the pole.

To secure your traditional pole straps watch this video:

Video by Wheelie Pete

Key Takeaways

1. Poles in ski racing serve multiple crucial functions, including aiding in confident starts, enhancing power during skating, protecting hands while clearing gates, establishing race rhythm, and optimizing aerodynamics to reduce wind resistance.
2. Different types of poles are used for various racing disciplines, such as Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super G, and Downhill, with variations in length and curvature. Properly worn pole straps are essential for effectively using poles in racing, and there are two types of pole straps: traditional and clip-on straps, each with its own method of securing.

Suggested Learning Modules

To learn what Safety Gear attaches to ski poles, Click here.

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