Better Skiing: Ski Pole Length

Welcome to this edition of Better Skiing, I’m Bruce Ruff.
Do you know that the length of your ski poles can affect your posture, your stance, and even your overall performance on skis? Make sure your ski poles are not too long. They could be making you stand too tall on your skis.

Shape skis require a little wider stance where we roll both knees simultaneously, eliminating the old up/down un-weighted motion. Now, throughout the turn we are significantly lower with a lateral movement. This stance calls for shorter poles.
Poles that are too long can also slow down the quickness of your turns. If you can’t keep your hands out in front of your body because your poles are dragging on the snow, there is a delay between turns. To improve your quickness try cutting your poles down. This is especially helpful in the bumps.
To check your pole length, turn over your poles and hold under the baskets with your elbow at 90 degrees. Now, get in your aggressive bent-kneed stance, keeping your elbows at 90 degrees. This is the length your poles should be.