 This skier's poles are tucked under his arms. Ski poles are used by skiers to improve balance, speed and acceleration. They probably evolved from walking sticks carried while traveling, and possibly from spears as well. This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ...
This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ...
Skiing is the activity of gliding over snow using skis (originally wooden planks, now usually made from fiberglass or related composites) strapped to the feet with ski bindings. ...
A walking stick (or two) is a tool used by many people to ease pressure on the legs when walking. ...
Hunting spear and knife, from Mesa Verde National Park. ...
In the days before turning techniques had been properly developed, one long pole was normally used on sloping ground. The skier would lean or sit on the pole in order to increase friction with the ground, so slowing or stopping. Skiing is the activity of gliding over snow using skis (originally wooden planks, now usually made from fiberglass or related composites) strapped to the feet with ski bindings. ...
In modern skiing one pole is held in each hand, and each pole has a circular "basket" attached close to the lower end to prevent the pole sinking significantly into deep snow. At the upper end of the pole a strap is attached, which is normally slipped over the wrist to prevent the loss of the pole in the event of a fall. When skiing the backcountry (off piste) in trees, the wrist strap is not normally used, since there is a risk of wrist injury if the pole should catch on an unseen branch or root. Backcountry sking near the Arlberg, Austria Backcountry skiing or off-piste skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes (i. ...
 Wooden cross-country ski poles, circa 1950.
 Modern aluminum ski poles. Download high resolution version (500x667, 78 KB)Wooden and leather cross-country ski poles circa 1950. ...
Download high resolution version (500x667, 78 KB)Wooden and leather cross-country ski poles circa 1950. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 1281 KB) A pair of modern ski poles. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 1281 KB) A pair of modern ski poles. ...
Cross-country and Alpine ski poles
When used in cross-country skiing, poles enable the user to gain more speed than by using the skis alone, as well as offering improved balance. Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields, primarily Northern Europe and Canada. ...
A twin-tip shaped downhill ski. ...
Alpine skiers use poles as well. While they serve the same purposes as they do in cross-country, they can also help with the timing of the more advanced ski turns. By making contact with the ground between each turn in a process known as "pole planting", Alpine skiers are given greater stability as they move their mass down the hill, creating more acceleration and a tighter turning radius. Alpine skiing (or downhill skiing) is a recreational activity and sport involving sliding down snow-covered hills with long, thin skis attached to each foot. ...
A ski pole is the correct length for Alpine skiing if, when placed in the snow at rest, the skiers elbow forms a right angle. Longer poles are used for cross-country to enable a longer thrust. Poles used for ski touring may be telescopic, so that they may be adjusted to suit snow conditions or the steepness of the slope. Elbow redirects here. ...
This article is about angles in geometry. ...
Ski touring is a form of backcountry skiing (off-piste skiing) involving trekking from place to place in the wilderness, that has parallels with hiking and backpacking. ...
Some racers in the high speed skiing disciplines (Giant Slalom, Super Giant Slalom, downhill, speed skiing) use curved poles that are bent to shape around their bodies while they are in a tuck position, in order to minimize wind resistance and drag, making them more aerodynamic. The Giant Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. ...
The Super Giant Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. ...
The downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. ...
Speed skiing Speed skiing is the sport of skiing fastest in a straight line downhill. ...
A Tuck is a type of European sword. ...
Wind resistance is overall drag on a body due to its interaction with the atmosphere. ...
For a solid object moving through a fluid or gas, drag is the sum of all the aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces in the direction of the external fluid flow. ...
Aerodynamics is a branch of fluid dynamics concerned with the study of gas flows, first analysed by George Cayley in the 1800s. ...
Ski jumping and skiboarding are the only varieties of skiing in which no poles are used. Ski jumping is a winter sport in which skiers go down a hill with a take-off ramp (the jump), attempting to go as far as possible. ...
Skiboarding is a winter sport which combines inline skating and skiing. ...
Pole selection Ski poles are a crucial piece of equipment, though they are frequently ignored. People buying ski gear often spend hours researching the right type and brand of ski, the best type of ski boot, but rarely the poles. A twin-tip shaped downhill ski. ...
Ski boots are specialized footwear that are used in skiing to provide protection and warmth for the foot in snowy and icy conditions, along with a way to attach the skier to skis using ski bindings so that skiers ski over snow. ...
While most average skiers can get away with the run-of-the-mill cheap metal ski poles, more advanced or specialized skiers can benefit from more technologically advanced materials. Poles made of carbon fiber, for instance, are very light and flexible, allowing the poles to bend without breaking, and potentially increasing the speed and accuracy of pole-planting. Graphite-reinforced plastic or carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP or CRP), is a strong, light and very expensive composite material or fibre reinforced plastic. ...
There are also more convenient alternatives to the traditional wrist strap - for instance "trigger" mechanisms that will come off in case of a crash to avoid injury.
There is some debate about what styles of poles should be allowed. Swedish skier Gunde Svan added more fuel to the debate by introducing the unipole. During summer training, he sat in a canoe and paddled upstream using two paddles. When he became tired, he switched to just one paddle and found that it was much easier, so he tested skiing using a unipole. Preliminary tests were promising. At a skiing event, he brought his homemade unipole and used it on a training round. Later the same day, the unipole was banned. Gunde Svan (born January 12, 1962) is a former Swedish cross country skier and auto racing driver. ...
Canoe at El Nido, Philippines A canoe is a relatively small boat, typically human-powered, but also commonly sailed. ...
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