Poles in drag

[Bobasaurus]

In past training sessions you have challenged me to keep my inside pole off the snow, I find this still happens to me in the steeps and it can really affect balance. I have been watching the PSIA Matrix and my AMST discs and I notice that I am not the only one who lets this happen. Certainly its a matter of degree but is there a trick or rule for positioning the inside pole in the steeps? On the discs you seem to lift the basket end up so the pole is parallel to the snow as you shape the turn but in the matrix I noticed some demos with the pole tip being lifted out and up.

That inside hand has to be forward through the turn what should I be thinking to keep the basket out of the snow so I do not get pulled back?

Back seat driver in PC

[ckuck]

In past training sessions you have challenged me to keep my inside pole off the snow...

Flashlight and stick. Downhill pole is "the stick", feeling your way down the hill. Uphill pole is "the flashlight". Pretend the grip is a flashlight that you're shining down the hill to see where you're going. Make sense? :confused: It's better with a demo... Obviously, you have to swap as you go through the turn.

This is similar to "On the discs you seem to lift the basket end up so the pole is parallel to the snow as you shape the turn..."

I've seen/heard that from Kemp, Malcolm, and Mikey.

[Bobasaurus]

The challenge is what do you do when the mountain is grabbing your flashlight?

Nick Herrin has the solution in the recent Ski Press Vol. 7 No.2 . In the steeps Nick says to bring your old inside (upper) hand over your skis. This will help pull your body over your skis and reinforce a strong balanced position and keep the basket away from the mountain. Check it out, he has some excellent pix to illustrate what he is saying.