Ski poles – what are they for?

So you’ve managed to teach your child to carry his skis properly. Now add ski poles as well - before you know it there will be bits of equipment strewn in his path as he struggles along.

At this point you may well be wondering what on earth those batons are for. Aside from the obvious means to prod his siblings and sketch pictures in the snow, of course!

Actually, your child won’t need ski poles until he’s mastered a basic skiing technique. For beginners they detract from the all-important tasks of staying upright and combining staying upright with moving. Our eldest child didn’t use them until at least ski holidays with the third or fourth week of lessons when she began to learn how to parallel turn.

They’re made from metal or you might find more advanced ones made from carbon fibre. The metal has to be lightweight otherwise you child’s arms would get tired.

If you ever watch ski racing on the television you’ll see that the racers have poles that look as if they’ve been bent by being caught in a heavy door. Manufacturers will have spent considerable time testing the best aerodynamic shape. But unless you’ve got a budding racer on your hands, your child is far more likely to have a straight ski pole that will do exactly what it is supposed to do.

Ski poles will help your child’s balance, and also help him to speed. He'll be able to push himself along flat ground by pole pushing. He'll also find them very useful if he has to step uphill. Our eldest finds them particularly useful to push herself up if she’s fallen over.

Once your child has a few ski vacations under his belt and has learned the basics, he’ll use them to initiate a parallel turn. This is called pole planting. Once he gets proficient, he’ll settle into a rhythm of pole planting and turning. His skiing will become more stable and he’ll make steady progress downhill. On steep slopes and mogul runs (big bumps and troughs caused by lots of skiers turning), poles are invaluable to get his body in the correct position to turn.

There’s a really quick way to tell if you child is using the correct sized poles. Turn them upside down and put the top of the handle on the floor. Get your child to hold the pole in his hand just underneath the basket. The bend in his arm should form a right angle. If not, you need to try a different size. As with all pieces of ski equipment, it is essential to have the right size – otherwise your child could risk harming himself.

The design is quite simple. There is a handle at the top that is moulded to handgrip shape. There is also an adjustable strap that your child will put over his wrist – this means that if he drops a pole, it will still be attached to him, so he won’t lose it.

Towards the bottom of the pole is a plastic basket. This prevents the pole from sinking down into the snow. And right at the bottom is the pointed tip – that’s the bit that’s good for drawing in the snow.

If you are hiring your child’s equipment in resort, poles will be included within a package of skis, boots and helmet. Prices vary between resorts, but this year we paid £48 for the package per child. If you choose to buy new, you’ll probably be looking at spending around £15 for a recreational pair. Our advice is that unless you’re skiing regularly each season it’s probably best to hire in resort.

Even when your child isn’t skiing, ski poles have their use. You can use both poles to carry a pair of skis. Simply pop the skis together (bases facing each other) until they “lock”. Then pass the strap of one pole over one end of the skis. Take the other pole and do the same for the other end of the skis. Then pass each pole through the strap of the other until just past the basket. Grasp both poles in one hand and hey presto – you have an instant and neat carrying system.

Our eldest also likes to put both poles behind her so that the top of the handle is at bottom height, and “sit” on her hands to have a rest – usually as she’s waiting for one of us to catch her up!

And when you’re all back from a wonderful day on the slopes, your child can simply unhook the poles, stand the skis upright and then slip the straps over the ski tips to store his equipment safely ready for next time.

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