While standing on flat snow, with your body
comfortably flexed and lined up with your skis, raise your hands and arms so
that your poles can swing freely.
Swing one first, then the other. On the way forward,
gently slap your thigh with the pole (about one third up from the basket).
Add a pole touch with the other pole--as one pole touches
the snow the other slaps the thigh.
Practice this until it feels natural.
Onto the hill
First on a moderate slope, point your skis across the hill
and twist your upper torso to face down the hill.
Reach both arms down the hill, tips of your poles behind
you. Then, rest the pole closest to your ski tips about one third up on your
uphill thigh and reach the other (tail-side) pole tip down the flow line beneath
your feet.
Trigger your turn by touching the downhill pole to the
snow to signal a release of your edges and a change of direction. As your skis
enter the flow line, return the touched pole to your thigh and begin swinging
the other. As the skis turn the other way, the new pole touches down the flow
line, the old pole slaps the thigh.
Tips:
- The arms shouldn't move from their position in the flow
line facing down the hill.
- If you feel like you've lost it, check to make sure
that you are slapping the pole one third up from the tip, while pointing the
grip down the hill.
