The Pole Position is gaining more grounds among the racing community and their chiefs. Just for the record; the function of Pole Position is not a new method even if it looks like that when visiting this webpage. The method is quit old, since early 60´s ski racing coaches from France, Austria and US used cords and strings in order to stabilize upper body. The Pole Position is a refined and userfriendly version and here are some fresh comments:
Takuji Kambayashi Ski Racing Director, Japan FIS Racers (published in March 2012 issue of Ski journal)
“You can sense your own position in the run that will lead you to the optimal position. By keeping upper body tension the direction of rotation is fixed, which leads to real-time orientation of the arms and control and possible modification of lower body.”
From Canada WC Team:
“The team tried out the Pole Position during some freeskiing in in Hinterreit, Austria. It seems like a great tool. It attaches to the pole effectively and the grip maintains its position. The construction is solid and the buckles allowing it to detach during the ride up the hill are great. It is a little restrictive for some athletes that need to move their arms, but in general I think that it’s current format is perfect for its purpose”.
Tim Gfeller, Canadian Alpine Ski Team, Women’s World Cup – Technical
From Finland WC Racing:
“While using Pole Position and keeping upper body tension a consequence is the dynamic balance. Especially for young ones it’s a good instrument to teach basic position of the arms.Pole Position is a support for the upper body to get the basic position of the arms. From a technical view it´s important to know that stability also depends on the lower part of the body – knees, ankles, edges and snow contact.”
Christian Thoma, Head Coach Women’s WC team Finland
