The Skiing Stick
While there are occasions when the proficient ski runner can dispense with the stick, as in jumping and practicing many fancy turns and swings, a good stick must be reckoned a valuable implement for climbing and downhill running, and often a help on a level. The beginner should not depend too much upon the stick, however, but should acquire the knack of handling the skis without this aid early in his practice. In short, the novice should practice both with and without the stick, that he may learn all the little points of balancing the body unaided, but every skier ought to know how to use the stick, that he may rely upon its assistance whenever necessary.
Fig. 3
Skiing Sticks with Staff of Bamboo or Hard Wood Having an Easily Removable Aluminum Washer
The use of two sticks may be of help for mountain climbing, but the majority of ski runners consider one stout stick to be of more real service. For downhill running, the extra stick is of no value whatever, but rather a hindrance, the one stick being all that is required for braking. In choosing a stick, its height may be such that it will reach to the shoulders of the skier, although many prefer a shorter one. On the average, a stick 5 ft. long will be found about right for most persons, while a proportionately shorter stick will be required for boys and girls. Bamboo of good quality is generally preferred, since it is light, elastic, and very stiff and strong. Hardwood sticks are a trifle heavier, but if fashioned from straight-grain hickory, or ash, are as satisfactory as the bamboo. In any case, the end of the stick should be provided with a metal ice peg, and a ferrule to strengthen the wood at this point. A few inches above the peg a ring, or disk, is fastened, and this “snow washer” serves to keep the stick from sinking too deeply into the snow. Wicker rings, secured with thongs or straps, are much used, as are also disks of metal and hard rubber. A decided improvement over these materials has been brought out in a cup-shaped snow washer made of aluminum, which is flexible and fastened to the stick with clamps so that it can be easily shifted or removed at will. This feature is a good one, since the washer is often useful for assisting braking in soft snow, but is likely to catch and throw the runner if used upon crusted snow, hence the detachable arrangement is of value in that it supplies an easy way to take off the washer whenever desired. The sticks are shown in [Fig. 3].