VtSkier wrote:

I've been dragging my poles for 50 years, don't worry about it.

Glad to hear you say that. Theory has it that you plant to provide some
sort of timing for the turn, but that sounds sort of like saying "oink"
before you take each step just to keep your walking, uhhh, something...
Why do I need to signal my brain before making a turn?

I find the tactile sensation of
my pole tip moving through the snow to be a cue which helps my
balance. I certainly don't DRAG it hard enough to cause any
actual force against my body.

When turning to slow down, I tend to drag the poles assertively, in the
manner of one who sticks one's foot out of the car and drags it on the
ground when the brakes fail. (No, I didn't actually do it, but I
THOUGHT about it.)

I'm also one of those guys who put their hands behind the back
with the thumbs locked, body slightly bent forward and with skis
fairly wide apart when trying to make time on a flat runout.
Don't know why, been doing it since I thought it looked Kewl
30 odd years ago. Now it's a habit.

Definitely kewl, especially if you have one of those elf hats.

I've said a lot about hands. Putting them and keeping them
where they belong and actually using them very little will cure
many of the "problems" you are describing.

Yes. Need lighter poles :-)

--
Cheers, Bev
================================================== ===============
"A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person
or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even
possibly incurring losses." -- C.M.Cipolla