My interest in providing the LongPole to downhill skiers comes from my two years of very positive experiences using a LongPole. As an experienced skier, the LongPole provided a new tool that has allowed me to develop a skiing rhythm and form that I never achieved with two short poles. As an older, intermediate skier, the LongPole has allowed me to continue skiing more difficult and diverse trails by providing a more secure and stable ride.

Some facts that can help explain the advantages of a single LongPole over two shorter poles include the following:

• Holding a long single long pole lowers the center of gravity thus providing a more stable ride
• Greater pressure can be placed on the tip of a single long pole thus providing greater speed and motion control (like a third edge)
• During turns, tip pressure is placed behind the skier (up-hill) with a single long pole, which naturally causes the skier to go higher on the ski edges producing sharper and more controlled turns
• A single long pole provides greater leverage when pushing against the snow resulting in more efficient and easier movement on flat surfaces

The history of the long pole goes back many years. A single long pole was actually the original method used for balancing, breaking and turning during skiing. The earliest record of skiers using a single long pole comes from ancient rock carvings in Sweden dating back to 3623 BC. A single pole is still used in Nordic regions for downhill and cross-country skiing and is referred to as a Lurk pole. A single long pole also has a long history of use in North America. As far back as 1859, during the Colorado gold rush, skis combined with and a single long pole, which was used for maneuvering, was a common mode of transportation for gold miners during the winter months. Today, a single long pole is used by Telemark skiers for better balance and turning. Based on its proven value, the time seems right for re-establishing the LongPole as an alternative to two short poles in downhill skiing.

Because of my positive experience using the long pole, I created this company, Third Edge LLC, to design and create hand-crafted LongPoles to add a new dimension to the sport of downhill skiing.