Do you appreciate pole clicking?

A snowHead

Following on from a discussion in the Whose Fault thread about pole clicking when passing someone on a narrow track, I'm interested in whether people appreciate the clicks or not

https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=5236253#5236253

Do you appreciate it/do you find it useful?

Answers from clickees not clickers please

A snowHead

No. Never.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Providing it's done 10 yds not 10 feet behind me yes.

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Depends what they are used for. If it's "Hi, just letting you know I'm here as I know you don't have eyes in the back of your head." then it's helpful. When it's "I'm here and better than you so now have right of way and you need to get out of my way!", not so much.

Oh, and of course if its me doing it it could just mean I'm listening to tunes and 'tapping my foot' in time to the music Smile

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Doesn’t happen to me often, with the once in a blue moon occasion taking place a few weeks ago. I wasn’t able to distinguish whether it came from behind me to the left or behind me to the right. But that was irrelevant as it took a second for me to register what the unusual noise was, by which time the skier was already in the process of passing me, clearly in my vision.

Utterly pointless if the intention was to get me to take a particular action; and clearly accompanied by a “I’m coming through, don’t get in my way’ attitude. One more small example of too little respect between slope users.

After all it is free

Nope, because I'm going slowly, I'm not quick/experienced enough to get out of the way quickly, and it puts me about.

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You know it makes sense.

Perhaps a more insightful question would have two parts:
1. Do you click your poles sometimes on cat-tracks when you are about to overtake someone?
2. Do you appreciate pole clicks from others when they are behind you?

I suspect the answers are 100% correlated.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@zikomo, I'm not interested in question 1. That's been answered in the other thread

A snowHead

@holidayloverxx, Ok.

A snowHead

Couldn’t care less either way if someone does or doesn’t use a pole click near me. If they are trying to be helpful, great thanks I appreciate it whether it was of any consequence or not. If they are being entitled and trying to usher me out of their way well that’s too bad because I’m skiing where I’m skiing and trying to keep myself and those around me safe and a pole click ain’t moving me in any case.
Not going to allow a pole clicker to spoil my cherished time in the mountains.

Of course it’s seldom possible to establish the intent of the clicker either way.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@holidayloverxx, no, it's stupid.

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@zikomo, @holidayloverxx,
Yes and Yes.

This will probably open a whole can of worms but here goes...

I think pole clicking is a nice courtesy to others but should never be used as "I'm coming through!"...more of a " I'd like to come through". I appreciated it when I was the person in front getting passed so use it now myself.
I never expect others to get out of the way though, it's still my responsibility to pass safely.

I don't use it if the person in front looks to be rather nervous as it may distract them with disastrous consequences! More often now and especially if the person in front looks nervous I come out with "On your right" for example, but that can be a mistake too!

If the person in front is really having a hard time then I just have to wait.

A "Merci!" (or Danke) is always to be used after. (Especially if they are obviously from the UK!)

Of course, if the person in front is wearing a Snowheads buff then I generally slide on by shouting "Rule 5 for Gods Sake!"

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

I don't like pole clicking, but I definitely appreciate a "on your left/right" which is a lot more useful.

I do think some of it is cultural though. In north America people tend to be more friendly and courteous (just look at the civilised queuing!). So there it's probably taken as more "just letting you know I'm here", while in Europe perhaps considered a more "get out my way".

I find it hard to believe more communication can really be a bad thing. Wether that's a "bar coming down" on a lift so you don't smack someone in the head l, or even a downhill skier giving a little hand indication if they are going to make a change in direction to cut across a slope.

It's a lot better and safer experience when everyone tries to help each other, and in doing so themselves too.

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The reason why I appreciate pole clicking is that I have heard it so many times it doesn't phase me in the slightest. If I hear a pole click I know someone is behind me they are probably travelling faster than which is knowledge I otherwise may not have. They almost certainly wish to pass me but may not be fully confident in their own ability to do it. . I would usually respond by maintaining a straighter line and using a snow plough to control speed rather than more lateral movement.

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@195062, at a tangent to the OP question has going deaf in one ear affected your balance whilst skiing. I only ask as one year I’d had a filthy cold and my ear drum actually burst when I sneezed. I skied about a week later and it really badly affected my balance especially in flat light. I actually fell over whilst stationary a bit like classic vertigo and didn’t realise I was even falling until I hit the ground.

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Yes, if it’s 2-3 clicks about 100 bpm, clicked no later than 2 seconds before estimated time of passing by. That person is just trying to be helpful.

More than 4 clicks, a tempo above 120 bpm and/or clicking when he’s already on your tails is the internationally known signal for a jerk coming through.

In my experience French skiers queue in civilized fashion and refrain from bringing bar down in considerately. Also check everyone's ready before raising it.

Depends where you go, maybe? People who faff around in order to sit with their dear ones are an absolute ball- ache, regardless of nationality.

I often skied to music so pole clicking lost on me. OTOH I generally didn't dawdle on narrow paths.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@boarder2020,

A snowHead

@jirac18, Fortunately not. I've done a couple of weeks so far this winter, pre-Christmas and last week. Now I'm in my 60s, I tend not to go out if the weather is poor - using Ski A La Carte means only paying on days I actually ski. It took a little while for muscle memory to kick back in - after effects still, I reckon, of limited time over the last four years as a result of COVID (which I've managed to avoid thus far). However, by the end of last week it finally felt as though I was skiing on instinct again and really enjoyed it. Balance was fine.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Yes, I'm a flaky skier that sees monsters in the snow that the skier behind might be unaware of.
I'm less likely to make unexpected, random, crazy moves across the piste if I know there someone behind me - absolutely the clickkly poles means I'll do my best to continue my line as others would see it from behind until they are past.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@holidayloverxx, do you come across pole clicking much in Austria? I can honestly say in 35 years of skiing mainly in Austria but also Switzerland and Italy I've never come across it. For the last 10 years I have taught mainly slower skiers so have plenty of experience of being overtaken on narrow tracks without incident but with a few passes closer than I think they should be. I do as far as possible encourage clients to leave a safe passage but this isn't always possible in a couple of areas that I regularly use but realistically the only people using these tracks should be lower level users under instruction anyway.

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It really depends. I've head situations where I would have used poles (but I was on a snowboard), e.g. :
- for clicking when trying to overtake a child on a flat piece but he was making turns randomly, followed by an adult trying to mimic child's moves but given there was a delay in moves they covered whole width. I ended up stopping and running with my board because I couldn't have overtaken safely.
- for hitting when people stop in a middle of a turn during a very low visibility.
I would also use it in a different way depending on what level of run it is. I don't appreciate people doing 60mph on blue runs.

It's a similar situation when cycling and using bells, it's different when I'm chatting with kids cycling next to each other and different when someone is doing 30mph on a cycling path and the bell can cause more harm.

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After all it is free

As @Chris_n says, pole clicking doesn't seem to be a thing. I've rarely heard it, and never done it.

I use in-ear music so I don't hear you. But it's ok, because as a snowboarder I have to be fully aware of what's behind me anyway.
So I just look around a lot, like when I'm driving my car.

If I'm going to switch from a tucked flat schuss to a turn, or do anything else you could not reasonably anticipate, I'll shoulder check.
And give any overtaking rider the priority they need. I respect peoples' rights to ride quicker than me.

I appreciate people trying to warn me of their presence, on or off piste, if they think it's necessary.

In the back country, it's a simple courtesy to let slower skiers or riders know where you are if it's remotely relevant to them. A simple "hey ho" is how that's done. Personally I still shoulder check, which often causes amusement in others, but it's a habit you either have or you don't have.

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Yes.

I don't see pole clicking on a narrow path from an overtaking skier as any different to a cyclist ringing his bell on a combined cycle/pedestrian path. It's useful additional information to increase awareness of what's around you and what's likely to happen next.

I'd view it as pointless on an open slope (because there are too many variables) but I can genuinely say I've never experienced it on an open slope.

Help!!

Do you appreciate pole clicking?

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