No. 22 - Ski Poles

I spent the day skiing with my son. He is still a preschooler so we ski without poles for safety reasons. During the day he said he wanted ski poles. I explained to him that at his age they weren't needed and then I thought to myself that at my age they weren't really needed either. Unless I was training for the Olympics, perhaps. Ski poles help with balance and timing. But ... way back ... they had another purpose. While hunting the poles were used to reach higher speeds on skis. The poles then served the dual purpose of being used as a spears. Archeologists have discovered cave drawings depicting men on skis using a single pole. The pole is believed to have evolved from a walking stick.