Telemark 101, The Stance

[consular_ship]

For lift served short poles are what they are. BUT In the Bush, you need to use them to cruise and on the steep up you won't get there as easily with short poles. When earning your turns going up long is really good. On the down a tap here and there is good for balance but mostly they are for bashing whips and need to be out of the way. TM

Ya, for sure. That’s why I got adjustable poles. Too short of a pole on the up and you’ll be hunched over, slipping and sliding out of your skin track.

OP mentioned favoring a side to turn (right is also more challenging for me but feels better when properly executed) and that seems pretty naturally. Most folks also have a preference for which direction they spin. The mark of a good athlete is one whose preference is indistinguishable.

[consular_ship]

I'm 5'4 and my swix mtn touring are 135 and I think that's good for straight xc skiing. Since my adjustable asnes poles broke I bought some silicone stretch tape from the hardware store (couldnt find any foam tape and needed a solution pronto, though in the future I may order some bike handlebar tape) and put it on the fixed swix poles starting at about 107 or so for a lower grip for downhill. Maybe shoulda gone higher? I saw a video of Gamme where he held his arms with elbows at side and hands straight out at 90 degree bend. Which is what landed me at 107, but given the pole will go into snow a bit I may add some more tape higher up.

grip tape for road bike bars is a great way to add extra grip and comes in tons of thicknesses and materials to suit your needs