mc Ski Line . x By Sunny Redd, Director Blue Mountain Ski School, Monticello Often a skier has all of his equipment before he gets to the poles. Don't just take any old pair. Try the pole on while wearing the ski glove usually worn and check for strap length. Then look over the following parts to see if a particular pole will fill your needs. The Grips: A cross hatched, hatch-ed, finger molded or notch at the bottom just beneath the palm will keep the hand from slipping and be less tiring to hold onto. Synthetic material is stronger and withstands the weather better. The Strap: All leather will stretch some when wet. But more expensive poles usually usual-ly have buckle straps as well as better quality leather. There is a right and left pole. The lower strap where it attaches at-taches to the pole goes to the thumb side. Buckle straps can be changed from left to right by unbuckling the strap and twisting the top half in desired direction and rebuck-ling. rebuck-ling. The Shaft: Less expensive poles are the same diameter all the way down do not taper. They are usually heavier. hea-vier. And a heavier pole will be more tiring. A steel pole is stronger, but heavier than aluminum. Although a tapered taper-ed pole gets less in diameter the walls get thicker toward the tip where the strength should be. A colored finish will show nicks and scratches, scratch-es, and does not look as nice sooner than the silver finish, polished metal. The Basket: Cheap rubber ones will rot fast. But neo-prene neo-prene is strong and will stand up and look good. To get the most wear out of the pole, store baskets in plastic bags. This is especially important in areas where there is a lot of smog. The Tip: Aluminum ones hill and daughter, Cathy cf a hard surface. Steel tips on the better poles will not. "'Proper' Length':' It varies. The trend in most ski schools is toward shorter poles. But a pole can be shortened if it proves too long and it cannot can-not be stretched. Most shops will cut it off later if you decide de-cide you want it shorter. Wear street shoes and have the arm hanging at your side. Put the pole on a hard floor and it should reach just to the armpit. While skiing the tip will go into the snow and the boots will raise the skier a little.1 This should give the correct length. Get cheap poles for children. They get a lot of abuse. Because the cheap poles are so light, you can add an inch for growth. Check the shop for service policies when buying poles. Most parts can be replaced. With four to five feet of good snow on the slopes, conditions con-ditions at the Blue Mountain Ski Resort near Monticello are listed as excellent. The lift will be operating on regular reg-ular schedule from now on, it was reported, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays, Saturdays Satur-days and Sundays. Skiers from Moab who enjoyed holiday holi-day outings at Blue Mountain, Moun-tain, reported good crowds taking advantage of the best snow conditions in years. A good medium priced pole or better will probably be the best buy for teenagers and adults. A fast skier needs a strong pole, but so does the beginner who puts a lot of stress' on the pole getting up after 'each fall.