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Club Pole Flag

Club Pole Flag

Some of us use the green club pole flag as a means of identifying other club members when skiing. Shortly after joining the club I found another use for it. And, yes, I know this is a bit silly, but it actually does work, and why not have some fun?

Since joining the Club and getting my Club pole pennant, I have used it continuously. However, so far, I have seen only a handful of other Club Members use it on the ski hills around Lake Tahoe. I like the pennant because, as a new Club Member, it helped me identify other Members. Secondly, if you are skiing in a group, it is a handy tool for providing a visual reference to get the group together, especially on busy days. Just wave the pole flag above the crowd, and your ski buddies can find you even in crowded lift lines. The flag can also serve as a recruiting tool; when people ask about the flag, tell them about the Club!

However, I may have found another use for the flag! The day was getting colder and the wind was quite brisk on the Slide side at Mt. Rose. The ride up on the Zephyr lift was becoming quite unpleasant, and since the day had started out more comfortable I had left my neck gaiter and face mask in the car. By mid-afternoon I was dreading the rides back to the top. However, on one ride I was holding my poles with the hand grips resting on my shoulder. Suddenly a gust of wind pushed the flag across my face, resulting in instant blockage of the biting wind and my face felt almost warm!

After that, I positioned the flag across my face on each subsequent lift ride and enjoyed skiing the rest of the day! I imagine nobody had preventing frostbite of the face in mind when coming up with the idea for a club pole flag, but this is one more reason the flag can be quite useful.

You might even consider it a piece of safety equipment!