Switchbacks: How do you do 'em?

When I'm skinning up and come to a turn, for years I've been opening the flick-lock on the new uphill pole and shortening it and opening the flick-lock on the new downhill pole and lengthening it. This new hand-switching pole technique will save me a lot of time! Thanks, Lowell!

The mountaineer who taught me the tree turn was Art Nation, a real legend at the Meany hut off Stampede Pass. I don't remember what he called it, but he was a real oldtimer, willing to do whatever it took to ski.  He must have been in his 70's and very hunchbacked at the time.(I think we saw him one rainy day this last year hiking the Crystal lakes trail)  It was intended for the less strong skier, or those on no wax skis. On a steep slope it works for anyone as long as there is no tree well.
As for the Dartmouth turn.  I skied some backcountry in Austria and my partners there knew the turn.  It works especially well on glaciers where rhythm is important.  You can stride through almost 160 degrees without losing the timing. Maybe this week up skiing we can do some pictures to illustrate.  Words are not enough. It works especially well with a heavy pack as opposed to the downhill turn, which can be scary if it is steep and you lose your balance. The Dartmouth turn is very solid even on steep terrain ( if you are young and strong)
Jane

For me I love both the European sensibilities of Martin's book where the style exhibited going up is as important as the going down and the more direct ( and at times humorous) American "here's how I do it" style demonstrated here. That's what makes this such a great sport and why I learn so much reading this site.

After reading this thread, it seems there is really no right or wrong way to do the "switchback" turn, some techniques may be easier than others, and some people will look like poetry in motion, while others struggle with tree props and "butt" turns.  As Rainier pointed out, it's like trying to verbablly teach someone to walk.  No one does it the same but in the end we all get to where we are headed  . 

Reminds me of one that a friend of the maddog and I claimed to have invented, the "Mack butt kick turn", ............

We've had some really fun times bc climbing and skiing and when I think of Mack's "butt" technique when I'm in a particularly tricky dilemma, it always makes me chuckle, and get the job done one way or the other.

Am I the only one who turns with the downhill ski first when it gets steep? I remember reading this as a kid in the late 60s in America's Ski Book and I found it the most stable way on steeps, but not very fast on anything more moderate. I'm going to have to dig out that book just to look at those pictures of some woman in stylish wool ski pants demonstrating that sequence. I think that's where I got it from. Anyway, it works.

While we are on the topic of skin tracks, location also came up in our conversation yesterday as we were climbing.  I mentioned that I loved this article I found in an issue of "Off Piste" at the NW Snow Summit.  Worth a look:
www.offpistemag.com/themag/pdfs/op27.pdf

BTW, John, that was a great article.
Thanks for digging it up and pointing it out.