to Pole or Not to Pole, that is the question...

[jo3st3]

I've skied for several years now, and always with poles. I advanced fairly quickly, and after maybe 20 days on the hill, I was comfortably skiing black diamonds and carving turns etc. It's been a few years since, and still getting use to deeper powder, and scared to even try trees, but hey, I'm pretty happy overall with what I can do, and with good speed.

I taught my kids to ski myself, and they are now up to blue runs in about 20 days. When I go with them, I don't take any poles so I can assist if they need help on and off lifts, and to have free hands. And, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

But Wait... I feel so weird without poles. I mean, I can ski all the runs, but it feels more challenging almost. Is that normal? Is this totally mental? Should people really master all their skiing without poles to improve their technique, or ditch them every once in a while? Just curious on the whole thing and if poles help people balance or anything that would effect skiing. Also, when it's a good time to add poles for kids (my kids are 7 and 9)?

 

[Eleeski]

Poles are a tool to improve your skiing. They are not necessary for most skiing - especially the kind with kids on blues. But when the terrain gets gnarly or your trying to rock the mogul zipper line, poles are necessary. The logistics of poling across the flats (while dragging kids by a pole) are also invaluable.

You feel weird because you know you are limited.

Get the kids on poles as soon as they won't drop them off the chair. Then drag them through some nice soft bumps and they'll figure out the poles.

Eric

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Also, when it's a good time to add poles for kids (my kids are 7 and 9)?

Now.

 

[Josh Matta]

I say if the kids are entirely matched on harder blue terrain add them.....

Make sure they do not drag the inside pole....also make the poles are short enough. the 90 degree bend is elbow is slight to tall and going about 2 inches shorter than 90 degree bend in elbow makes the pole a length that will not cause kids to ski to upright.

poles do not help people balance but help timing and can be used for blocking movements when we make mistakes and need to recenter. The thing is kid or adult people balance get entirely thrown by using them at the start. Many many of my almost terminal beginner/intermediates find they like skiing with out them much more than with them.

 

[Kneale Brownson]

Poles are essential for making offensive turns on challenging terrain. Before you teach your kids to use poles, get yourself a lesson on their appropriate use.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Kneale's right. Poles help a skier like whiskers help a cat. But they need to be used properly to be a help instead of a hindrance. It's great that you ski without poles. Instructors often teach lessons while taking away the poles, because the focus needs to be on foot/leg work. Having poles in those lessons often gums up the works. You've learned without them, so you did that on your own. But now it's time to take a lesson so you can benefit from what they offer.

Proper timing with poles is essential. It's easy to get the timing wrong. And you need to not swing your arms when you use the poles; you swing the poles from the wrist with the arms quiet. It's easy to start swinging your arms when you first start using poles since we walk and run with swinging arms. Arm swings can really mess up your skiing. Where you hold your hands counts; many people hold them down at their sides, which necessitates an arm swing. Also, it matters how dramatically you touch the tip to the snow and where you plant it relative to your feet. Take a lesson!

Benefits of pole usage?
--better control of the rhythm of your turns (pole swing determines tempo of your turns)
--better movement of upper body down the hill at initiation (planting down the hill helps you avoid moving aft)
--better ability to shorten your turns (flick poles faster for shorter turns; these offer speed control on steeps)
--better propulsion when skating on flats (propel self forward with poles; less fatigue, and you move along faster)
--less chance of running into people in the lift line (use your poles as a brake, dude!)
--easier forward travel when it's your turn to sit on the chair (propel self forward to meet the arriving chair on time)

If budget is an issue, go skiing on a weekday and take a group lesson. Some mountains have night skiing so maybe where you're living in CT you can do this after work. Often group lessons end up pretty empty on weekdays. You might end up with a private lesson for the price of a group.

 

[Swede]

Just as some input, skiing w/o poles is a great exercise also for the ”expert”. First two-three days of U14-U16 (12-16 y/o) pre season glacier training in October with our club is always free skiing sans poles. Skiing w/o is then a reoccurring practice during the season, both free skiing and in course (SL and GS). As you point out, it can be ”harder” to ski w/o poles if you’re used to them.

 

[François Pugh]

Poles are a great benefit, but they are also not needed.
They can be used as a timing mechanism and a way to get your weight forward in short radius speed control turns. They assist with balance at all speeds. They can be used in a good number of drills. They can be used as brush guards. By all means start using them.

It's not that you can't ski steep bumps and gnarly terrain without poles; it's that you can't ski, and skiing steep bumps and gnarly terrain without poles proves it.

 

[Monique]

Watching skiers from the lift has convinced me that 90% of intermediate skiers would benefit from shorter poles so that their shoulder wouldn't get dragged back when they try to pole.

90% may be low.

Maybe it's not the pole length, but just having the poles at all.

 

[LiquidFeet]

@Monique, I think it's habit that makes skiers swing their arms, not pole length.
When we walk, we swing our arms. When we run, we swing our arms. We walk and run more often than we ski.

This arm swinging is a deeeeeply embedded habit.
Shorter poles will not erase that habit.
But if one is working hard to replace arm swinging with pole flicking, then shorter poles may make that challenge easier.

 

[Monique]

@Monique, I think it's habit that makes skiers swing their arms, not pole length.
When we walk, we swing our arms. When we run, we swing our arms. We walk and run more often than we ski.

This arm swinging is a deeeeeply embedded habit.
Shorter poles will not erase that habit.
But if one is working hard to replace arm swinging with pole flicking, then shorter poles may make that challenge easier.

But if that's the case - why don't we see people swinging their arms while skiing without poles?

 

[Monique]

Also, I definitely ski more often than I run ;-)

 

[LiquidFeet]

But if that's the case - why don't we see people swinging their arms while skiing without poles?

Good question. Dunno.
I see the habit kicking in when there are poles, but it doesn't when there aren't.
No idea why.

 

[crgildart]

But if that's the case - why don't we see people swinging their arms while skiing without poles?

Because reaching out to plant a pole that isn't there could send them over the handlebars? But high level technical skiers these days don't even "plant" poles on hardpack. They only tap them off to the side where old schoolers and bump skiers would "plant" them out to the front more.

 

[Eleeski]

But if that's the case - why don't we see people swinging their arms while skiing without poles?

I'm pretty good at rolling down the windows when I'm going out the back. Happens more when I'm without poles.

Eric

 

[PTskier]

A good pole tap on groomers...not a plant...is just a twitch of the wrist down the fall line from the outside heel or even farther back. No more than that. No arm swing. No reach forward. In bumps and other technical conditions it can be a balancing point with more arm movement. Still no arm swing that move the body around.

"...still getting use to deeper powder, and scared to even try trees..."

In powder, steering...pushing the tails of the skis sideways...doesn't work, as you know. What works is laying the skis on their edges, like a plane banking a turn in the sky, so the skis turn you. The great line about tree skis is, "don't look at the trees. Look at the gaps between the trees." You'll ski where you're looking. Even better, look at the gaps between the trees with the thought of whether you want to set up a left or right turn as you pass through the gap.

 

[Bolder]

I do wonder about why we use poles. Obviously when skis were a form of transport they were necessary to create forward momentum, balance with heavy loads. Still the case for nordic.

But if you had to "invent" alpine skiing today, would poles be a part of the package? I think not. If you look at the highest levels of athleticism like half pipe, there are a few riders who don't use poles, and the others never plant them. It's as if they are a security blanket. However, not sure you could separate the skis/boots/bindings/poles package at this point without a major rethinking of the sport.

My most consistent problem is letting my hands, especially my left one, fall back and down. When I ski without poles I HAVE to keep my weight forward.

 

[Josh Matta]

yeah half pipe skiing is not all mountain skiing. I cant think of anything better than 2 poles for going down steeper slopes......can you?

I wonder if anyone realizes that the a duel fought with guns decides that we would use 2 poles and not one pole for alpine.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Tell the story, Josh!

 

[crgildart]

Pretty sure if I had to invent alpine skiing knowing that slalom racing would be a major part of the sport for generations I'd have to decide whether or not poles would be "legal" since they are a huge advantage/factor in that activity for both timing the turns and blocking over the gates. Blocking even more now than back in the bamboo gate days though. Back in the pre rapid gate days you had to use your body more to bash the gates because the bamboo put up a much bigger fight than hinged gates do..