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

[Josh Matta]

backwards with poles. Although I can go backwards without them as well just not as fast and uphill can be a problem.

 

[Crank]

Any of you guys do slingshotting with poles. It's fun on a cat track where you might have to skate. First you link your poles strap to basket so one of you is holding their pole by the pointy end. You generally do this with one pole each, the other being held regularly in your outside hand. Then one skier goes out in front and pulls the other skier forward. When they start to fell the tug of the other skier, now behind them, they pull their arm forward to slingshot their partner...repeat and repeat...

You can also turn circles down and easy groomer linked like this with one skiers impetus pulling the other around.

Pro tip: it helps a lot if the 2 skiers are a similar weight.

 

[karlo]

Any others?

Towing my kids, when they were small enough that I could. So much fun.

 

[Tony S]

I love trolling people going from the over easy to quad at Stowe by skating backwards.......

Its pretty funny how many people will try to go faster as you skate backwards past them.

Wait, lemme fix this for you

I love trolling people

There. Much tidier.

 

[Crank]

You could use poles as splints.

 

[QueueCT]

ALTHOUGH, coming full circle here, many alpine skiers truly rot at skating. The way to get good at it is to practice with no poles, as any high school Nordic coach will tell you.

I find a degree of impatience with the younger crowd when it comes to skating ... my daughters included. As if it's a herringbone exercise. Rhythm and glide are the keys.

 

[Monique]

ALTHOUGH, coming full circle here, many alpine skiers truly rot at skating. The way to get good at it is to practice with no poles, as any high school Nordic coach will tell you.

Good point. Although skating is not always an option - there are multiple traverses where I ski that are simply too narrow (hm, chicken and egg? No, I think it really is too narrow). You build up as much speed as possible initially and then pole as necessary. Think many of Alta's traverses?

 

[Crank]

You can sometimes use the step up technique for propulsion on traverses like Alta's Hit T. while gliding forward you side step up once, then you angle down for some glide.

 

[Bolder]

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..

Which also raises the question: Why not use short pylons instead of hinged plastic sticks that require racers to armor up and train like boxers?

The other key use for poles is using the bails to scrape the snow off your skis on the lift.

One of my pet peeves is sports that never change for the sake of "Tradition" -- tennis: court is too small, net is too low when guys are 6-6 and firing 140 mph serves; basketball: again, court too small for athleticism, net too low or ball too small, why not make court bigger and have 7 man teams to encourage participation? /mini rant

 

[tball]

I'm late, so maybe this has been mentioned.

The most important use of poles is tapping them together immediately before you push off for a killer run. Tapping your poles clicks your mind into awesome skier mode.

Tap. Tap. Rip it up.

 

[cantunamunch]

Does anyone in this thread have a pic or link to the article about the guy at Snowbird who used fiberglass hand wings?

 

[crgildart]

Time to threadjack this in to a totally unnecessary and shameless Pole Quiver thread!

 

[jo3st3]

Time to threadjack this in to a totally unnecessary and shameless Pole Quiver thread!

wow, you really like to use your pole

 

[QueueCT]

Geez ... I keep one set until a pole breaks or bends significantly. Then I buy a new pair and leave the old ones with the ski shop. Used to be you could just pick up a spare pole from Ski Patrol from unclaimed lift drops. I went quite a long time without buying poles.

My kids' pole quiver, that's a whole different story!

 

[cantunamunch]

Yeh, never ever do a pole quiver pic in front of a door. People then know exactly how much you polish your knob.

 

[Monique]

Seems I may need to eat some crow about the utility of poles.

Today was a modest powder day, and I was in a lesson with the usual suspects. I was skiing pretty well in variable snow, trees, and some steepish stuff, but my longtime instructor pulled me aside.

Him: "You look like you're half-assing your pole plants."
Me: "That's because I'm half-assing my pole plants."

So I started full-assing (?) my pole plants. No change to timing, but a change in intent. I wasn't trying to stab, but neither did I allow myself to sort of vaguely point in the direction of the snow on the way through.

At the bottom, I told him, "My alignment is better when I plant my poles!" He agreed, but he said it was also about confidence. I realized that when I'm dragging my poles, I'm giving myself an "out" - I don't have to go down the hill the way I had intended. If I plant my poles in the right place at the right time, I'm committing. That turn is happening.

This is nothing like a blocking pole plant. I wasn't swinging around the pole or using it as some sort of balance. It simply got my body moving in the right direction and made it easier to make a good turn than to, well, half-ass the turn.

 

[crgildart]

I haven't paid more than $5.00 for a pair of poles since 1980. Latest acquisition day before yesterday..

The Ski Pole.. Not perfect, look to be mismatched and recut on the longer one.. But WTH, two bucks!

 

[Tony S]

I realized that when I'm dragging my poles, I'm giving myself an "out" - I don't have to go down the hill the way I had intended. If I plant my poles in the right place at the right time, I'm committing. That turn is happening.

Nice progress.

 

[Monique]

Nice progress.

Why do I have this sinking feeling I've had this revelation at least 8 or 10 times before?

On a related note - instructor also said today - "Hey, Monique, look UP when you ski!" Suddenly my skiing got 10000000 times better. I KNOW I've had this revelation at least 30 times.

 

[LiquidFeet]

I know that feeling. The 30 times one.