No Poles: An interesting look...

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cj

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I posted this in another thread but I think it defers from the threads original topic so here it is here:

One could make the argument that skiing without poles is MORE difficult

than skiing with poles. Take for example tightrope walking. In order to

stay balanced on the rope, the walker uses a large pole to keep

balanced.

tightrope-360.jpg


If

the same person were to walk the same rope without that giant pole

every one of us would acknowledge that walking without the pole would

be far more difficult. The pole is used for balance, much the same as

ski poles are used for balance. When skiing we often need to make micro

adjustments in order to correct our balance, this is where poles are

used. Weather it be a drag on the ground during a carve or a slight

wobble in the air or on a rail, poles make balance adjustments easier.

By this logic, skiing without poles forces the body to counter balance

on its own. Poles are simply a tool used to make skiing EASIER.

Tradition allows skiing with poles to be the norm although skiing

without poles is, technically, more difficult than skiing with poles.

This

is not a well written argument. I do not have the motivation to

make it clearer. I think you understand what I am saying here. I think

skiing with or without poles is up to the

skier but inherently skiing without poles is more difficult. Note that

there are some aspects of skiing that become easier when skiing without

poles but that is a different argument in itself.

Discuss...
 
that is completely true i mean i notice when i ski with poles i more controlled on the normal hill but in park i feel i do better without them
 
I definitely think that skiing with poles makes me feel more balanced, and i think that a positive aspect of using poles, u didnt really seem to say if u thought ur argument was pro no poles or not. I just feel more comfortable skiing with poles, and also i dont feel like such a jackass on flats or in lift lines with poles, its a bonus.
 
your logic does make sense. but i find skiing without poles to be easier as far as in the park plus it is just much more convenient. now out of the park with poles is easier to me...
 
Now if you want to take this one step further, one could argue that because skiing without poles is more difficult, it deserves more respect...
 
too soon haha.

i have no problem with skiing w/o poles, but it gets hard in the liftlines (thats my only problem with it). i like to drop em off at the lodge for a few runs a day for fun
 
if you make this argument, then ill make the argument that things that are harder are more limiting. example: telemark in the park. sure its sick, but its much more limiting than regular twins. my point is just because something is harder doesn't make it better.
 
Wow, that is the most intense argument about no poles that I have ever seen, and there's not much I can disagree on. Well.. when I do ski no poles I find grabs a lot easier due to free hands, rails are harder and spins I have yet to try no poles. I can also picture skiing pow or backcountry would be alot harder.
 
i think to each his own

maybe for some skiing with poles is easier/steezier

maybe for some skking without poles is easier/steezier

just do what u want, not what u see
 
in many ways skiing without poles IS more difficult. But it makes grabs way more easier, and on rails it allows you to think more about your feet and hips because youre not worried about being impaled on the two metal spears in your hands.
 
reasons i dont use poles...

Makes hikeing way easier

chair lift ride are more relaxing

you can move freely

down sides are:

flats, chairlift lines
 
so if I ski blindfolded, handcuffed, with ancient wooden skis pulling a tobagon, thus making it harder, I'll be a pro in no time?

But I have to correct you, tele kicks alpine's ass.
 
one more thing.

the viking skier types in paintings at ski lodges and such have one long pole like that tightrope walker.

 
My works exactly!

Also I feel steezier when I don't have two more things to think about and control.

And for chairlift lines I always stand next to a fence thingy so i can either sit on it or grab it.
 
what? he is saying that just because it is harder does not make it better and he never said teleing was bad. you guys have to read what people are typeing.
 
that's true, poles help me balance so much when skiing around. there are probably a ton of times when I would have fallen if I didn't have them. plus I really need them in moguls, they help me hold my body forward and stay out of the backseat by constantly pole planting ahead of myself.
 
sure, poles give you balance.

but the idea of using no poles is meant to create a challenge.

park, not so much.

but when you go steep and deep, it gets challenging and fun
 
i was always taught that it was bad technique to use your poles for balance, theyre supposed to be used for timing, and stem turns or whatever, or for hunting small rodents and poultry. KEEEAAAAAHHHH BITCH!
 
poles is the only way to go even tho i hardly ever use them because i always do something dumb and break them like putting them in the wheel of the chairlift haha
 
So then it would be more challenging to ski without poles, right? Could no pole skiers then hate on skiers who use poles because its easier than skiing with out poles. Just a thought.
 
Or you could look at it like,,,,charging on snowblades is more challenging than skiing so we have to give the snowbladers more respect. or the snowbladers would have a right to hate on skiiers...

ya, i like where you are going with this!
 
oh and no, no poles skiers cannot hate on poled skiers.

that would be like a gay guy hating on a straight guy because he puts more time into doing his hair and styling his clothes. it's harder, i guess, ya, but come on....
 
You made the hot girl thread right? sorry if this is off topic but do they let you see that epic thing even though you are not a donator?
 
skiing steep bumps without poles sucks, I still never use poles though. I think its a more natural, free feeling to ski without them. Its just two less things to worry about while skiing, plus you can keep your hands warmer.
 
take some advice from Jerry Garcia, and lets all be peaceful, wanna use poles, then use poles, dont wanna use poles, then dont use poles.

I live in the midwest we have rope tows, no poles is convienent. same thing when your hiking, you look different you dont look "gay"

people gotta stop saying things look "gay"

unless your rocking this graphic on your skis, or making out with another dude, its hard to look "gay" while skiing

777px-Gay_flag.svg.png
 
i always thought no poles is steezier and way more gangsta then poles

plus no poles keeps you hands a lot warmer 8D
 
the whole part about the tightrope walkers is kind of silly. Tight rope walkers use a pole to lower their center of gravity making it easier to balance. Skiers use poles to help with timing and as means to propel themselves on flat ground. Comparing those things is like comparing high tops with butt sex.
 
compare ur poles to the guy's pole on the tight wire.

i can guarantee that that pole is much longer and much heavier. It also makes the tilting slower because of the amount of energy it takes to tilt that pole vs. arms. Ski poles have no significance in balance.

I think that it's just what ur used to. I think no poles is harder, but that's cus i've used poles for almost all my life.
 
I think that riding without poles out of the park (or even riding no poles in general) seems harder because we learnt how to ski with poles in our hands and as we progressed we naturally began to use poles to tweak our balance. BUT what about if things were reversed, if we had grown up or learned how to ski without poles. Then it would seem that using poles is more difficult. I guess was I'm getting at is that riding with poles only seems much harder for us because we have been using poles for so long it's become as much a part of you skiing as your skis or boots. It just seems natural to use poles. If we never learned how to use poles in the first place then we wouldn't think twice about skiing without poles.

But to each his own. If someone doesn't want to use poles then I see nothing wrong with it. It's not my place to judge other people on the hill, I just focus on having fun.
 
Thats dumb

People who hate on no polers have no other life, afraid of change and ignorant.

so no, No one should hate on anyone
 
i hate my philosophy class...well kant says no one should lie but mill says its okay some times...should i tell my kids i did lsd in the 60's like ahhh lady too much. but ne way i like skiing with pole cuse hey do help ur balance but they also might dom ur face
 
to clear up my tele statement... i think tele is sick and i have a ton of respect for it, i just think its kind of silly in the park. i saw this kid at sugarbush last weekend absolutely killing it on teles and it was sick, but i couldnt help wonder what he could do on alpine skis you know? its kind of like bringing a longboard into the skatepark, its just not the right tool for the job. once again though, if i see someone teleing in the park, i have nothing but respect for them
 
you know what sucks?

crashing, and dropping your poles, and then sliding down the landing

if i didnt use poles i wouldnt have that problem
 
yeah, poles make me more in control when im skiing outside of the park, but when I'm just hitting jumps I dont like poles becasue they kinda make me do unwanted things in the air when spinning.
 
I never used poles until I prob was 10 or 11 years old. Before that I had spent my entire skiing career without poles. It's pretty common for people to learn without poles, especially at a young age. But yes, once I actually started progressing I was using poles.

But I find riding switch so much more comfortable without poles, also easier..
 
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