No poles = better style

[evan]

[evan]

Active member
So i figured this out.

If you start off (learn) to ski with no poles, then later in life when you get poles, your style will be better.

Think of TWall, he rode with no poles in his superunkown, which wasnt that long ago, and now that hes pro, he has the best style in the game. It's because he rode with no poles for most of his carrer.

I figured this out because when you have no poles, your arms stay near you when you balance. So when you get poles, your poles help you balance, but weight more so they have to be lifted higher and instinctly go higher and farther away to keep you from getting stabbed.
 
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The reason you shouldn't have poles when you first learn to ski is because they are an extra element for you to be thinking about when you barely know what you're doing. One thing that is good to do to beginners to help them practice their form is to give them one pole and have them hold it horizontally like a handlebar. This helps keep their hands in the forward position where they belong, which brings your entire center of gravity over your toes where it should be. Most people have a tenancy to do T Rex style arms when they hold two poles and don't yet know how to handle them, and this brings their weight back which makes it much more difficult to effectively turn.
 
I feel like it could have to do with balance. A lot of people who grew up using poles (including myself) rely on their poles for balance, so if you have exceptional balance without poles, you would probably end up with better style.
 
This seems like a good excuse to post an edit of Stepp stylin' with no poles.

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Holy shit who is that guy? I only watched the first edit but every fourth or fifth shot was just oozing style on a pretty technical trick
 
I dont know about u guys but when i ride without poles i feel much much comfortable with my grabs.

And when i try to combine spins with grabs i feel it much much easier.But its just me.
 
From getting stabbed? I've never had it pop into my head that I was going to get stabbed by my poles because they were so close to me.

If you know how to ski properly, you should know that having your hands by your side is a bad time. Hand out front, but close to you, aggressive stance, forward body. Keep your hands outfront. Regardless of poles or no poles.

I see half the kids out there who can ski park with their little poles, but when they go into bigger terrain, they just drag them around. You can use your poles to plant and initiate your turns, this makes it a lot easier to ski and gives you bonus points in your aggression.

I have been "training" someone recently for more big mountain terrain, first thing I noticed, she didn't use her poles. She let them drag, kept them far away to the side. She had trouble turning in the steeper and deeper sections of the hill. After finally drilling it into her that you keep your hands outfront and initiate the turns with your poles, you're able to ski much better.

As for skiing no poles, you should instinctively have your hands out front, and this should also come from using poles. Don't be dragging your hands unless you really have to punch in that turn.

This could go different for park, and I feel it does. No poles in park, you have more freedom, but I still see people that go all Ricky Bobby on us and don't know what to do with their hands. I generally keep them in front, this is instinct from using poles.
 
If you're talking about actually skiing on REAL MOUNTAINS WITH REAL SNOW then poles definitely help out with your style and form. I feel like a fucking idiot riding around with my hands out front with no poles i'll pretty much subconsciously pole plant until I realize I look like a dumbass. I still like them in the park too so I don't run over people's skis in the lift line like a gaper.
 
I'm not certified or have anything like that, I just know what I'm doing and didn't get into park until last year
 
Well do you ride strictly park? Because where I am thats all there is to do and no poles for me is just more convenient, especially when filming. When I ride anything more than park I use poles though. I feel like if you are good with poles you can be the same if not better (grabs) without them.
 
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