Short poles, long poles, stylish poles, sloppy poles?

Moses

Moses

Active member
I have a quick question about the length of people’s poles. Skiing the past weekend I was just dicking around and riding sans poles. Yeah, I made a few pole-less runs in the past couple of seasons but I didn’t really think much of them. It was different this time around because I went without poles the whole day. For last run I put them back on and I was like what “the hell is a matter with these things”, they felt so long. Having my poles back sure made my slower speed turns a lot cleaner, but when I went for a spin off a roller it felt like my poles were throwing me off balance. Maybe it was just that I got a little used to skiing w/o poles and when I slipped my hands back into the grips I was just a little rusty, but I was so moved by my awkwardness in the air that I watched some old vids of myself skiing and I paid close attention to the length of my poles and pole placement. Maybe I’m just naturally unstylish, but my poles looked so long and out of place.

So, If my stupid little story didn’t help you understand my question I just want to know if many people ski with short poles for air style reasons or do good jibbers just pay close attention to how they hold their poles along with other things such as grabs, spins, baggy clothes, keeping the hands low, keeping the upper body low, and other steeze related issues?

 
That was a long ass question, but I have shorter poles just because they haven't broken for about 3 years and I don't want to buy new ones.
 
i have armada poles, and im 5'7'', and when i was done cutting them down to where i liked them, they were shorter then this girl racer poles and shes about 5' 2'
 
i reckon shorter poles (for park) are fkin heaps better. u get ur hands lower, shoulders relaxed.

textbook length would be a horizontal forearm - 90 degrees at the elbow, i ridem a good 15 degrees below that.
 
6'1".......34" poles. Good for lift lines, flats, and moguls. Don't pole plant when I'm skiing anything else. They stay out of the way when I'm in park & pipe, and short enough that I dont break them.
 
I like (slightly) shorter poles, but it's because I have a lower and more aggressive stance for blasting through crud at high speeds and I don't skate enough for long poles to be an advantage. It really has nothing to do with jibbing. I don't think a few inches would make much difference for spinning.
 
Gots to have poles for hiking, so I keep mine at the 'norm', which in todays world is long. Short poles are shit in the BC. No pole runs can be fun, but I always feel off balance, and grabbing is always a little weird.
 
whoa whoa whoa

short poles are the shit in BC, steeps, big mountain, etc, and are a joy in the park.

I use about 38" poles (cut down from about 55"), perfect for anything. I see people rocking longggg ass poles (~60") and its whack, when they are crouched, those poles are so much taller than they are, akin to mentality of people using a 70mm waist ski and considering it a "midfat." fuck that
 
I'm almost afraid to say it, but I've got two different lengths of the same pole for this year.....one for park SHORT, and one for everything else Average FIT. I'm curious to see how they will work out, but what made me what to try them was a friend who absolutly kills it saying you can throw tricks easier off jumps with the short ones.....we'll see
 
Short answer:

Use what best suits your skiing.

Long answer:

The new(est, that I know) standard among racers for measuring poles is with all gear on; boots skis and risers included, they should extend from the ground to your sternum (sp?). But, and this is key; that's for racers, who use their poles to catapult themselves up and over a neutral position. If you're skiing steeps, you'd want something much shorter as that would force you flex deeper and would allow you to use the pole plant for stabilization and rotation while in a crouched and poised position; that is without returning to neutral. Mogul skiers use short poles not because they're homosexuals, and like to take it up the ass from other men, but because where they plant them is elavated in relation to their feet. Jibbers use them because they've probably always skied with poles and likely haven't critically examined their use, and long poles offer no advantage has such skiers focus on things other than well executed turns on snow. Big mountain skiers use rental poles with big baskets as they don't sink as easily in pow and allow them save money, which allows them to work less, which allows them to ski more. Ski instructors su exspensive space-age technology articals of ski industry scamery with "Trigger-Action Grips", "Aerodynamic Shaft Profiles", and other bullshit because, like mogul skiers, they're same-sex having, deviant lifestyle-living homosexual ass-pirates. Basically, there is no "proper pole length", only a proper pole length (and shape) for you based on what kind of skiing you do, and how you do it.

What TAK uses:

Being 6'4", TAK uses 135, 130, 125, or 120 cm poles, and wouldn't pay for a pair in my life, except maybe for some of those Armada poles, those are pretty cool.
 
Alot of people out there are "whack".

And 70mm is midfat; its too wide to be narrow, and too narrow to be wide.
 
I had one 44 inch pole and one 46 inch pole last Sunday. I'm 6'1. Then I dropped them all together for no poles.
 
I got my poles @ canadian tire on sale 2pairs for $10 so that way I don't give a shit if I break em, they're pretty solid tho, I'm still on my first pair and I bought them like 3 years ago.
 
steal a pair of rental poles. paint them. get the tech shop at the mountain to cut them down for you. (or do it yourself if you don't see the irony)
 
I prefer my poles short. I feel like they are less in the way that way, when carving. I only pole plant if I'm making short quick hop-style turns.

I think it all comes down to personal preference.

And you know you loved the pole-freedom this past weekend Brad. It's fun to just screw around without them on days like that.
 
i like my poles on the long (read recommended) side, but i have a racing background so i always poleplant on my turns, but shorter ones are really nice for jibs and going switch
 
well in general a freestyle pole (which is where the original newschool skiers came from) is tiny and when you hold them ur elbow is at more than a 90 degree angle. Racing poles are complelely different and can be around chest height to shoulder height so r poles should be shorter
 
style wise, it looks so much better when you have shorter poles, they don't get in the way and, most jibbers of today don't really use their poles. ever. I use normal length poles, or no poles, it just a style preference. But when ur poles are massively long, it distracts from what you are actually doing, especially on film.

shorter the better, only go no poles if you have Cosco style, or are super super super rediculously good looking.
 
lets face it, we're all just following trends and eventually the trend will be no poles and we'll all get used to it and it'll be fine, and then maybe the trend will shift back, who knows. mark my words kids.

shorter and shorter poles are just them evolving out of existence, like our tails or fur, haha.
 
a kid at my home mountain has poles that are seriously no more than 2 feet long, its ridiculous haha
 
I'm 6'2" and ride on 48" poles and find them to be fine. They don't get in the way and don't seem overly awkward.
 
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