so no poles, i do it a good amount, but i feel ackward and naked without them. ive gone thru the park, ive spun with no poles and its just kinda weird and in general im not a fan. especially on the mountain, not having poles is a total disadvantage. people started skiing with poles for a reason, they help, alot. without poles turning in alot of snow and doing quick turns is waaay harder. im still not totally convinced though that i need them for the park, im going to keep skiing without them cause i like the challenge, but when it comes down to a nice day and no fukin around, im using poles.