Poles or no poles?

Cincher · 2009-04-09 13:37:00

I'm guessing that this may have already been answered, but what the hell. How useful are poles nowadays? I personally don't like poles, but that's mostly due to the fact that I ski manitoba. Tow rope is king here, and poles usually get in the way. But now that poles aren't needed for carving most of the time, what's their new purpose?

Beans13

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Ridiculous

how about a search bar??

Apr 9 2009 1:44PM

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Casey

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At my mountain, you get to the BC by traverse, so if you want to get in and out there faster/easier you need poles. Its fun to ski pow without poles, but it kind of limits you to a specific type of terrain unless you have a sled or just love getting stuck and hiking.

Apr 9 2009 1:50PM

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Z_rob

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i sway back and forth between the two like a tree in the wind

Apr 9 2009 2:02PM

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torepus

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Wannabe

i like using poles. i kinda feel naked without. but i also use them to build up speed etc.

Apr 9 2009 2:10PM

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danbrown

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Holy shit

Apr 9 2009 2:30PM

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Malcolm

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Post Whore

i dont know

Apr 9 2009 2:37PM

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Aaaron.

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Crazy Fool

CHIPOTLES OR QUIZNOS.

i could do with a bit of both, right now.

Apr 9 2009 3:08PM

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onearmwanderer

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Insane

like 90% of the time poles. no hate to no poles, some people can pull it off but it doesnt feel right to me when i drop them, it can be fun but it just doesnt feel as good

Apr 9 2009 3:26PM

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ataraxia

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Insane

im very polish

Apr 9 2009 3:28PM

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Aaaron.

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Crazy Fool

out.

Apr 9 2009 3:29PM

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Trojan~Man

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Insane

subway.

and why the fuck are ppl acctually answering to this!!??? like realy!?

Apr 9 2009 4:12PM

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ski-plastic

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Loner

Mate.. I say this with newschoolers love... DO WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT!!

Apr 9 2009 4:14PM

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Tveit-n

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Newb

Word

Apr 9 2009 5:43PM

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mjmguy

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sooo how many times has this question been asked now?

Apr 9 2009 6:05PM

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teleTay

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probably the biggest debate in the last 5 years

Apr 9 2009 8:15PM

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PeeDuBzz

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Insane

dont hate appriciate

Apr 9 2009 8:20PM

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Blurst

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I LOVE EATING FRENCH FRIES WITH BROWN SAUCE OR SEASONING SALT!

Apr 9 2009 8:22PM

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e.r1ckson

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I LOVE EATING YOUR MOMS ASS WITH CHOCLATE SYRUP AND WHIP CREAM!

Apr 9 2009 9:03PM

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PeterWojnar

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Poles unless you're skiing park. you can grab better without
Pow is fun without, but it is so hard to do any traverse/hike runs without, and you get really stuck.

Apr 9 2009 9:37PM

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cfox

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personally this is what i like..

poles=park

no poles=powda

Apr 9 2009 11:41PM

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ilikeplants

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Insane

Let me break this shit down for you into something that you can understand.

Poles are useless for rails, yes. For jumps, not so much. For everything else, completely necessary.
Why are poles so necessary to use outside of the park, you might ask yourself.

Most people that don't use poles have the shittiest technique ever. They're back seat, throwing their arms all over the place and just plain look like shit, not to mention they can't ski for shit. Now I'm not saying that dudes like Mahre or Pep or Pollard are shit skiers but they rip a lot harder with poles than without.

Poles help you to stay putting pressure on the front of your boots which in return helps you to ski better. Do you think skiers would still use poles if they where useless? Everyone can talk shit about how gay racing is but you know what, a good majority of those kids have better technique than any of you because they use poles.

Apr 9 2009 11:53PM

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pscull03

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Ridiculous

its not whether or not which is better

its up to you

poles just make it easier to move simple distances from rest

IE. getting on and off lifts

but without them it normally makes people in the park look smoother with their tricks

Apr 9 2009 11:55PM

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Cincher

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Ok. I got ya. thanks. Again, I know this has been answered and blah blah blah you think I'm an idiot. Whatever. I do agree with you. those kids do ski better with poles than I would without. I'll use my poles more when I escape the praries and move out west.

Apr 10 2009 2:40AM

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NCurry

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jimmy jons

Apr 10 2009 2:44AM

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Snowgoner

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how bout searchbar or no searchbar?

looks like you chose no searchbar

Apr 10 2009 12:01PM

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Jeff_Thomas

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stop skiing back seat

Apr 10 2009 12:20PM

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Aaaron.

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Crazy Fool

wtf is that?

Apr 10 2009 12:42PM

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XtRemE11

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oooooo tecnique!!!! fuck it i dont care if i have the proper stance and technique, i havent touched poles in more than 2 years and i ride powder and backcountry all the time, yes traversing is a little harder (still a shit ton easer than snowboarding) but its not the traversing and hiking that im worried about, its the skiing, if i have to put in a tiny bit more effort to have alot more fun skiing then its worth it.

you dont NEED poles to keep pressure forward, just keep your arms out in front of you like you do have poles and you can initiate turns just as well by using your arms.

there is a noticeable difference between riding with poles and without poles in powder, without poles you tend to do bigger arch's and ski in more of a surfey/snowboarder way, with poles you can make quicker back to back turns.

Apr 10 2009 1:13PM

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king.tubby

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gotta be chipotle.

Apr 10 2009 1:27PM

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Aaaron.

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i feel that... but for me, it's all about variety.
you get tired of chipotle pretty fast, but throw some Qz or subway in there and you are set.

Apr 10 2009 1:28PM

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king.tubby

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there is not a chipotle within i don't know how many hundred miles of where i live, so i definitely do NOT get tired of it.
but i did eat some quizno's recently and it was pretty dank

Apr 10 2009 1:54PM

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KellyK

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its kinda like quiznos...its a hot sandwich restaurant

Apr 10 2009 3:17PM

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Cincher

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what the hell does that mean?

Apr 10 2009 3:48PM

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Peter.

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jimmy johns is amazing
i am wicked hungry now, fuck you guys

Apr 10 2009 4:14PM

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sweso2

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Loner

I saw Andy Mahre at White Pass a few weeks ago with poles.

Apr 10 2009 4:38PM

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klingisking

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Insane

i go with and with out. personally poles are just there to:

1. look good/style

2. for your hands to do something/grip the pole

3. just because

Apr 10 2009 4:58PM

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ski-plastic

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Like to grip the pole huh?

Apr 10 2009 6:57PM

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Brock.

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i really dont like to tell people this but you should really just searchbar this one.... i see a new pole thread everyweek. but yeah it doesnt really matter what you use just make sure it feels right and doesnt make you look bad.

Apr 10 2009 7:29PM

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cfox

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NICE BRO GET IT!!!

Apr 10 2009 7:36PM

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Trojan~Man

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word about subway, so good!

Apr 11 2009 12:43AM

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TRSkier415

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holy crap, this debate is older than Mike Douglas. The bottom line is that both are totally fine and based completely on personal preference and riding style. For me personally, I'm about 50/50. Poles and no poles, to me, are two completely different skiing experiences that are both really fun. Therefore, I switch off based on how I'm feeling. If I've been riding with poles a bunch and am feeling kind of bored, I often drop the poles and ski without them to change things up a bit. Then, when that gets boring, I switch back. Both have their pros and cons but skiing is skiing, so just let it be and ride any way you like.

Apr 11 2009 3:45AM

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