Why the massive hate for no poles?

Mr.Bishop · 2014-01-26 20:26:53

I've seen two facebook debates cropping up about no poles - https://www.facebook.com/japollner/posts/999241490327?stream_ref=10 https://www.facebook.com/philippe.poirier.564/posts/10153731221695655?stream_ref=10 And frankly I don't see the big problem. Sure you might not like someone's style if they don't use poles, but that doesn't make them a terrible skier. Why do skiers hate people without poles so much? What are we afraid of?

Plankton

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Jossi Wells.

Jan 26 2014 8:28PM

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WaffleMaster

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It's traditional. If you hate on no poles, I parallel you to those old skiers yelling at the snowboarders at Alta.

Sure it's a lot of fun, but no-polers are marihuana-smoking crooks and I don't want them on my hill.

Jan 26 2014 8:31PM

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icon1234

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Personally I think poles look better but I don't hate it...

I think it is odd that in the past had you used no poles your score in comps would automatically tank, but now Geopper decides to do it and no deductions whatsoever.

Judging is by the most inconsistent thing in skiing.

Jan 26 2014 8:32PM

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El_Barto.

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i dont like it because poles are the only thing that separates us from snowboarders

Jan 26 2014 8:32PM

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kung_powpow

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Insane

IMO skiing with poles looks better but I have no hate for no poles

Jan 26 2014 8:34PM

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corona

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nothing against no poles in the park, but I find it makes peoples styles really whack. no poles for anything other than park is just dumb though.

Jan 26 2014 8:35PM

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swoger

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not sure why some kids hate it. if you can pull off no poles than go for it personally, i look like shit without poles but skiers like Kieran McVeigh and Andy Parry and many others have style without poles

Jan 26 2014 8:36PM

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zavskier

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just so you're all aware, the guy's hand is broken... thats why he's skiing without poles. I'm pretty sure the announcers mentioned that in almost every contest this season...

Jan 26 2014 8:36PM

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BROLF

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A hand isnt broken from november to february... I love no poles and I dont use them but thats definitely not an "excuse" anymore (not that you need an excuse, do what you want)

Jan 26 2014 8:38PM

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DungeonMaster

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I do believe Geopper wasn't using poles cuz he broke his hand or something. Correct me if I'm wrong.

But Jossi didn't either. And Twall didn't use any in his Superunknown edit. But I think it takes a certain style to pull it off. I for one would like one big erection if I didn't have poles to break up my figure. Just ain't steezy nuff

Jan 26 2014 8:39PM

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the_douger

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Maybe I'm just bad at doing rails with poles but they always stick way out behind me like this, http://imgur.com/cDK7yMZ. When I don't use poles I have the same hand position but it looks way better IMO, like this, http://imgur.com/95wO6Lg.

Jan 26 2014 8:54PM

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the_douger

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second link didn't work, here http://imgur.com/95wO6Lg

Jan 26 2014 8:56PM

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steezyjibber

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I feel that if anyone TRULY has something against no poles, they just have to take a step back and watch this:

Tom Wallisch Superunknown from 4BI9 Media on Vimeo.

Jan 26 2014 8:58PM

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Schmaelzle

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If you ski without poles you're throwing away the biggest aspect of our sport: skiing. For park skiing I still use poles because I'm more comfortable with them on rails and in the air, but I don't care if you ski without them.

I just think most people look ridiculous without them, clearly off-balance and don't know what do with their hands on every damn feature.

But skiing without poles also says, "I can only ski good enough to get from the top of the park lift to the bottom, fuck the rest of you".

Jan 26 2014 9:02PM

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holla@cha_boy

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poles are more of a comfort thing. but most of the skiers this week at X went no poles because of injury. I think people still hate on the no poles because it makes you seem like a park rat, good in the park but no skill downhill

Jan 26 2014 9:02PM

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JAHpow

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Well my friend skis without poles so I really don't care if you don't use poles.

Jan 26 2014 9:03PM

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DrZoidberg

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I don't think Goepper even looked bad without poles today.

Also I don't care who uses what. I'd agree that some people have no idea what to do with their arms and it looks funny. But so what? I use them, others don't, whatever. The idea that not using them means you can't ski anything other than the run up to a rail is stupid. There's plenty of people who ski fine without them: Garret Russell and Pollard for example. We all know Pollard can ski more than in front of a rail.

Jan 26 2014 9:08PM

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WaffleMaster

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If you ski no poles because you want to grab, handplant, or push huge tricks without smashing your face/ribs, cool.

If you ski no poles because you're a noob, you suck.

I agree dude, I've always skied with tall poles. Great for steeps, powder, anything around the mountain.

But recently I've found how fucking fun it is to be free-handed in the park. Even cruising down a groomer, doing hand drag turns and shit was so much fun.

Jan 26 2014 9:18PM

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jblaski

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I think the recent increase of hate on no poles is simply because these children can't find anything else to hate on Goepper for. Kids going huge, and doing it with damn good style. They're going last resort, and that's poles.

Jan 26 2014 9:20PM

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GANKI

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I've noticed that people have been hating about no poles recently too and it's pretty lame. There's been way more kids this year that I've seen skiing without poles then in year pasts and I think that's awesome. I personally have way more fun skiing without poles and if you're skiing park there's no reason to have them. saying poles gives you better balance is more of a mental thing. fuck poles hit moles

Jan 26 2014 9:22PM

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dvx100

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i skied with no poles for the end of last season and the beginning of this season up until about christmas. personally i loved going no poles because i felt i had so much more freedom and i got the full grabs, it definitely made skiing entertaining.

I went back to poles for a pow day and kind've just never put them down since than, i love both ideas but it all depends on your style and if you can keep your hands from flailing all over the places with no poles.

idk fuck triples.

Jan 26 2014 9:24PM

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DrZoidberg

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That's what I was thinking. Didn't half the kids drop their poles because B and E and whoever else weren't using them last year?

If people are hating just to hate Goepper, then that's stupid. He killed it with both style and technicality.

Jan 26 2014 9:27PM

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ice.BERG

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I know more people who ski without poles than with them

Jan 26 2014 9:28PM

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Schmaelzle

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I don't throw triples or 16s but I haven't had a problem with short poles getting in the way on the tricks I do throw, including hand drags and grabs.

I've got no hate for the no poles and love the style when it isn't some goober in the park trying to be a hero. It just aint for me.

Jan 26 2014 9:28PM

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STAUSS

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if im skiing anywhere besides the park i'm using poles because goddamn, how am i supposed to hop turn otherwise???

but if you can make your shit look clean in the park without poles then do that. kids that hate are missing the point/ no friend of mine. much more important things to discuss in the ski world.

Jan 26 2014 9:34PM

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i_have_a_dick

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change=bad

were fucking freeskiers we do whatever the fuck we want and screw the rules. nobody can define freeskiing because at its basics its free. freeskiing is free and by defenition we are free of rules, regulations, social standards... freeskiing was founded on the basis of opposition to the norm, were crazy radicals who hit the rails in the parks made for snowboarders, we wear tall t shirts against the expensive ski suits worn by the aspen riches. no poles is just another way of us defining ourselves and our sport and ones own personal style. we dont care about whatever any gaper says, and im suprised that idiot garnered such attention for his heinous post.

after all its just skiing right?

Jan 26 2014 9:34PM

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skier_07

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A few years ago everyone was saying no poles was way better and where mad because Somme comp skiers weren't scored as well without poles.. This ushered in the use of really short poles ie 2ft tall for some people... Now since people's favorite skiers are using poles then everyone should have to.. Why don't people just quit letting other people decide what is cool and isn't cool and just go have their own style? Personally I like functional poles because I like to go take a good non park lap whenever I feel the urge.

Jan 26 2014 9:35PM

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bigbromskier

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skiing without poles is super fun! i love it for skiing park and ripping groomers, which is all we can really do now in tahoe, so I've been mostly going without them. and it seems that most park skiers at northstar are going without them.
if it ever snows and there's good skiing all over the mountain then I'll pick em back up, but I"m enjoying going sans poles right now.

overall, though, who cares? it's all about going skiing and having fun. and for people saying it's what differentiates us from snowboarding: what about the skis themselves??? and above all there's no need to define ourselves differently--same thing, different sticks!

Jan 26 2014 9:41PM

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nutz.

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this for sure

Jan 26 2014 9:42PM

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WaffleMaster

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Another thing to consider is lift lines. I don't care what I'm skiing or where, poles are a must on weekends.

Jan 26 2014 9:43PM

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jadavis

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I think the hate is more directed at those who want to look like their favorite pro

Jan 26 2014 9:48PM

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84891jnf92048

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I feel like skis do a fairly good job of that...

I don't see a damn thing wrong with skiing without poles. I feel weird and I think I look weird when I don't have poles, but at the same time I think it feels really flowy and it's fun to snag a fistful of a grab and tweak the hell out of it super easily. I don't think I even really notice one way or the other when I'm watching other people anymore though.

Jan 26 2014 9:49PM

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DeRizzo

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I like having poles because it makes it easier to get around on flat ground and it also helps to get speed into features.

Jan 26 2014 9:50PM

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milk_man

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I haven't used poles at all this year. No one has really said anything to me though, and actually a couple of my friends don't use poles either. It shouldn't matter if someone is carrying them or not, they don't do much except for looks anyway

Jan 26 2014 9:52PM

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jadavis

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People who compete in aerials also ski without poles and they do some pretty ridiculous spins

Jan 26 2014 9:52PM

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danbrown

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someone skiing without poles mustve fucked jack pollners girlfriend or something, jesus

Jan 26 2014 9:55PM

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STAUSS

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lol

Jan 26 2014 10:06PM

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wasatch_rat

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i find that they help in most aspects of skiing but only get in the way in the park, so i use them accordingly. if other people feel differently about how using poles effects their skiing then thats up to them. the argument that you need them to have real technique is utter nonsense though. watch some of jossi's recoveries last night or IDEA and tell me those guys don't know how to control their skis. its actually pretty common in racing and other skiing disciplines to train without poles from time to time.

people just need something trivial to hate on so they can create the idea that they are better or know more about skiing or perform it more correctly than others. its amazing how often freeskiers forget what the free aspect of the sport really means.

Jan 26 2014 10:07PM

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broto

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i don't get it either.

a shitty skier with poles looks shitty
a shitty skier without poles looks shitty
a good skier with poles looks good
a good skier without poles looks good

Jan 26 2014 10:12PM

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