So I like no poles. It just feels cleaner I guess. Helps me do grabs/hand drags too because I suck. I'll definitely bring my poles if there's pow, but most other days I feel like I'm not really doing anything with em.
People say that pole planting makes your skiing better, and then post a video of some dude on a groomer as evidence of the superiority of pole plants. I have yet to see any thoughts on what pole planting actually does to help (balance, timing, why do you need to hold poles for this?). I personally don't care at all about groomers, they're just what's in between fresh tracks and things to jump off of.
So am I putting myself at a disadvantage here? Are pole plants essential for good skiing technique?