Member of the Month

abjectwoe
May, 2025

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Skiing with poles

profile picture
WisconsinDogfart
Posts: 675 - Karma: 5,529
I never learned how to ski with poles. I tried it last season, but I have no idea what to do with them. I plan on using poles this season, but I still don't know what im supposed to do with them? Any pointers on using poles?
5 years ago
10 0
profile picture
X_MEMESWERVE_XX
Posts: 3945 - Karma: 33,348
Holb thiem in yoyr hamd
5 years ago
41 0
profile picture
X_MEMESWERVE_XX
Posts: 3945 - Karma: 33,348
on a real note tho, use them as an extension of your body and it boosts your balance so much
5 years ago
11 1
profile picture
WisconsinDogfart
Posts: 675 - Karma: 5,529
CrunnchyVanManon a real note tho, use them as an extension of your body and it boosts your balance so much


thanks
5 years ago
0 0
profile picture
SkiBum.
Posts: 3614 - Karma: 3,992
Sword fight in lift line.
5 years ago
24 1
profile picture
Biffbarf
Posts: 7445 - Karma: 79,825
Look up a YouTube vid or something, but the poleplant is what positions your upper body to initiate a turn. It keeps your weight forward and your shoulders square down the mountain.

The steeper or more bumped out the run is, the more you'll appreciate the pole plant.
5 years ago
14 0
profile picture
Nickc88
Posts: 630 - Karma: 2,074
hold them out in front of your hips
5 years ago
0 0
profile picture
hoodratz47
Posts: 12028 - Karma: 9,579
Timing. Make a light tap before you turn
5 years ago
11 0
profile picture
SEABURN
Posts: 4859 - Karma: 2,762
uses for ski poles:

open a beer bottle
make a shotgun hole in your can of beer
hold my skigee
hold my voile strap
carry emergency duct tape
pole whacking
4-point landings on cliffs
bash tree branches out of the way
pole-plants for jump turns when skiing steep stuff
change my risers on my touring bindings
Tap my wife in the butt when I pass her on cat-tracks

& most importantly, I had a coach that said:
"reach for your next turn with the same hand as your downhill foot"

This keeps you forward and thinking of the next turn you're about to make. It also puts some mental thought into what you're doing with your upperbody, which acts as a reminder to keep your shoulders perpendicular to the fall line. I literally poke my ski pole forward just a little bit with each turn. Usually when I'm doing lots of quick turns... it adds more rhythm to the whole motion of skiing. It feels really good when it comes second nature.

This year will be 27 years on skis for me. It took 25 to confidently say i know what i'm doing with my hands.

**This post was edited on Oct 30th 2020 at 4:05:12pm
5 years ago
21 0
profile picture
rubberpantaloons
Posts: 506 - Karma: 3,102
Ive never been a fan of skiing with poles but it does look better and makes rail tricks easier to balance so i started using them, but no poles is super dank if you have the right style
5 years ago
4 0
profile picture
Chunderface
Posts: 2564 - Karma: 10,042
they're just like tactile feelers help you keep center of gravity straight
5 years ago
2 0
profile picture
gorbdawggybrent
Posts: 970 - Karma: 8,774
my pops always has said they don’t really do anything when you are actually skiing and you should be able to ski without them just as good as you can ski with them
they are just to get you through the lift line
5 years ago
4 13
profile picture
Yung_Gnarley
Posts: 9096 - Karma: 3,071
"Drive the truck and stab the polar bears!"

Drive the truck: Have your hands out front, wide like youre driving a big rig. This will put you in a comfortable, agile position to turn/pivot around the noses of your skis instead of just waiting for the turn radius of the ski to push you. And while you keep those hands out front, you might notice how easy it is to simply flick each pole down as you make a turn. A poleplant shouldn't be a big motion (unless you're legit ski racing), it's just a slight re-centering of your weight every turn.

Stab the polar bears: Ever notice how moguls kinda look like the back of a big sleepy polar bear? Well they do and you gotta stab em as you ski around them. Use the "Stabbing" motion to pivot around each obstacle and prepare your self for the next one. Ask any mogul skier about stabbin bear backs and they'll probably remember being told that was a youngin.

Having a big, dramatic stance might look/feel more silly than standing like up link a plank, but it's a habit one needs to get into to be a fast skier. Look at any super-g racer or big mountain ripper. You'll often hear skiers compliment each other on one's racing form when skiing powder. or "race arms". It's a good thing!!
5 years ago
5 0
profile picture
SkiHillShiter
Posts: 185 - Karma: 1,285
Put em in ya butt
5 years ago
14 0
profile picture
hi_vis360
Posts: 5330 - Karma: 55,388
BiffbarfLook up a YouTube vid or something, but the poleplant is what positions your upper body to initiate a turn. It keeps your weight forward and your shoulders square down the mountain.

The steeper or more bumped out the run is, the more you'll appreciate the pole plant.


this and doing a pole plant forces you to stand up between turns. The reason why some swerve skiers look like shit skiing is cause they aren't standing up between turns
5 years ago
6 0
profile picture
wyld_stallyns
Posts: 475 - Karma: 4,630
I just bought my first pair of poles in 6 years and I'm terrified imma impale myself somehow
5 years ago
4 1
profile picture
twerkphone64
Posts: 336 - Karma: 2,340
poles help if your arms are super flaily
5 years ago
1 0
profile picture
Bended_Toenail
Posts: 1417 - Karma: 10,230
I've never been a huge fan of poles myself, I like having my hands free to do hand-drags and grabs and such. Sometimes I wish I had them on long cat-tracks but I can always just skate.
5 years ago
5 0
profile picture
Skibumsmith
Posts: 5469 - Karma: 12,386
I think of poles like whiskers. I never really put weight on them except when skating but they help a lot with balance.
5 years ago
2 1
profile picture
1080noscope
Posts: 20 - Karma: 262
Tuck them under your armpits while straightlining a groomer. The higher they point, the more stable you'll be at speed.
5 years ago
6 1
profile picture
Mixy
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 50,434
rubberpantaloonsIve never been a fan of skiing with poles but it does look better and makes rail tricks easier to balance so i started using them, but no poles is super dank if you have the right style


No poles done right definitely looks super sick, but it's hard to do right. A lot of the time people look like they're T-Posing every rail without poles
5 years ago
3 0
profile picture
SuckleBrick
Posts: 452 - Karma: 1,095
he must be a snowboarder cuz he don't know how polls work
5 years ago
0 1
profile picture
CatdickBojangles
Posts: 6482 - Karma: 66,456
SEABURNuses for ski poles:

open a beer bottle
make a shotgun hole in your can of beer
hold my skigee
hold my voile strap
carry emergency duct tape
pole whacking
4-point landings on cliffs
bash tree branches out of the way
pole-plants for jump turns when skiing steep stuff
change my risers on my touring bindings
Tap my wife in the butt when I pass her on cat-tracks

& most importantly, I had a coach that said:
"reach for your next turn with the same hand as your downhill foot"

This keeps you forward and thinking of the next turn you're about to make. It also puts some mental thought into what you're doing with your upperbody, which acts as a reminder to keep your shoulders perpendicular to the fall line. I literally poke my ski pole forward just a little bit with each turn. Usually when I'm doing lots of quick turns... it adds more rhythm to the whole motion of skiing. It feels really good when it comes second nature.

This year will be 27 years on skis for me. It took 25 to confidently say i know what i'm doing with my hands.

**This post was edited on Oct 30th 2020 at 4:05:12pm


Don't forget using them as a fake pecker to make hip thrusts at all your friends.
5 years ago
3 0
profile picture
piss.boy
Posts: 1491 - Karma: 10,621
I honestly feel to clunky while skiing park with poles, I often hit myself in the air and they flail around a lot....
5 years ago
0 3
profile picture
Knapzach
Posts: 475 - Karma: 5,209
Fill them with whisky
5 years ago
0 0
profile picture
hi_vis360
Posts: 5330 - Karma: 55,388
little1337No poles done right definitely looks super sick, but it's hard to do right. A lot of the time people look like they're T-Posing every rail without poles

I don't look like I'm T-posing, I'm asserting dominance over all the local 12 year olds. They know what the T-Pose means
5 years ago
3 0
profile picture
iced
Posts: 3070 - Karma: 17,985
poles are for limbo
5 years ago
1 0
profile picture
beepbeepski
Posts: 154 - Karma: 1,462
poke your friends with 'em
5 years ago
1 0
profile picture
J_Steez
Posts: 1167 - Karma: 4,239
poles can enhance your style significantly or degrade your style if you're not comfy with em
5 years ago
0 0
profile picture
sam.clausnitzer
Posts: 4 - Karma: 53
only use them to smack cornices to make sure people think you know what you're doing
5 years ago
0 0
profile picture
TheMoostafian
Posts: 4504 - Karma: 9,443
Poles when using skis

No poles when using snowbladez



The main use for ski poles is pretending they're your dick and doing hip thrusts.
5 years ago
2 0
All times are Eastern (-4); Currently it's 12:36PM