Poles?

[highpeaksdrifter]

Undoing "pole crutch" syndrome

Remember learning how to do a stem christy back in da day Jimmy G? Traverse, pole plant, open, turn and together again.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Yes.

 

[tirolerpeter]

This is meant to be humorous...right?

You can't stop without your poles? How do you stop ? I just come to a hockey stop..no poles needed.

You're kiddin me. What are you some sort of extreme skier or something. I wait till I'm slowing down on the flats then I stick my poles in front of me as hard as I can. Sometimes it hurts though, but that's a small price to pay for a day at skiing.

This is meant to be humorous...right?

 

[JimG.]

Undoing "pole crutch" syndrome

Remember learning how to do a stem christy back in da day Jimmy G? Traverse, pole plant, open, turn and together again.

Teaching christies was always the toughest lesson in the teaching progression. There's alot of stuff going on and trying to get the student to understand it and make the right moves in the right order was a challenge.

Many instructors are not good at demoing the christy. It's been the undoing of many candidates at the Level III skiing exam.

 

[JimG.]

Re: This is meant to be humorous...right?

You can't stop without your poles? How do you stop ? I just come to a hockey stop..no poles needed.

You're kiddin me. What are you some sort of extreme skier or something. I wait till I'm slowing down on the flats then I stick my poles in front of me as hard as I can. Sometimes it hurts though, but that's a small price to pay for a day at skiing.

This is meant to be humorous...right?

Peter, if you're really asking I suggest you sit down immediately with a nice bottle of Schnapps.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Re: This is meant to be humorous...right?

Peter, if you're really asking I suggest you sit down immediately with a nice bottle of Schnapps.

JimmyG, The advice you give always seems to have something to do with alcohol.........You're alright in my book.

 

[smootharc]

Excellent points, River.

running drills without poles to improve technique is great. there are several good drills that can be done without poles to improve balance and attention to where your hands are (or are not). that said, why ski without poles when you are skiing? as pointed out above, it is especially hard to handle many naturals and steep terrain situations without them. they are a tool, not a cruch.

Definitely do the no pole (or hold them out in front parallel to snow) drills.

My favorite pole....Leki Super Makalu Adjustable Shock Absorber. Mine are, I'm guessing, 11-12 years old. Adjustable is great. And shock absorber, for shoulder issues and generally wear and tear issues....just love them. Expensive, but great German engineering and quality. Ski them with the powder baskets in all conditions, then hike with them with the hiking tips (metal or cushioned nub) in Summer. A great product.

 

[JimG.]

Re: This is meant to be humorous...right?

Peter, if you're really asking I suggest you sit down immediately with a nice bottle of Schnapps.

JimmyG, The advice you give always seems to have something to do with alcohol.........You're alright in my book.

Among other things :wink: .

 

[dipiro]

You know that's very true... I often have several points of contact with the snow... my ass, my back, my stomach, arms, head, etc...That tells me a great deal about the terrain!

Yeah, then you can monitor the actual temperature and feel of the snow when you get your whole body into it like that.

-dd

 

[tirolerpeter]

Re: This is meant to be humorous...right?

You can't stop without your poles? How do you stop ? I just come to a hockey stop..no poles needed.

You're kiddin me. What are you some sort of extreme skier or something. I wait till I'm slowing down on the flats then I stick my poles in front of me as hard as I can. Sometimes it hurts though, but that's a small price to pay for a day at skiing.

This is meant to be humorous...right?

Peter, if you're really asking I suggest you sit down immediately with a nice bottle of Schnapps.

Well, you had me worried. Please send over a bottle of Remy Martin V.S.O.P and I'm sure I'll feel much relieved!

 

[dipiro]

You are skillful at boiling things down to the essentials.... The point of contact scenario is a good one...

Thanks, Jim.

 

[Granola Dude]

wow! glad to see so much input from everyone... and it seems that the overall feeling is YES! on the poles.. lol. maybe i'll try them this year...

 

[tirolerpeter]

Actually, on a more serious note: About 13 or 14 years ago, I was by myself on a "last run" down a bumpy and icy "blue trail" at Okemo. I was taking the bumps at a leisurely pace when just as I was setting my edges near the top of a bump, I reached out with my right arm to plant my pole. At the same instant my pole struck the icy surface just below the snow cover, my edges let go sending me sideways about a foot. As this happened, I gripped the pole very hard (a reflex action) and that, in combination with a stuck pole tip, and the sideways motion from my edges releasing, hyper-extended my right arm. I felt (and I swear I also heard) a muscle snap in my chest and literally role up into my arm. I never actually fell, but I had totally ripped a muscle loose. It took me a couple of years to heal, and, the muscle never really re-attached at it's original location. I had a stick shift car, and I had to let my 16 year old son (who was just learning to drive and only had a permit) shift gears for me while I drove with my left arm, and worked the clutch on our trip back to NY. Needless to say, I now do very careful pole plants!

 

[JimG.]

Re: This is meant to be humorous...right?

Well, you had me worried. Please send over a bottle of Remy Martin V.S.O.P and I'm sure I'll feel much relieved!

Hmmmmmm, a bottle of Remy, huh?

Your impeccable taste belies your european heritage.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Re: This is meant to be humorous...right?

Well, you had me worried. Please send over a bottle of Remy Martin V.S.O.P and I'm sure I'll feel much relieved!

Hmmmmmm, a bottle of Remy, huh?

Your impeccable taste belies your european heritage.

Yes, despite my "Germanic" antipathy toward "Gallic" culture (or at least their politics), nobody beats the French when it comes to distilling cognac for after dinner sipping.

On the other hand, before dinner my "house scotch" is "Johnnie Walker Black," my "good friends" scotch is "Johnie Gold" and when my kids are feeling extra appreciative of their old dad, I get to sip the occasional bottle of "Johnnie Blue." My life and my liver are too precious to swill bad booze.

 

[bigbog]

...

Has anyone seen the Goode XGS1000 pole (3.5oz) yet? I've heard that it isn't out yet??....maybe they're re-thinking the comfort of a graphite grip...opting for a more comfortable, and slightly heavier material... I can take a couple tenths of an ounce more

 

[Lostone]

Interesting that it is almost unanimous that poles are required.

If poles are used to set up your body positioning, and you can do that without poles, why are the poles necessary?

Another point brought up is that

you can't ski anything worth skiing without poles.

No points for the fact that different things are "worth skiing" to different people.

Also, it is certain that snowboarders can't ride over "anything worth skiing", as they don't have poles... right?

It is body positioning. It is easier for most here to do with poles, but that is how they were taught. Most of them say that the poles are needed for body positioning, and they can't imagine that it is possible to attain/maintain that positioning without poles. I believe that to be their lack of imagination.

Were I to make a list of things I have encountered in life, where people said "You must do that, this way" It would be a long list. And throughout history, many of these things have fallen by the wayside.

Now... I freely admit to not being a great skier. But One day, I was complaining about the light being flat... and then I saw the blind skier.

Is it impossible for someone to ski without hands? The guy who skis down with the video camera, to catch the video of the video star"... How does he get there? :-?

So my answer to the question is, That depends.

It depends on who you are, how you ski, what you ski on, and how you want to ski it. :wink:

IMNATHO, whenever you hear somone say it must be done this way, they are announcing their lack of imagination.

Now that I've made everyone like me... :lol:


.

 

[BeanoNYC]

Poles are great to help get me back up the hill to my skis after a double ejection. Good for picking up garbage on my lawn too.

 

[Geoff]

Re: This is meant to be humorous...right?

Well, you had me worried. Please send over a bottle of Remy Martin V.S.O.P and I'm sure I'll feel much relieved!

Hmmmmmm, a bottle of Remy, huh?

Your impeccable taste belies your european heritage.

Impeccable taste is Remy Martin XO. V.S.O.P. is for the little people. 8)

I'm completely useless without poles. After 40-something years skiing with poles, I have a huge mental block if I ever break one.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Re: This is meant to be humorous...right?

Well, you had me worried. Please send over a bottle of Remy Martin V.S.O.P and I'm sure I'll feel much relieved!

Hmmmmmm, a bottle of Remy, huh?

Your impeccable taste belies your european heritage.

Impeccable taste is Remy Martin XO. V.S.O.P. is for the little people. 8)

I'm completely useless without poles. After 40-something years skiing with poles, I have a huge mental block if I ever break one.

Well now, I've been hanging out with the wrong caliber of people. C'mon over Geoff and, uh...bring along your bottle of Remy Martin XO V.S.O.P. I have plenty of nice snifters.