 Poster: A snowHead
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I find them useful to pick stuff up wot I've dropped. Like my other pole for instance.
Too old and stiff to get past my knees nowadays.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Poles cause nothing but suffering, frustration and sadness, shackles of conformity and a reminder that you're not quite good enough. Cast them out, raise your free hands to the sky and TESTIFY!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Juddernaut, I don't think anyone is suggesting you can ski faster without poles. What I'm saying is that if you "can't" ski even an average blue run without them, and would be thrown into a complete panic by having your poles pinched from outside a restaurant, there is something wrong.
My skating XC skier could certainly go uphill faster with his poles but it looked like he was out with some less expert mates, and was taking the opportunity to work on his technique and give them a chance to keep up. I thought they all looked good, actually - a good skater is so graceful and powerful.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Dav wrote: |
| My poles often come in handy for giving snowboarder pals a tow along the flats. I feel its important to give something back to those less fortunate than us graceful skiers.... |
+1 This.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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If this is the funny thread in snowheads I can tell you poles is not the worst thing - you only bring down one or two.
But the skier on the left who wants to get of to the right at once - he can bring down all six og eight skiers - now that is funny. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Juddernaut, there's a hippie snowboarder here in Cham who often busks on the Rue Dr Paccard with an accordion. I once saw him riding a dificile button lift on his board, playing his accordion, which was pretty impressive.
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Skiing down isn't the problem. It's up and flat that is less fun without poles as I'm not a superfit cross country skier... That and getting snow off the soles of my boots and undoing the first binding when I've got myself in a proper tangle or stuck like an upended turtle between two moguls.
Actually, flat is not too bad- I can skate well enough.
My MIL broke her hip skiing indoors without poles - so some people are hopelessly over reliant on them - apparently she couldn't get off the drag lift without them - I'd have expected them to be more of a hindrance...
Could do with improving my use of poles on the downhill part...
That and avoiding the pole between the legs while skating... 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Juddernaut,  that would have been a more worthwhile GoPro moment than most we see here.....
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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My biggest resentment is aimed at the chap who pushed off me to get off the chair lift at Avoriaz just before Xmas. He clearly felt unable to ski around the woman who had fallen off the chair just in front and thought that pushing me into her was a better solution. Its perhaps as well for him that I was a bit bemused for a few moments!
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You know it makes sense.
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Skiing without poles is fine, however I still carry mine, as someone else said they are handy for when you sometimes have to get yourself up hill, for picking up stuff, and they can be fun when coming down just planting them as you do so. I sometimes just hold both poles in one hand if I am filming or something and can manage away fine without them, I don't understand all the posts stating whether they are needed or not, the thread is about muppets using them to pole off the lifts.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Nigel Farage doesn't like poles..
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
I don't understand all the posts stating whether they are needed or not, the thread is about muppets using them to pole off the lifts.
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well it was, but this is snowheads ---- and there's just so much you can say about the people who can't get off a chair without them. maybe the same folk as can't get down a hill without them. @cameronphillips2000,
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I learnt on the weekend that I can do my bindings up with them. Bonus. I think the French term is 'polyvalent'. I even use them sometimes as ski poles.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thought even boarders use poles now? with a go pro on the end for a bit of self gratification  Avoids the tellytubby look.
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Actually remembered another use... Post undignified slither on behind a pole gives you that crucial bit of extra range to fish for the inevitable bit of kit that you can't quite reach above you...
Polyvalent is a good word!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Juddernaut wrote: |
| I can do my bindings up with them. |
How do you "do up" bindings? Insert toe of boot into toe piece, push heel of boot into heel piece. I can't, for the life of me, fathom how poles can be used for this.
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I have introduced quite a few friends to aki over the years. Only after they can control their skis do I suggest they progress to using the lift, then, until they could dismount comfortably did I let them carry their poles, I rightly or wrongly initially carried the poles for them. The follow on advice was then to keep the poles to the outside of their seat and dismount in the fashion they had learnt.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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barely related topic but there was an avalanche thread on the offpiste board in which a guy who was caught in a big slide concluded that he would have been buried (not able to reach his airbag release) if he had not been able to drop his poles - reminder not to wear straps in avvy zones. I reflected that I tend to put on straps as a matter of habit and decided I'd try not using them at all to break the habit (straps that is). Skied all week over new year without using my pole straps and didn't miss them at all. In principle straps should allow you to place more weight on your pole plant but in practice I really don't think you need too (perhaps an exception for extreme recoveries when racing but I'm no racer so IDK).
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jedster, I never used the pole straps until I started skiing deep snow of piste because I once lost a pole in deep snow and pole plants are pretty essential when skiing steeps. I had an interesting ski down that particular face that day.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Zero_G wrote: |
| Juddernaut wrote: |
| I can do my bindings up with them. |
How do you "do up" bindings? Insert toe of boot into toe piece, push heel of boot into heel piece. I can't, for the life of me, fathom how poles can be used for this. |
The buckles have holes in the casting. With buckle undone, stick pole in hole. Push pole to apply leverage and fasten the buckle. Easier than trying to muscle them shut by hand.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Juddernaut wrote: |
| Zero_G wrote: |
| Juddernaut wrote: |
| I can do my bindings up with them. |
How do you "do up" bindings? Insert toe of boot into toe piece, push heel of boot into heel piece. I can't, for the life of me, fathom how poles can be used for this. |
The buckles have holes in the casting. With buckle undone, stick pole in hole. Push pole to apply leverage and fasten the buckle. Easier than trying to muscle them shut by hand. |
Ah buckles not bindings 
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They are quite useful to ride up behind someone and release their binding without them knowing. Like while they're using their poles to point at a piste map, or waving them at an attractive vista and blocking out the top of a run, or while their pootling along some cat-track 3 abreast, or just about to drop into a vicious couloir. Oh, how we laughed.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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While in the Dolomites at Christmas, we rode a lift with an older lady, and as we alighted the exit was a sharp left turn, and the chairlift continued straight on, she tried to put her hands through the straps of her poles, and got hit on the head with the chair, knocking her to the ground.(she had a helmet on so just a bit dazed).
According to ski etiquette, was I wrong to chortle before asking if she was ok??? 
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Poster: A snowHead
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After careful review of the FIS rules, I can find no mention of laughter, enjoyment or anything remotely fun to do with ze act of skiing. I do not know if this is an error of omission or their intention... although I suspect I know...
@Mike-H, nah, we use our own boards for that... a.k.a 'The Scorpion'
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Zero_G, I used to use pole straps until I realised what was underneath the snow in various places offpiste. Now I don't even have straps on my poles - lose on one the piste and usually some kind soul will stop and chuck it at me (not happened yet that I remember, losing one, not having one chucked at me, that kind of thing happens all the time) and offpiste I don't want my arms strapped to a pole with deep snow about, nearly suffocated as it is going in face first, with the poles holding my arms too it could have been properly unpleasant.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Richard_Sideways, I think the idea of the FIS rules is to stop you interfering with other peoples fun unless the rides in the rescue sledge are fun. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I used to have some nice old bamboo poles which were quite fun to wave around. Must look out for another pair.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Zero_G,
certainly jump turns are tough without poles but I'd argue poles are less important in deep snow. If I find myself on steep chalk / firm snow I would still use my straps (poles can be some use in self arrest) but given the avvy thing I've now officially stopped using them in deep snow
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I have a lovely pair of poles in the garage which, dating from the 1980s, have sword grips rather than straps. Excellent design, easy release when you want to and just right for poling along on the flats.
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This thread has turned out very funny 
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In the Dolomites, I had a full Tyrolean brass band ski past me (and I am no slouch) and none of them had poles. To add insult to injury, they were playing their instruments at the time, including a tuba
True story.
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Love it! At the Lord Mayors Parade there was a brass band on horseback playing their instruments but this totally takes it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Lol I try and get my wrists in my poles so that when I come off I can just ski away! Never had any incidents with it!
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Best use of poles would be for helping a tired 5 year old get home when he threatened to fall asleep on the piste. Hold poles horizontally like a bar, put said child between legs leaning over poles and ski down. Bloody back breaking but very useful at the time!
I'm going to all self conscious when I get on a lift now
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