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No Poles in Powder.

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soup
Posts: 6320 - Karma: 4,261
Just tried riding my ep pros in the powder with no poles and let me tell you: One of the funnest times on skis ever.

It gives you so much freedom to just throw your hand down and just slash some snow.  The skis ski like a snowboard in the deep so its just an unreal feeling.  It did kinda suck when some "hardcore powder skiers" would see me in the line and yell "get some poles you park rat!"  So For all you owners of hellbents or ep pros or any other rockered ski try this shit.  drop the poles, feel the snow.  its an unreal feeling.

and for all you haters just fuck off do your own thing I dont need to hear your shit.
Feb 11 2008 9:30PM
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EH_DUBS
Posts: 3080 - Karma: 969
i tried skiing in powder once with no poles
but i just felt really unbalanced and stuff
but on the other hand my skis are no where near being labeled a pow ski
Feb 11 2008 9:32PM
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Freezeskier
Posts: 525 - Karma: 13
personally, i wouldn't waste epic powder day without poles...just rushing to be the fastest to get the lines you want. I would do a few days after a pow day on when its mellow, fucking around and searching for fresh.
Feb 11 2008 9:40PM
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asfffffffffdd
Posts: 1554 - Karma: 1,103
word, i have a broken hand so i don't have a choice to use poles, but even if i could i wouldn't on powder days, you feel so free, and making slash/surf turns while dragging a hand is one of the coolest thing even
Feb 11 2008 9:40PM
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
If you arent touring or having to hike out of flat spots, try it for a run. Doing a double hand drag leaned way over in untracked is like skimming the surface of a perfectly flat lake at 40mph.
Feb 11 2008 9:48PM
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yellav
Posts: 10056 - Karma: 1,217
its fun. i like having fun.
Feb 11 2008 9:51PM
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Celone
Posts: 1998 - Karma: 114
thanks dude, i think im gonna try this next powder day, but hopefully i can demo some pow skis that day though, cuz i only got invaders
Feb 11 2008 9:52PM
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-dAvE-
Posts: 677 - Karma: 74
i hardly ever ski with poles.. bu the other day was the first day that i skied in powder without poles and i have to admit it wwas sooo dope! no poles in powder is awsome!!
Feb 11 2008 9:55PM
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SteevJee
Posts: 1916 - Karma: 144

Its so much fun just letting your hand drag through the snow.  I do get sick of hearing "the get some poles" comments.

Feb 11 2008 10:03PM
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ballerman
Posts: 414 - Karma: 15
word. i tried that the other day it was so sick. stoked on trying it again next dump.
Feb 11 2008 10:05PM
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Droppin_In
Posts: 61 - Karma: 10
It feels weird not to pole plant. But its fun cuz you can throw snow at your buddies while skiing
Feb 11 2008 10:14PM
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titsLOL
Posts: 7485 - Karma: 396
eh personally I HATE skiing trees with no poles, but I feel like no poles on a bc booter would be mad fun. plus it would take out the one solid thing you could land on.
Feb 11 2008 10:17PM
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Droppin_In
Posts: 61 - Karma: 10
I woulden't do it unless i was just dickin around. (snow fight) but if i'm doing anythinig steep or just charging anything i gota have poles
Feb 11 2008 10:20PM
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skitoggrob
Posts: 1249 - Karma: 22
is not that special
Feb 11 2008 10:28PM
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tjski
Posts: 5859 - Karma: 44
i tired no poles in pow one day, cuz i snaped one of my poles so i decided to use none. if i got in some pow that i could make wide turns it was okay, but since most of the pow was skied out i was skiing right next to, or weaving in and out of the trees and it was super hard to turn... if i had some rockered skis it wouldve been better no poles but i was on ARV's and had to lean back to make hard turns and just ended up getting chin bang... i need my poles to make faster turns.. but no poles on high speed groomers is kinda fun...
Feb 11 2008 10:35PM
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eheath
Posts: 61107 - Karma: 118,282
Did it, and it sucked. You need poles to ski powder, its just a necessity.
Feb 11 2008 10:40PM
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gibvicious
Posts: 239 - Karma: 18
ive only had a few runs no poling through powder and it wasnt the most spectacular powder but it felt so much more fun then with poles

and the throwing snow at ur buddies is def a bonus :)
Feb 11 2008 10:42PM
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theres_ghosts
Posts: 875 - Karma: 13
first tried it at jackson on a pow day.

OMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


and i was on anthems too
Feb 11 2008 10:45PM
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SteezePatrol
Posts: 10281 - Karma: 36
you know you can just do lame hand drags in the powder with your poles on too.  ya it probably feels a lot lighter and more femm to dip your hands down and daintily graze the pow with pole-less hands. but for that one positive the fact that you don't have poles restricts you in so many other areas of pow skiing. slashing in and out of the glades, techy burly lines, AK turns and what not require poles for best benefits
Feb 11 2008 10:45PM
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shabinka
Posts: 743 - Karma: 10
You can do everything you just said, with poles. Just wrap em around your wrist, and when you want to hand drag, or throw snow, just let your poles dangle....
Feb 11 2008 10:47PM
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CJHski
Posts: 2384 - Karma: 126
i have never gone no poles in pow. but i think i would need poles
Feb 11 2008 10:48PM
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kolekaine
Posts: 1456 - Karma: 116
i like no poles but too many people do and im just not a trend whore
Feb 11 2008 10:54PM
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hollygrove
Posts: 7845 - Karma: 93
I've tried. I ended up being in the backseatand falling all over the place. I immediatly ran and grabbed my poles.
Feb 11 2008 10:56PM
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mattster
Posts: 4120 - Karma: 41
i had a pretty similar experience

same kind of skis too

any kind of technical/steeper stuff was out of the question
Feb 11 2008 10:59PM
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RudyGarmisch
Posts: 25443 - Karma: 13,844
Gotta commit dude, you have to learn to be really aggressive and forward with no poles, hands out in front!
Feb 11 2008 11:03PM
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hiphopopotamus
Posts: 1177 - Karma: 45
i skied this weekend without poles in the powder and it was sick loved hand draging and i just felt unrestrained, but then i went to the steeper stuff where you definatly need to think before you drop in and i felt very uncofident i was just scared that i didn't have that downhill support. so i agree that it is alot of fun in the pow but not as much in the steeper more technical stuff

sorry for my spelling
Feb 11 2008 11:09PM
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wellpreparedrare
Posts: 651 - Karma: 11

i ski no poles sumtimes

depends on wut im feelin like

only bitches are afraid to try new things...


only haters complain about them...






d

e



e






p
Feb 11 2008 11:14PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
finally some one on newschoolers who isn't like zomg i need fat ass rockered skis to even attempt pow. i ski powder all the time on my park skis. maybe its because montana's snow is so dry...
Feb 11 2008 11:26PM
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eastchris
Posts: 674 - Karma: 16
the one thing i like my poles for the most is trees. maybe steeps as well. Everywhere else is far game for me to drop them for abit.
I started no poles last year, just kind of now and then, did that all last year and into this year. but what started out as 2-3 runs a day is slowly progressing into no poles all the time. doesnt help ive broken 2 pair this year though haha
Feb 11 2008 11:26PM
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televback1
Posts: 386 - Karma: 11
if your goin to be skiing anything really deep you will want poles especially ifs it deep at least thats my expereince because without poles in the really deep is so hard and u end up skiing really bad like your form
Feb 11 2008 11:30PM
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Caveman.
Posts: 9067 - Karma: 330
and poles make it easier to get up after a fall
Feb 11 2008 11:44PM
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willJ
Posts: 73 - Karma: 11
Ya it's fun but I often try to pole plant and it just feels wierd. other than powder, i never ski with poles i think they're a waste of time and hands.....definately a waste of hands
Feb 11 2008 11:50PM
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Jamie_Baril
Posts: 2196 - Karma: 2,513
i love doing this, but the only thing is hiking out of flat spots is a bitch,
Feb 12 2008 12:10AM
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hollygrove
Posts: 7845 - Karma: 93
I aired a cliff that i normally hit about 20 foot dropp and 30 foot gap, immediatly on take off got backseat cause im awekward with no poles and rolled the windows down and landed on my back. There was so much snow, it was fun.
Feb 12 2008 12:11AM
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Sleet
Posts: 327 - Karma: 13
I love powder.
Feb 12 2008 12:15AM
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king.tubby
Posts: 2865 - Karma: 122

i have to respectfully disagree. i can ski absolutely everything that i normally ski with poles, without them. ive been making a concerted effort over the past few weeks to ski steeps, powder, trees, everything, without poles. its not only possible, its a lot of fun. its takes some getting used to the balance. i find i stay a little closer down to the snow when not using poles. i will admit that im not as GOOD at skiing powder without my poles- maybe dont charge quite as hard. but it is a different feel, and most days, for all mountain cruising, i dont find i need poles. plus, you really cant beat dragging your hand through the snow on a steep powdery face.              this being said, today was a bit of a powder day and i used my poles for the first time in a while and actually really enjoyed having them.  but they are definately not a necessity (for me).

Feb 12 2008 12:37AM
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king.tubby
Posts: 2865 - Karma: 122
man is that true. i had a ski pop off in kind of a steep, wind buffed, rocky area, and it took me sooo long to get back clicked in and upright without my poles. it sucked.
Feb 12 2008 12:42AM
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Daver_BC
Posts: 1256 - Karma: 307
i ski pow with no poles and park woth poles. 

i mean the melees have just as much surface area, or close to as a snowboard so i dont see why i need then (just more to fall on and loose). 

and also the feeling of just putting your hands on the snow and being able to feel what you are riding is a banger feeling. 

i will never go back. 
Feb 12 2008 1:11AM
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Avifarer
Posts: 5926 - Karma: 598
i skied pow today with my arv's with poles and no poles and i prefered with poles way more.
Feb 12 2008 1:17AM
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EClay46
Posts: 2499 - Karma: 69
i love skiing steeps with no poles,
i feel so much more connected with the mountain because i drag my uphill hand through my turns and im lower to the ground
Feb 12 2008 1:20AM
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PBraunstein
Posts: 1448 - Karma: 3,804
ive had numerous no pole pow days this year at brighton and id have to say that besides forcing you to keep your hands out infront of you and planting on steeps, that poles arent necessary..  you can hit any burly line, any cliff line and ball dropping steeps without poles just fine, you just have to adjust a little.. i think it keeps me on my toes more and makes you all that much better of a skier when you pick the poles back up..
Feb 12 2008 10:38AM
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FUUUCK
Posts: 18426 - Karma: 4,888
all the powder stashes at my hill require some serious traversing and hiking, so i've never tried no poles in powder, but i will say dropping your poles makes drinking a red bull while skiing a lot easier.
Feb 12 2008 10:46AM
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cousinmark
Posts: 939 - Karma: 29
word. its most probably been said  but no poles vs poles is like  rubber vs. no rubber.  its the strangest feeling skiing relativly steep fresh no poles kinda a scary but so much FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i dont feel confident enough to ski serious coulouirs w/o poles tho. 
Feb 12 2008 10:53AM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
its fun on easy terrain, but for real steeps you need poles.
Feb 12 2008 1:44PM
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soup
Posts: 6320 - Karma: 4,261
I just got back from skiing pillow lines on whistler with no poles.  Fuck I cant see myself ever having poles again in the powder.  Its the best feeling. 

The steep shit I can see having poles agin cause that shit is just gnar but I dont really like the steep ass gnar shit.  I like flow and deep powder so im stickin with no poles for now.
Feb 12 2008 3:54PM
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Barmski
Posts: 4342 - Karma: 811

 i will say that i did the same thing as someone else- snapped a pole and said fuck it im skiing with out poles cuz i only hav one. it was a pow day and i must say that it was a good fun day. YES very tight bumped out spots sucked but tight trees arent that bad cuz u hav one less thing to clip the trees with. I almost found it easier to get through tighter trees. Also just with anythin else in skiing it takes practice and i bet with pratice you can master it. In the future I prob will drop the poles in pow sometimes- as for park thats a totally def story, hopefully they will become useless there as they already are.

Feb 12 2008 6:11PM
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-HCG-
Posts: 179 - Karma: 18
yeah i havent skied no poles too much but i must admit skiing trees and stuff with no poles every now and then is pretty dope, like doing hand drag 180's off little drops into pow and such
Feb 12 2008 6:39PM
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BEARS.
Posts: 5380 - Karma: 696
and in trees! (trees+pow)-poles=incredible.
Feb 12 2008 6:40PM
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nickmcnutt
Posts: 4396 - Karma: 2,965
you just need to do it for a while to get the feel. i ski better, now, because i haven't brought poles in the last 40 times i've been up. i have more confidence, because they don't get in the way of my grabs, my landings, and my body if i fall. i can use my hands to grab anything way easier, like trees or rocks. handplants and fastplants and stuff are an obvious reason as well. slashing pow with your hands is an amazing feeling that everyone should experience. sure, you can do all that stuff while you hold poles, but why? for proper turn timing? any strong skier should be able to ski at least as well with or without poles.
Feb 12 2008 6:43PM
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powder12
Posts: 22 - Karma: 11
Did it for the first time in powder last week and had a great time. Its a completely different direction to take skiing and im pretty psyched that people like Eric Pollard, Andy Mahre, Pep Fujas, and crew are showing its true potential. For those complaining about wasting a powder day, come to the northwest where we have an abundance of powder days that you can just mess around on a few here and there.
Feb 12 2008 7:50PM
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FUUUCK
Posts: 18426 - Karma: 4,888
si, it is super top secret.
Feb 12 2008 7:58PM
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