To pole or not to pole

Been skiing since 6 without poles all over the globe....Wolf Creek,
Telluride, New Zealand, etc. Presume you were not surprised when your
Students found turning without poles easier than with them.....nor
should you.

I'm 85 (4/27/20) and have taught skiing and boarding to my wife, 4
daughters, 10 Grandchildren and hundreds of others, particularly those
50 and over....all without poles. Sr Member NSPS, PSIA, Gold
NASTAR/Skis&boards, 70+ Club (Free Ski Passes), etc. with over 55 years
experience skimming down Double D runs using both 203cm RC4
FISCHER skis as well as boards and all without poles.

In short....teach'em to stop on a dime ......like the inside edge of the
downhill ski OR board
and sell the poles. "Just two less things to worry about" for the
begnner.

Well help others and have fun in a super sport all can play for the rest
of their lives.......the sooner the better.

READ THE REST OF THIS DISCUSSION GROUP. I'm 85, skiing since 6, 1926.
Sr NSPS//PSIA/Gold NASTAR, 80+ Club Member, etc. Have taught hundreds
to ski pole-less all over world...Europe. New Zealand, etc.

Just show'em how to stop-on-a-dime...on the inside edge of their
downhill ski (or board) and after a few runs they'll be surfing down
from side to side, leg to leg, on their inside edge.

After one day to get the hang of "hard-on-the- downhill ski" pole-less
turns on the inside edge and one day to practice they should be good for
the week.

We've done it with 7 year to 75 year old males and females very
successfully and have received their many thanks and subsequent
benefits.

Good luck, help others and have fun!
1/19/05

Dear Sven:
I'm afraid you Instructor friends still have a lot to learn. I taught
many to ski without poles since 1926 and I'm an 85 year old 80+
racer/skier/boarder, Sr NSPS/PSIA, NASTAR Gold, 80+ 15 yr Club Member.
Suggest you read some of the other discussion msgs. No debate just 55
years experience on
all over the world. Kind regards. 1/19

Mary: Believe me, your adult students will be even more confused than
the kids.

You're just giving them two more things to worry about other than where
they're goin' to eat tonight
Suggest you read more Group msgs.! 1/19

FYI:
Just try to enter downhill competition without poles.....the promoters
will laugh you off the mountain. We know ! Poles distract from the
appropriate balance over the skis regardless of the terrain
and...hence...slow the accomplished/seasoned racer DOWN.

Other racers will complain to competition management......they do NOT
want you to have an advantage by skiing without poles at ANY time.

Suggest reading all the Group msgs.

Aj 427 wrote:
READ THE REST OF THIS DISCUSSION GROUP. I'm 85, skiing since 6, 1926.
Sr NSPS//PSIA/Gold NASTAR, 80+ Club Member, etc. Have taught hundreds
to ski pole-less all over world...Europe. New Zealand, etc.

Were you in the 10th?

Just show'em how to stop-on-a-dime...on the inside edge of their
downhill ski (or board) and after a few runs they'll be surfing down
from side to side, leg to leg, on their inside edge.

Yes, "hockey stops". That's pretty much what I learned at the
outset, not as long ago as you, but about 1950. Also I did
carry poles since we didn't have any lifts and it was much
easier to go uphill if we had poles to push with. We really
didn't use them for any part of downhill, we just carried them
so we would have them to go back uphill.

People doing what you describe on snowboards has been the subject
of several (or one ongoing) discussion(s) here. The translation
of a hockey stop to snowboard is to flip around onto the
heel side and dig your edge in. Trouble is, once there, the rider
never gets off the heelside.

After one day to get the hang of "hard-on-the- downhill ski" pole-less
turns on the inside edge and one day to practice they should be good for
the week.

Yes, you can handle a lot with just hockey stops. In fact I
see this quite a bit. Someone tearing down the hill, in the
back seat, fear on their face and a quick pivot of their
skis and they are stopped, hopefully still upright.

Poles, as have been discussed here, have their place and in
fact can be used successfully for certain turns.

Almost always children are taught without poles and very
often adults are taught without poles. I don't think anyone
here denies that. What has been argued strenuously
is that poles should, in all conditions and in all cases, be
abandoned permanently. This is what has been argued against.

We've done it with 7 year to 75 year old males and females very
successfully and have received their many thanks and subsequent
benefits.

Again, beginner's technique. Can be successful for a lot
of conditions but won't let you onto the big mountain without
at least a bit of instruction.

Good luck, help others and have fun!
1/19/05

Ted Waldron wrote:

In article . com,
"yunlong" wrote:


We have been through that, you don't release your ski in "near-armpit
deep powder," it is a good way to loose your ski. The solution is to
remove most the snow on top of the ski (with your hands, and don't
loose your poles in that snow; well, without poles you don't have this
problem), then roll downhill "upside down" until your skis come out the
surface.


I sense you can roll upside down in knee deep snow with your ski
coming to the surface in a place with Chocolate rivers, gumdrop trees
and Cotton Candy Clouds.

Ooom-pa loom-pa doom-pi-dee-doo!

Could have resisted, didn't want to ;-)

What do you get when your boards are all flat?
When you ski like a chicken being mauled by a cat?
(okay, someone else take over from here)

--
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield, other days you're the bug.

Aj 427 wrote:
Been skiing since 6 without poles all over the globe....Wolf
Creek,Telluride, New Zealand, etc. Presume you were not
surprised when your Students found turning without poles
easier than with them.....nor should you.

I'm 85 (4/27/20) and have taught skiing and boarding to my
wife, 4 daughters, 10 Grandchildren and hundreds of others,
particularly those 50 and over....all without poles. Sr
Member NSPS, PSIA, Gold NASTAR/Skis&boards, 70+ Club (Free Ski
Passes), etc. with over 55 years experience skimming down
Double D runs using both 203cm RC4 FISCHER skis as well
as boards and all without poles.

Wow,


In short....teach'em to stop on a dime ......like the inside
edge of the downhill ski OR board
and sell the poles. "Just two less things to worry about" for
the begnner.

Well help others and have fun in a super sport all can play
for the rest of their lives.......the sooner the better.
thanks, old timer,
IS

"Aj 427" wrote in message
...
FYI:
Just try to enter downhill competition without poles.....the promoters
will laugh you off the mountain. We know ! Poles distract from the
appropriate balance over the skis regardless of the terrain
and...hence...slow the accomplished/seasoned racer DOWN.

Other racers will complain to competition management......they do NOT
want you to have an advantage by skiing without poles at ANY time.

Suggest reading all the Group msgs.

If this were true, I would expect to see downhill racers with tiny poles
that were just enough to get by the FIS requirements. Where are they?

snoig

Aj 427 wrote:

Mary: Believe me, your adult students will be even more confused than
the kids.

You're just giving them two more things to worry about other than where
they're goin' to eat tonight
Suggest you read more Group msgs.! 1/19

Suggest _I_ read more Group msgs? _You're_ the fenugi here, old feller,
no matter how many gallon pins you got from the PSIA. Suggest _you_
read what you're replying to.

--
Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield, other days you're the bug.