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To compete with or without poles, freeskiers weigh advantages

More than three years ago, she spent her time filming and with enough camera equipment to carry, the Swedish freeskier ditched her poles.

They never made it back to the slopestyle course, though Dahlstrom is among a minority of skiers who compete without them.

“It was pretty weird at first. Small jibs, it’s all right,” Dahlstrom said. “But when I hit the big jump the first time, I was pretty scared. And it felt like I forgot something.”

Unlike their peers in cross country or biathlon, where athletes use their poles to propel themselves forward, freeskiers don’t need them to move down the course.