chriswarner
Forum Replies Created
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Welcome! I only started poling just before my 60th birthday with the flexibility of a tree trunk and am now a 65year old pensioner. It has been by far the best thing that I ever done as now I feel fitter than at any time in my life. I have only ever encountered support and encouragement from both teachers and students in the classes.
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In the gallery on the rpole website there is a brilliant picture of someone poling on top of a mountain (Ben Nevis)
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I have an R pole and an Xstage lite. The xstage is more stable but quite heavy. The rpole is a great compromise between stability and portability. I can carry the rpole in a backpack on my bicycle for several miles (I do not own a car). I do not know of any other free standing pole that you can do that with. You learn to adapt to its stability. It also only takes a couple of minutes to assemble. When I want the best stability the xstage is great, but needs a car to transport it. It’s horses for courses.
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As an engineer who poles I have looked into making a highly portable stage pole. To make stages like X – stage and Platinum Stages that are safe involves a fair amount of welding that needs accurate jigging, not an easy set-up. I was going to start with something more like an R-pole using a main central aluminium boss that the pole and support legs all clip into. That way everything can be machined easily using just a lathe and mill, and the dismantled pole should be lightweight and fit into a backpack, that is the plan. I retire next year and that is one of my first projects, I have found the materials already, just need the time.
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Brass, I have really sweaty hands (also made fun of as kid) and I have both brass and TG poles. The grip on the brass is great when I am sweaty, and I just slide off the TG. I have exactly the same problem with leg grips and brass is far superior.
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Ultrasonic spider repelling devices are quite readily available (look on Amazon) and are not expensive. They can keep large areas spider free and can be left running all the time.
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I am 62 1/2 and have been poling for nearly 3 years now. Since I started I have never felt out of place, everyone in class has a common aim which makes a bond between classmates. Before I went to my first class I was worried that an age difference might be an issue, how wrong I was. I was made so welcome in class and all the people that I have encountered in my pole journey so far have been the most wonderful lovely people I have ever met. The result of pole is that it has made me fitter and happier than at any time in my life, so I feel that I am not older than the youngsters in class, I have just had fun for longer.
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Looking at it scientifically, on the Mohs scale of hardness where 1 is talc and 10 diamond, a cats claw is about 2.5 and chromium is 8.5, so the claw cannot mark the pole but the pole could mark the cats claw. The only way the cat could mark the pole is if grains of sand were stuck on the cats paws and it rubbed the pole with them which I suppose is theoretically possible.
I have a brass pole in my house which marks very easily, so to protect it I just clip on a piece of coloured pipe insulation when not in use. It looks good and protects the pole.
I also have a pole concreted in the middle of my lawn and I used to have problems with neighbours cats pooing on the lawn near it. To cure that I have a plastic snake (my kids used to play with) curled up near the pole now the cats go elsewhere to poo. Its a trick used by gardeners to keep cats away without any harm. -
I have a 2 year old PS star stand alone and I have re-made a couple of the tack beads. I used 6013 MMA rod 1.6mm diameter and it flowed well. Looks as if PS used a standard structural grade of mild steel. If you only have MIG or that should be fine as well, I only used MMA because it is set up ready most of the time for odd jobs.
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Yes I use on both spin and static, spin bearings are smooth and the change between modes is similar to X-pole, using a hex key. Putting pole up is straight forward, the pole pieces screw together and there is a tommy bar provided that engages in cross drilled holes near each joint that greatly facilitates subsequent dismantling.
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I bought the 45mm version two months ago and I have been very pleased with it. I have a lot of grip problems as I sweat a lot and the polished brass works well for me, the build quality is also good. I have several poles at home and this has now become my favourite.
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I did this a few weeks ago using the same concreting method as WebJunk and a 3 metre length of 40mm stainless steel handrail. I put a mirror finish on the pole using Hyfin polishing compound and buffing mop on an electric drill. This mirror finish made all the difference to the grip, it is now about the same as a 40mm chrome X-Pole, but is completely weather resistant.
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I am 61yrs 6mths old and started poling 2 years ago. It was the best decision by far that I have ever made in my life. I have never felt better and as the weeks go by I notice how I am becoming stronger and more flexible. What a wonderful sport to enjoy in my retirement in 3 1/2 years time.
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My legs are not very hairy but I found when I was sliding on moves like inverted crucifiz and cross ankle release that I definitely needed to shave. The combination of a little sweat and leg hair for me means slippery. Shaving definitely makes a huge difference for me.
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I am a male poler and I prefer to mention it at a first date because poling is such an important part of my life now, it is the person that I am. I would actually rather remain single than be with someone who had issues with something so important to me. It was actually through poling that I got my confidence back after a bad marriage break up to even start dating again.