cold pole,cant do a thing on it!!!

amberpoledancer started this discussion · 1/6/2010

hi everyone i think iv seen a few topics on here about the dreaded cold/slippy pole and how to combat it but so far im having no luck. I live in scotland and right now its FREEZING!!! snowing and all sorts. Iv tryed putting the heating on a few hrs in b4 i pole,warming it up with some spins and climbs till it feels warm but still im sliding and slipping all over the place. My pole is usually fine come march/april when the weather gets a bit better but it proves impossible during the winter. I just tryed to go on it just now and i can barely do an inverted cruxifix without almost smashing my head off the floor its that slippy....anything more advanced is out at the moment unless i want to end up in hospital! 😲 Its sooooooo frustrating as i want to try a few new moves and i cant. Iv also tryed somegrip aids (which i dont usually do often) and still no luck. Does anyone have any tips on making this damn pole more sticky? p.s my skin is quite dry and cold so i dont know if thats got something to do with it 😀

23 replies

Angel1201 · 1/7/2010
I hear ya! I'm having the same problem since the temp dropped over the past week. I'm taking a break from pole and trying out my new hoop!
EVamp83 · 1/7/2010
There are definitely some things you can do to improve the situation. Putting on the heating beforehand and warming your pole up with spins is a good start. (If getting the pole warm gets too difficult, you could use e.g. a blowdryer to help warming it). Next thing is to make sure you're body is warmed up properly. Maybe extend your usual warming-up a little, and use sweatpants, legwarmers, etc. to help the warming-up. Then the final thing: moisturize! After all, dry skin doesn't stick. Be sure though, that you do it far enough in advance. Getting on the pole within a few hours of using creams/lotions can be very dangerous!! I know some girls moisturize in the morning, and then pole in the evening, which with the right lotion can be done safely. I only use lotions on non-poling days, just to be on the safe side. Good luck!
deetron · 1/7/2010
Haha! Oh me and the girls in our studio have exactly the same problem right now! (We are in Ireland and it's freezing at the mo!!) We tried to put on a heater and spin and climb to warm them up. I ran a humidifier to try to put some moisture in the air but the jury is out as to whether it makes a difference! I also tried shaving cream on my legs as per the advice of Allegra in another thread on here. It's good if you go to climb straight away, but once the pole heats up the oil in the cream turns to slick grease and makes even spins ridiculously difficult!! Hmmm maybe I was supposed to put it on well in advance as per E-Vamp83's advice!! Duh, Dee!! 😂 This is going to sound gross but I like to go to the gym for a full-on workout before I pole, and sweat!! By the time I get home my skin condition seem right, strangely. I clean the pole afterwards!! 😂
EVamp83 · 1/7/2010
Hey Dee, I was wondering about the shaving cream thing. (Wasn't it shaving gel btw?) What happens when you start sweating? Do you get, like, foamy legs? LOL 😂 No, but seriously, I was considering buying some, so I'm very interested in the pros/cons.
deetron · 1/7/2010
Yeh, it *was* shaving gel she recommended. But, I could only get the cream - Gilette something shaving cream.. so off I went!! I but it all over my legs just before I hopped on the pole - skin absorbed it right up, and hey presto - instant sticky climb! And for a while it works for your hands too. But as the body and pole warms up as the training session goes on, it's like the oil particles in the cream mobilize and start to make the hand grip slippy. Possibly dangerous, I suppose. At that point I had to clean my hands - and the pole - with vodka. Then the training session didnt last much longer! 😂 So I suppose I'm saying - myth busted!! But, as you said it's probably shaving GEL I shudda used!!
faerie9 · 1/7/2010
I was having this problem. I managed a reasonable pole session the other night: I moisturised with non-oily body lotion in the morning (over dry skin won't grip) (don't moisturise directly before a pole session though!), cleaned the pole with vodka, put the gas heater on in the room (works better than electric) and warmed myself up then the pole with some spins. After an hour the pole was too warm and I was slipping because of that 😂 I know, it's really frustrating. But work on some things that are do-able with a slippy-ish pole and then after you've warmed it up some of the other things might be more manageable.
amberpoledancer · 1/7/2010
ahhhhhh mostuirise no theres a thing i didnt think of!! 🥂 i usually try and stay away from it before poling because it makes the pole too slimy but doing it the morning before on cold dry skin will prob work! ...now that i think about it,a few weeks back i fake tanned myself in the morning (love my fake tan i do ...well in scotland we dont get much chance of a real sun tan lol) its a lotion so can be quite slippy. I jumped on my pole that nite and was actually quite sticky! Think ill try that in the morning then pole at nite see what happens. Does vodka work on the pole btw? i also heard coke works on it as well to make it sticky 😀 mite be a bit too sticky though! 😂
Sapphirecatzeye · 1/7/2010
i've had this problem alot lately! tried the shaving cream idea, and it did get greasy after warmed up! I sometimes put a safe "green" windex on my hands and legs but even then, that isnt always enough. Best bet, is to run in place and get your body temp up, and like they said get a little perspiration going.
licia · 1/7/2010
whats with the vodka? why not just regular old isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol? seems the vodka wold be better use to numb the pain after your done your poling tricks, lol!
Georgiapeach · 1/8/2010
From experience if the room that your dance pole is in drops BELOW 70 then your dance pole will become " Slipppery or Cold". Try putting a little heater in the room that you are in for about 10 mins before you pole. Also try using a Microfiber cloth with rubbing alcohol on it to wipe down as well and see if this will help .
deetron · 1/8/2010
whats with the vodka? why not just regular old isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol? seems the vodka wold be better use to numb the pain after your done your poling tricks, lol! Haha!!! Yeh.. one for the pole, one for me!! I use Vodka because I can't seem to get isopropyl alcohol in any pharmacy in Dublin for love nor money!! 😂
vickiezoo · 1/8/2010
Me too, I am rubbish this time of year, it takes forever to get properly warmed up, if I manage it at all. Frustrating, glad to hear its not just me, roll on the summer. 🐱 🐱
teresawitch · 1/8/2010
so glad it's not just me having probs with slippy pole. my pole cons me. it feels firm to grip till i try an invert or new move then off i go sliding down the pole grrrrr will not be beaten i will find something that works if it kills me (maybe that last sentence wasn't a good thing to say) 🙄
velvetvixen · 1/9/2010
Another great reason I should have moved where its warm! I'm having the same problem. I haven't got to try it yet but azriel posted to my blog suggesting I try using a humidifier. It helps with dryness with causes you not to stick. I am going to get one and try it out as well as some of the other things suggested.
vickiezoo · 1/9/2010
I find that a hot bath before a sesh warms you up for a bit. 🐱 🐱
allegra · 1/10/2010
Hi Girls, I teach pole dancing and have danced on brass spinning, stationary chrome and stationary stainless steel and I can tell you that shaving cream or gel (doesn't matter which) works for all. You only need a TINY bit to get you started. Too much shaving gel is slippery the same way too much sweat is slippery. I wash my hands after applying it to my legs, and I also use a hand-antiperspirant called Tite-Grip. One or two sessions are not enough to get used to shaving cream, its like anything you need to use it for a while to adjust. Girls usually use too much to begin with. I was taught by Felix and I can tell you that she uses shaving cream before every session or performance too. Good luck girls! X Allegra Miss Pole Dance Australia 2010 http://www.allegrapoledancer.com
deetron · 1/10/2010
Hi Allegra, do you lash on the shaving cream *just* before going up on the pole? Or put in on a few hours in advance?
allegra · 1/10/2010
Hi Allegra, do you lash on the shaving cream *just* before going up on the pole? Or put in on a few hours in advance? Hi Babe, I put it on straight before going on the pole (otherwise it dries out). But just a tiny bit, only enough to make the relevant surfaces slightly tacky - not all over the legs. Just shins, calves and inner thighs. 🙂 Allegra Miss Pole Dance Australia 2010 http://www.allegrapoledancer.com
deetron · 1/10/2010
Thanks for the hot tip, Allegra - and Felix does it too! Nice!
carriej · 1/10/2010
I am so relieved to hear that other folks are having the same cold weather difficulty. Not that I'd wish it on anyone...I'm just glad it's not my imagination. I was really doing great 'til the cold hit and now I can't hold on for the tricks! This is my first winter poleing so I figured it was the cold but then I was wondering if I was just fooling myself. Well, off to practice transitions and floorwork since my tricks aren't happening. And I'll try shaving cream as soon as I get some (just ran out).
PoleKitten81 · 1/15/2010
Hi All I'm in the UK, in London...it's freezing and the only thing helping me to grip currently is spraying the pole with window cleaner! Even then it's quite slippy. The same thing happened last winter...am really hoping it'll get less cold v v v soon as I miss my pole! Polekitten x
halfjack · 1/16/2010
hehe window cleaner/shaving cream...ah the tricks of our trade! 😂 Hair spray is my saviour in this horrible weather. First I turn the heating UP, then get my pole as warmed up as possible, (pole ups/small spins), then I spray a tiiiiny bit of hair spray on each hand...then as I'm using the pole, the pole will end up getting easier and easier to grip! Make sure u don't use too much though because then you just stick like a fly on wall paper...good for some moves...not very graceful for spins!
poledanceromance · 1/17/2010
hehe window cleaner/shaving cream...ah the tricks of our trade! 😂 Hair spray is my saviour in this horrible weather. First I turn the heating UP, then get my pole as warmed up as possible, (pole ups/small spins), then I spray a tiiiiny bit of hair spray on each hand...then as I'm using the pole, the pole will end up getting easier and easier to grip! Make sure u don't use too much though because then you just stick like a fly on wall paper...good for some moves...not very graceful for spins! Rrrrrreally?? What brand are you using? Aerosol or spritzer bottle? Hmmm I'm going to have to give this a go as I have...shall we say...a repertoire of hair sprays haha