Ski poles related injuries are very uncommon: the most common ski injury now is not broken legs, but torn or ripped ligaments. Some of this accident could be provided by ski pole straps.
“Why Don’t You Wear Ski Pole Straps”?
Patrick: “Because of tree branches. A tree branch can catch your pole basket as you are skiing by and easily dislocate your shoulder. I have skied in Revelstoke a long time ago and they gave you poles that had no straps and taught you to use them. I’ve never gone back.”
Nick: “When hiking or skiing my poles will get caught in holes or branches under the snow. With no strap, it’s no problem. WIth a strap, you can get hung up or throw off balance leading to a bad fall in a bad place.”
Lee: “Avalanches. If I get in an avalanche, I want to be able to get rid of everything I can and I want to be able to swim and fight to stay on top and easily pull my avalanche airbag handle without being impeded by a pole pulling my hand wherever it wants. It’s also great when hiking because you can move your hand up and down the pole with ease. Even if you aren’t wearing the straps, they get in the way when changing your hand position on your pole and can even cause you to slip off if you accidentally grab the strap.”
Zach: “I’m a photographer, so for photos. It’s great to not have straps when I’m shooting because I can stick my pole in the snow and let go and that’s it. It’s one less step which gets me in position to take a photo that much quicker.”
Valerio: “When I was 18, I was competing in a regional giant slalom race. During a left turn, due to a little bump on the run or probably signs left by previous racers, I lost contact with the snow for a fraction of a second and was pushed outward by centrifugal force. In that very short moment my right pole decided to get stuck under my right ski, resulting in my body going right while my right knee bended innaturaly because my right foot was stopped by the pole. I broke a meniscus and my LCL almost snapped. My meniscus was surgically removed while the LCL fortunately healed by itself.
For the complete story check the link: How common are ski poles injuries and Don’t use ski poles straps