Altitude Pole & Fitness Nelson is a pole dancing and fitness studio at 5 Pascoe Street, Tāhunanui, Nelson, and part of the Altitude Pole network of studios around New Zealand. Pole fitness tends to surprise first-timers: you don't need strength or flexibility to start, because the beginner moves build both. The usual advice is to wear shorts, since skin grips the pole where fabric won't — anything knee-length or shorter works — and to layer leggings or trackies and a jumper on top to peel off as class warms up. Jewellery is best left at home, for your rings' sake as much as the poles'. Regulars will tell you the real appeal is how visible progress is: a spin that defeats you in week one feels routine soon after, which is why many people find pole easier to stick with than a conventional gym routine. For Nelson locals curious to give pole a go, this Pascoe Street studio in Tāhunanui makes an easy starting point.