Hiking/ski poles

[audrey]

I was looking in EMS for a pair of backcountry ski poles and ended up buying a pair of Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork, in spite of the sales clerk's protests that they couldn't be used for skiing. Well, they seem to work just fine although they may be rather short for some people, and I couldn't probe for avalanche victims.

I know carbon can be fragile...but I just destroyed an aluminum pole, so nothing's fool proof. Why did the clerk protest so much?

 

[sardog1]

Ski poles are balanced for that purpose, which I suppose is the reason for the protest. I use a now-discontinued set of Leki ski poles cum avalanche probes for skiing, snowshoeing and hiking (and holding up one of my tents). They're OK for skiing and very, very strong, but I get more enjoyment when I'm using my fixed-length ski poles. I dislike round carbide tips for skiing, among other things.

 

[erugs]

What I'm finding I dislike about my hiking poles are the handles. I wish they had some kind of positioning adjustments, depending on whether I was going up or down. I've tried bent handles, cane handles, but most are just annoying, and yet I love/need poles. Current poles are an old EMS model that I can't read any longer, as the paint has all scratched off. Never gave the balance for skiing a thought. That's interesting.

 

[audrey]

Hmmm, I didn't feel unbalanced at all. They are light and swingy and the tips don't make any difference that I'm aware of. I guess I'm just a philistine. The cork handles are bent just a little from vertical and are quite comfortable.

 

[JoeCedar]

Wise choice. You won't be sorry. I have been hiking with them for at least four years. If you break one, it will be such a fall that you won't be blaming the pole. And you will like, if you are carrying them in your hand, that they don't freeze your hand like the alloy poles do.