Poles?

Until they snap when you make a plant and they impale you (I've seen it ALMOST happen). My friend Jack can vouch for my statement:



Scary shit.

Either go all aluminum or go half aluminum and half carbon. I use the latter of the two for everything (aside from DH cuz the Alu-Carbon DH poles are REDICULOUSLY expensive; I use aluminum for DH/SG). Haven't had a problem with my Leki's in the 2 and a half years I have had mine.

That's a horse of a different color, a bird of another feather, a stick with an-other bark (narrow guage racing thoroghbred of a way faster gait). 

but how do you mix aluminum and carbon? in different elements of the shaft? I do think the carbon/fiberglass composite blend Scott, silver transparent finish, is a pretty ergonomic and sturdy pole.

The thing to remember is that, when you're on a lift, expensive poles fall just as quickly as cheap poles. Gravity is gravity.

If I drop one of my cheap poles at the base of a 50-ft cliff on the ride up (loads of lifts in the Alps go up over big cliffs, so this is a realistic possibility), I'm not too bothered. I'll just pop into a shop when I get back to the bottom and pick up another cheap pair. But, if I had bought high-dollar sticks and were to drop one in the same spot, that would pose a tough dilema: huck the cliff or suck it up and take the loss. Neither of those sounds too appealing.

I know what you're thinking: "I make sure to secure my poles when I'm on the chair, so I'll never drop one." I'm sure most people think that, but we all still see all sorts of poles lying under the chair when we ride up. A drop can happen to the best of us, and gravity doesn't care how much we paid for our sticks.

My thoughts: never buy poles you can't afford to replace.

 I use really nice adjustable carbon fiber probe poles.  I ski a lot and all of my gear is nice after years of acquisition.  Poles would be the lowest priority for me if I was trying to save money.  I would try to avoid cheap aluminum poles as they can bend or break fairly easily.  I know of an incident on Teton Pass where a skier was speared through his femoral artery with a broken pole.  He bled out and died before his friends could do much for him.  This is an isolated incident, but it did happen.  Sometimes your number comes up.

A comfortable grip, a strap that will fit around your glove (take your gloves when you shop) would be the most critical factors apart from length. Go a little long, if in doubt, as you can always cut them down.

Weight would be the next consideration as you have to hold these things up most of the time.

Price is totally up to you. High price gets you quality, but that does not necessarily mean durability.

MR

Here's a tip. Don't drop your poles off the lift, and you can get one good pair instead of multiple crappy ones.

Seeing as I sit on my poles while I'm on the lift, if my poles fall, I probably have much bigger problems than just losing my poles.

I just use the force to pull my pole back when I happen to drop it.

I could just ski under the lifts and pick up all the expensive poles dropped by those who are absolutely certain they'll never lose theirs. It shouldn't take me long to find two in the right length, given the number of dropped poles I see each ski trip.

Or, maybe the owners are just throwing them down there on purpose to inspire themselves to ski difficult terrain.



For what it's worth, I haven't ever dropped a pole before, though I have lost a glove. That's not to say I'm better than those whose poles I've seen below me throughout the years. I know it'll happen eventually; it just hasn't happened yet. (My current gloves have wrist straps, so I'm not as worried about them.)

Moreover, I have used my brother's carbon poles before, which he picked up for free from the unclaimed lost items at his local hill at the end of one season. Since I plant my poles lightly and let my skis do the turning, the only time I really use my poles for anything is when I'm skating or pushing myself along in the lift line. In those situations, the only difference between his poles and mine was the cool visual effect from the carbon poles wobbling. I'm not willing to pay an extra $100 for that.

As for swingweight, I can swing a 360-g tennis racket with a monster SW throughout 4-hr-long matches in the middle of summer, so I can handle an aluminum stick with a plastic basket at the end of it.

In 40+ years I haven't dropped a pole yet. Whatever.

No doubt you're the gnar, but after an hour going uphill, a pole that weighs half what others do is a welcome friend for the majority of us.

i've skied without poles for years.  they seem to just get in my way.  the only time i notice them is when i jump into powder and they end up under my skis and i have to climb back up just to get my damn pole in powder.  plus i like skating instead of poling through lines.

After all I got these poles:http://www.rei.com/product/789850
They are not carbon fiber but I guess it doesn't matter.  Anyone knows why there is titanium written all over them?

Btw I paid $60 tax included

The only requirement I have for poles is that my Scott strapless grips fit on the top of them.

 ok, ok.  I'm confused about the sizing...

With arm parrallel to the ground and without boots and skis should the pole basket be:

1) on top of your hand/fist (by your thumb)

2) on bottom of your hand/fist (by your pinky)



tia,

sani

I have been using the same steel poles for 4 years now, they have the most awesome bends in them ever!!!

steel is real, and only bends doesnt break.

Steel?  Surely you mean aluminum.  

Also, I've been using the same poles for over 15 years :-)

sani

Nice poles.

Titanium, because the Gold standard has lost its lustre. Mother Columbia has tons of softgoods titled Titanium. Not a thread of ti in the goods that I'm aware of.

It kind of makes me wish my VooDoo Dejab (hardtail mt. bike)  was something better than Ti.

Me I dont care what the pole is as long as it has the older Leki trigger system (yellow clips). Fantastic system. makes life so easy. The newer red trigger system releases too easily and is not durable

I have composite and alu poles, Composites bend when you pressure them but wont break, the aluminium ones mean you can put more pressure on them and they stay where you put them but they dont swing as well

I am a happy man today.  Two old ski buddies that I skied with for over 30 years are going to be able to rejoin me for the winter.  This thread was a major impetus for having this happen.

A basket on my OLD 1972 Kerma Equipes died 2 seasons ago and had not been able to find a replacement, so had been spending time the past two winters a pair of Scotts.  These Kermas are older than my marriage; they are old to the point that they have names; Left and Right. 

Read this thread and went to REI today and bought a pair of gray Black Diamond powder baskets.  A little duck tape and a couple of retainer rings and we are ready to go for the winter.  Gray baskets give them kind of a funky look, but I have added gray to my personal look over time too so it's cool.  Just in time too, it's snowing up a Crystal.  It may have been an expensive trip though they saw a pair of new Gotamas and thought they would look good together (poles were colored to match Rossie Strato 102s' so they would match, but chickens and Buddha I just don't know about the karma from that one).   

The important parts is old friends are going to ski together this winter.  Like me they have fallen off of chairlifts.

The GRIP is the most important aspect of any pole.  If it doesn't fit in your hand properly then the weight, feel, brand, colour, flex, or dampness are totally irrelevant.

sani

A really great aluminium pole is the Komperdell 19mm. I'm not metallurgist, but my understanding is that it's the strongest alu pole made. Very nice grip. Soft rubber, similar to the classic Scott grip in shape. Nice adjustable strap. Komperdell also makes exceptional graphite race poles. Not cheap, but really nice. Better pole than the Swix, IMO. Kind of hard to find in the US. May still be working on distribution. I'm not sure but I think the SRD branded alu poles are Komperdell, too. BTW, I know that RTTT and others have friends who have snapped a number of Swix graphite poles. In all fairness, my son has a pair of Swix SL poles that probably have well over 100 race starts, and maybe 200 plus training days on them. They look beat, but they've held together. Perhaps a half dozen handguards have broken and been replaced. They've been retired to back-up status now, but were great.

I have a couple of pair of the Leki Venom (Alu top half/Carbon/Kevlar bottom) and a few of my ski school clients that have borrowed them over the years all now have thier own pair as well.
GF had a pair of Scott WC poles for the first part of last season then went to a high quality Scott carbon pole with my spare Leki grips, liked them but borrowed a shorter pair of the Venoms from a friend towards the end of the season, well now she has her own pair as well.
Touring poles are Leki Vario's w carbon shaft.
10 years full time teaching only ever broken 2 poles, one from the top of the pole catching on the back of an olde rstyle chair and sitting on it, and the 2nd pole planting and then a super sharp ski coming across the pole cutting it clean off. 1 pair was covered under warrenty, one pair didnt try.