UKH

Advice welcomed

My crumbling knees (particularly on long descents) are pushing me towards the purchase of trekking/ski poles. They are needed for alpine & mountain descents, & for ski touring.

Because they will need to be attached to a bag for rock & ice climbing, 3 part poles will probably be needed. Years ago I used some 2 part poles which snagged repeatedly when climbing.

Any recommendations based on personal experience most welcome. As you would expect, cheap(ish), light(ish) & strong(ish)preferred.

In reply to HammondR:

The z-poles pack away well (Black Diamond) but need to keep an eye out for them in sales.

Flicklocks are IMO much better than twistlocks. And finally, carbon won't anodise.

Thus Mrs B has carbon fibre z-poles and I have CF flicklocks. They have been going for years... (10 or so).

HTH

b

In reply to HammondR:

Yep, BD carbon flicklocks. Bulletproof, light, the dogs' imo.

When you stow them inside the pack when climbing, if you take them apart you gain (shorten them) another inch which helps.

In reply to HammondR:

I agree, I have BD expedition Flicklocks and they are superb.

I previously had Leki twistlocks and they both packed in. They were expensive too.

In reply to HammondR:

Flicklocks over twistlocks anytime. Whether you choose BD, Leki or Komperdell is a matter of taste.

Personally I find the BD poles a little too thin, at least for my bodyweight plus heavy trekking bag.

I have therefore replaced my 20 year old Leki Makalus with Komperdell C3s, which are lighter and feel more robust than my wife´s Leki sherpas. Best trekking pole I ever used, based on two weeks off trail hiking in Sweden.

CB

In reply to HammondR:

See what length you need them set at. I think the Leki site does a calculation for than. Then if possible get the smallest poles you can. I bought 'man' sized but my wife's 'lady' sized ones fit me too and pack down much smaller. She has the BD Trail ones and they are very good but they don't Z. They come with the snow baskets too which I think you need to buy for the Leki ones.

In reply to HammondR:

Another +1 for flicklocks . I use BD flicklock poles , super light , disassemble in seconds to fit in your pack . I have had various twistlock poles in the past and find that eventually mud/ice/gunge renders them into a solid unit , not ideal for strapping to the outside of a rucksack .

In reply to HammondR:

Used BD for 20 years after period of disasters with Lekis. No problems but carry a Swiss knife as the screwdriver could come in useful for adjustments.

In reply to HammondR:

I use Black Diamond expedition poles, easy to use in winter and with gloves on as its flik lock, i can disassemble them in seconds and store them inside my pack if necessary. After using them i disassemble them, clean them and spray them in WD40 to prevent rust and pro-long the life of them. Each one of the 3 main sections are replaceable in the event of damage, i bought BD trekking baskets for use in uk hills outside of winter conditions so that my snow baskets don't get damaged by rocks or worn down (extra £3)

They can be used for mountaineering, hillwalking and ski touring. I cannot recommend the poles highly enough, if i am on a hill i can get both of poles extended for use quicker than someone can do 1 twist lock pole, also if a pole breaks on a walk you can guarantee its a twist lock. Very strong, simple poles you will get years of use out of.

A note of caution with sizing, as the poles may be used for snow and crossing rivers/streams then it is always advisable to go for a larger size as even with baskets it will sink in to snow and the extra height can make a big difference crossing water features or boggy ground.

In reply to HammondR:

Many thanks all, now to hunt out the bargain price!

Cheers.

In reply to HammondR:

Some flicklock types half price on sportpursuit.com....

http://www.sportpursuit.com/sales/masters-aug14

Not seen them in the flesh though.

HTH

b