Article by: Sally Woodbridge, BAIML qualified International Mountain Leader and a Nordic Walking Coach.

Why do I love my trekking poles so much when, for other brits, poles seem to represent a capitulation to the wear and tear of ageing or an admission that you’re not tough enough? This negative feeling doesn’t seem to apply to our european cousins. During my summer work as an International Mountain Leader in the Alps I’ve seen kids, guides, mums and dads, as well super-oldie mountain lovers happily poleing along alpine trails. For me the poles help in a number of ways in addition to the well-advertised benefit of taking the strain off my knees on the long descents from the peaks and ridges.

Trekking poles were an essential part of my kit when I walked the GR20 and the Chamonix to Zermatt Walkers Haute Route. With a 10 / 12 kilo rucksack on my back every day the poles definitely helped on the descents, but also on the ascents and flats. I think they helped me establish a steady walking rhythm uphill, and on the flatter sections, using the straighter-arm Nordic walking technique, you can zip along even when you’re knackered. I admit my arm muscles ached some days, but it was useful to utilise a bigger range of muscles rather than just those in my legs on those incredible routes.

I also think trekking poles are incredibly useful in upland areas of the UK. When crossing slithery bottomed rivers or trudging through snow or bogs they help keep you upright. They are also invaluable for prodding bogs to test whether they might take your weight. The adventurous can use them as poles for their shelters, they’re also handy for planting in the snow above your snowhole to dissuade crampon-spiked outsiders from ‘dropping in’.

There are some downsides though, some types of vegetation are an annoying height for pole usage, I remember carrying them for a bit in the riverside areas in the Jotunheimen, and also ‘off-piste’ on UK heather slopes. Trekking poles do sometimes get caught in between rocks and can unbalance you. If you fall when attached to the wrist loops the risk of damaging your wrist is increased and for that reason I don’t use the loops on rough ground. I have also found sometimes that having the poles at the recommended height so they sit in the hand when the elbow is at 90 degrees resulted in cold digits in the winter, so I do drop them a bit lower to help the blood flow down into my hand.

Once you decided to purchase a pair it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the variety of trekking poles available. Usually I recommend getting a pair of poles rather than a single one, then you will be using your body more equally and you won’t develop your muscles etc in an unbalanced way. In addition to choosing a pole that fits within your budget, a good starting points is thinking about how small you need the pole to collapse down to. Do you need them to fit inside a rucksack for travelling or winter mountaineering (ropes catch very easily on the pole ‘antennae’ on your rucksack)? If so good choices would be the Fizan compact trekking poles, Leki micro vario poles or one of the Black Diamond Z-poles.

The very compact poles will also generally be lighter, but generally there can be a big variation in weight, from about 100g to over 500g for a pair. Be aware though that the very light poles will not be as robust as some of the chunkier ones. Obviously the materials of the pole shaft will affect pole weight and strength too, these range from aluminium to carbon fibre.

For the standard poles there are two main methods of locking the poles at the desired length. The traditional method is the twist-lock system, which relies on a small component within the pole being widened to grip the inside the pole. This is a longstanding method which keeps the outside of the pole uncluttered but, in time, and if not cared for properly, this can fail, but can usually be repaired. More brands now produce poles using a locking mechanism on the outside of the pole shaft, sometimes called the flicklock or speedlock system. This can be more easily seen, adjusted and maintained, it is also a good feature if you don’t have very good grip strength and may struggle with the twist-lock system.

Some poles also have an anti-shock mechanism, this will never be super bouncy as poles bouncing off the rocks as you descend won’t be ideal, but this feature can help reduce the impact on elbow and shoulder joints. This will make the poles heavier but might be worth it to reduce wear and tear.

A final feature you need to check is the handle. The women’s versions of poles will have handles designed for a smaller hand, and will also not extend quite so long, which makes them a bit lighter. Some handles have a soft-textured surface to make them comfier to hold, cork handles are surprisingly hardwearing and can be much more pleasant to use especially in hot weather. Another feature which is useful in the hills is when the handle material extends further down the pole shaft. If you’re not using the wrist loops you can position your hand high when descending, or lower down when ascending. Poles with this feature are the Mountain King Supertrekker AS, Black Diamond Trail poles and Leki Thermolite XL’s.

I don’t think I’m admitting physical defeat by using trekking poles, it’s part of the plan to be a mountain walking super-oldie.

Article by: Sally Woodbridge, BAIML qualified International Mountain Leader and a Nordic Walking Coach.

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