[Closed] ski pole question...

Not if they're telescopic.

Besides, you're going skiing! If you want to save money, make a load of rolls during breakfast and sneak them out in your pockets, thereby saving yourself a veritable fortune up the hill.

Can you put a full-size basket on them? I'd have thought it would be cheaper just to hire a pair if you were at any sort of resort.

btw - when I was a lad, there was no such thing as telescopic walking poles.

I was on a winter hillwalking course at Glenmore Lodge "a few years ago" and noticed that all the instructors were using standard ski poles. We asked why that was and they all reckoned that it aided stability but, more importantly, they saved bad knees by reducing the constant ipact when descending. By the end of the course, all the participants were also using the poles. I asked the instructor whether it was possible to get telescopic poles, as that would make carrying them uphill, or stowing them he knee when using an axe, much easier. It turned out that the only such thing was made by Komperdell, they were designed for ski mountaineering and they were not available in the UK. Anyway - I managed to get set imported (at substantial cost) and set about using them both in winter and in summer. Being ski poles, with soft aluminium tips, they soon wore out. By then, and after having loaned them to lots of people to try, telescopic walking poles were becoming readily available in the shops.

If I wasn't the person that introduced telescopic walking poles to the UK, then I was certainly amongst a very small minority when I first got mine.

You can use telescopic poles.

If you have expensive carbon ones and you think you might fall on them and snap them, cheapo hire ones will cost next to nothing for a week.

i'm moving to the alps long-term, not just going for a week, so hire might end up a bit pricey!

they are telescopic... i think the basket is about 7cm in diameter (maybe a little less...)

however telescopic poles will not be very strong - I tried it with some lekis.

You won't be able to do things like push yourself back up when you fall over or lean on them and you won't be able to plant them fiercely and turn on them if required.

However they can be useful as you can put them in your rucksack if you want to session some poleless training routines, like some in the Warren Smitth ski school videos (grabbing the inside of your knee to initiate a turn is an especially good one...).

Basket is OK, then, but as Shandy says, the walking poles aren't necessarily designed for the very different stresses of a ski pole. I'd have thought that a cheap set of ski poles would be the least of your cost concerns!

If you are moving out there long term just buy some solid Scott poles...

TurnerGuy - Member
however telescopic poles will not be very strong - I tried it with some lekis.

You won't be able to do things like push yourself back up when you fall over or lean on them

Bollocks

They are very likely to get trashed. My aluminium poles are covered in scratches that could knacker carbon. The shop will throw in poles when you buy/rent skis or sell you some very cheaply.

thanks guys. just asking cos i've got a set, and i'm currently packing to leave... i think i'll leave them at home.

i'm sure more ski related questions will be popping up here in the coming months!

you get poles for free when you hire skis

however telescopic poles will not be very strong - I tried it with some lekis.

You won't be able to do things like push yourself back up when you fall over or lean on them and you won't be able to plant them fiercely and turn on them if required.

I used telescopics for ski-touring and snowshoes for a couple of winters, they are fine. I think mine are Lekis, you twist them to adjust them and if they collapse under your weight you haven't twisted hard enough.

For what its worth I would avoid the twist design and go for the ones with the plastic clip that twists over and locks, much easier with cold hands.

Bollocks

to what bit - push yourself up or lean on them?

ask a decent instructor what he thinks of them - you'll get the same or worse response as mine...

TurnerGuy you could ask a guide, and the majority of them would have a pair of telescopics...

I have only ever used Black Diamond walking poles to ski with and have never had a problem, more than strong enough.

there's a reason that guides compromise and use telescopics, but in terms of strength they will suck compared to a single piece Scott pole. If I really want to bang them down into the piste for a short tight turn they also are compromised compared to something strong like a Scott.

Mine are not strong enough to push myself up from a fallen position, they flex too much - end of discussion.

Are you a fat biffer?

I have Scott ones, cheap, strong and light. Skiing poles won't bankrupt you unless you want/need carbon fibre.

5ft 10, 12st 3lbs - so probably not...

Was on Warren Smiths ski course, mentioned I had some telescopic poles with me just so I could session some of his drills - he winced and told me not to bother...

Highly recommend the ski academy weeks though.

druidh is right - telescopic poles are plenty strong enough to push yourself up with or to plant heavily.

Turner - ski poles should never be "banged in" to do a short turn. Poles are literally only used as a trigger for initiating turns, nothing more. By planting hard and using them to turn your actually screwing your technique, and is a sign of bad technique, but then again your wonderful ski courses will have told you that too.

As to basket size, again irrelevant, many decent poles have tiny baskets as only used for pushing yourself forward.

The most important thing of any pole is the swing weight. If it feels wrong it can muck your timing up completely, and hence your ability to turn well.

As to original question, take them with you for walking, snow shoeing etc, and buy some ski poles out there should get some decent ish ones for £10

If I really want to bang them down into the piste for a short tight turn they also are compromised compared to something strong like a Scott.

Mine are not strong enough to push myself up from a fallen position, they flex too much.

Was on Warren Smiths ski course - he winced and told me not to bother...

😆

Was on Warren Smiths ski course...

Is Warren Smith not the guy who spouts all the mumbo jumbo and uses weird teaching proactices that is rarely accepted as technique by other qaulified instructors\guides, or am i thinking about somebody else ?

As to basket size, again irrelevant

Only true if you're thinking of staying on a piste all the time. If you're there for any length of time you'll probably want some decent powder baskets.

Like others have said, get some cheap, solid poles for a few €, don't go for the expensive ones as they'll only get broken/trashed/nicked. Save your alpkit carbon poles for what they're designed for.

Is Warren Smith not the guy who spouts all the mumbo jumbo and uses weird teaching proactices that is rarely accepted as technique by other qaulified instructors\guides, or am i thinking about somebody else ?

You must be thinking of someone else - just go to Verbier and see how many other ski schools are teaching the same stuff and you can see them drilling their students same turning techniques. Also ask anyone who has been on his courses as to how good they are.

I suppose not teaching stem christie turns counts as not following standard teaching practise, esp. compared to the French schools where the main criteria for being a teacher is the ability to ski down the mountain fast.

Turner - ski poles should never be "banged in" to do a short turn. Poles are literally only used as a trigger for initiating turns, nothing more. By planting hard and using them to turn your actually screwing your technique, and is a sign of bad technique, but then again your wonderful ski courses will have told you that too.

As to basket size, again irrelevant, many decent poles have tiny baskets as only used for pushing yourself forward.

you must stay on the piste all the time...

Turner, nope I spend the majority of my time off piste, raced to international standard, and been qualified instructor in my time. Off piste even less reason to use poles as the skis give you a natural rhythm.

In powder poles are useless if you fall over. To get going just shuffle round until skis are pointing downhill and shuffle over the back of your skis let gravity start pulling you down the hill and stand up.

I have broken, dented, bent a few poles in my time. Get yourself to Decathlon etc and buy a cheap set, if you are hiring ski's they will come with poles for no extra money.

Save your nice walking poles for walking.

Off piste even less reason to use poles as the skis give you a natural rhythm.

I assume you are meaning higher speed more carvy turns as shown in bits of this video:

http://www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com/online-tips/online-tips_Freeride_Wind-Affected-Snow.htm

whereas I was thinking of a slower, tighter style where the pole plants are integral to your rhythm, and for which you woould want wider baskets on your poles and you are planting them more, like the second half of this video:

http://www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com/online-tips/online-tips_Freeride_Pole-Walking.htm

and here is an extreme example of planting them more heavily (second half):

http://www.warrensmith-skiacademy.com/online-tips/online-tips_Steeps_Tail-Release-1-2.htm

Wider baskets are useful in powder if you fall over - I have very tight hamstrings and am not very flexible and so will rely on the poles heavily to get up with having to unclip, which obviously I don't really want to do - with small baskets I might as well throw the poles away as they wont offer any resistence.