composite pole break

[Betaracer]

I've done the same thing with aluminum poles many decades ago. Must has had a nick from an edge. Since then I haven't used the pole to knock snow off my boot soles.

 

[graham418]

I have some pencil thin Exel carbon poles that are 20 years old They have taken quite a beating. Unbreakable!!! (I probably shouldn't say that)

 

[cantunamunch]

I have some pencil thin Exel carbon poles that are 20 years old They have taken quite a beating. Unbreakable!!! (I probably shouldn't say that)

I broke an old Exel just last season. Very splintery break, about 20 cm from the tip. No cut or partial cut noticeable (edgeless skis).

 

[skiki]

Two year old set of K2 poles, tip and basket snapped off while I was beating snow off my boot.

If you hadn't said that it happened after 2 years, I'd say try J skis titanal poles. I don't know of other poles with a guarantee against breakage, but theirs still has a 2 year cut off.

 

[oldschoolskier]

Composite poles break if they are nicked, and generally that happens skiing when edge and pole meet. When you beat you boots you add the stress at the right place to break it.

Good Aluminum don’t break, they hurt you first.

 

[DocGKR]

I recently had a pair of Stockli WRT poles made by Komperdell fracture in the first few hours I used them. On the other hand, none of my Swix or old Scott composite poles have broken despite many years of use.

 

[neonorchid]

 

[DocGKR]

Yup; I have a few pair of Grass Sticks--great poles!

 

[oldschoolskier]

Aluminum poles are dependent on the type of aluminum used, cheap poles are generally softer, flex a lot, bend easily, collapse and break, better ones generally don’t flex taking an extreme amount of abuse before failure. I have my poles from 37 years ago, I’ve landed on them a few times and bent a few ribs to prove it, poles on the other hand still straight and true. BTW I’m not knocking grass poles but that video is with cheap Aluminum poles so its not a fair comparison, tempered Aluminum poles (high end race poles would not flex as much and failure would be more dramatic)

In looking at the picture of the broken Composite poles, you definitely see a couple of sharp edge impacts and scrapes, this easily is the start of the failure as you’ve experienced.

 

[martyg]

Aluminum poles are dependent on the type of aluminum used, cheap poles are generally softer, flex a lot, bend easily, collapse and break, better ones generally don’t flex taking an extreme amount of abuse before failure. I have my poles from 37 years ago, I’ve landed on them a few times and bent a few ribs to prove it, poles on the other hand still straight and true. BTW I’m not knocking grass poles but that video is with cheap Aluminum poles so its not a fair comparison, tempered Aluminum poles (high end race poles would not flex as much and failure would be more dramatic)

In looking at the picture of the broken Composite poles, you definitely see a couple of sharp edge impacts and scrapes, this easily is the start of the failure as you’ve experienced.

Dependent on the alloy, and the heat treating process. The vast majority of ally poles are made of heat treated stock. Then they are swagged. Swagging (tapering) compromises the desirable heat treating properties. The proper way to rock the process is to swagger, then heat treat. That means that the brand has to control their own manufacturing plant, and very, very few do.

 

[martyg]

I recently had a pair of Stöckli WRT poles made by Komperdell fracture in the first few hours I used them. On the other hand, none of my Swix or old Scott composite poles have broken despite many years of use.

View attachment 126811 View attachment 126812

Tour komoerdell's plant. Look at what is on the production lines. Virtually every brand contracts their composite manufacturing out to them.

 

[oldschoolskier]

Dependent on the alloy, and the heat treating process. The vast majority of ally poles are made of heat treated stock. Then they are swagged. Swagging (tapering) compromises the desirable heat treating properties. The proper way to rock the process is to swagger, then heat treat. That means that the brand has to control their own manufacturing plant, and very, very few do.

Great for pointing it out, I am aware of it, in the first 2 months of this year already purchased over 2000lbs of 6061T6 & 6063T6 and still have to purchase another 1500lbs (if not more) in the next month for production.

I believe the inexpensive poles are a 5000 series, the good poles, are 7000 series, this is tough stuff but expensive.

Also the T designation determines the type of temper, for example T6 is drawn temper (think stretched to work harden, if memory serves correctly about a 10% stretch).