Thanks, dbostedo, for the scatter plot.
It's nice to know I'm above average on your plot. I'm 5'10" and have been using 125 cm poles for my last two pairs. But I don't really know for certain if I'm using the proper length for my skiing style, terrain, and snow conditions, as I haven't used any other length for alpine since growing to my adult height during the Gerald Ford administration (our most recent presidential skier).
There's so much good info on skis on this site that I (almost) don't feel entitled to add my own potentially sketchy bit of opinion. But I can geek out on what I know about ski poles in one semi-concise post, without starting a new thread, while I wait one more week for our local ski hill to open.
History:
3). LEKI Alu-carbon with quick-release trigger grips 1997-present.
2). Orange Scotts with one-piece white strapless grips 1978-1997 (matched my Olin Mk-IV comps)
1). (whatever my my dad brought home from the ski swap before that)
I think the LEKI's are terrific! Until I break these I'm tempted to consider an equipment update too risky. Pretty low swing weight, the quick-release grips are super-convenient, with ice-gripping tungsten-carbide tips, with the safety benefit of strap "quick release" if the pole (or myself) gets caught in tree branches or deep pocket of snow. These also have a slight forward bend just below the grip that brings the tip forward about 6"compared to a straight shaft. They look like they'd be adjustable length but aren't. "German design and engineering" printed on each pole!
Issues: I have noticed that wallowing around in deep powder post-wipe-out can cause the trigger pocket to become impacted with snow. I've replaced the glove-attached straps at least twice, reglued the aluminum/carbon trim, but might venture to spring for new LEKI's next time instead of replacing the grips again. The base of the pole above the basket has many years of ski-edge gouges, with an unknown amount of abuse tolerance remaining.
My current quandary:
My girlfriends brother has been skiing since he was 2 years old (now 59) and rips on Nordica Enforcers. But he uses bargain-bin poles way too short that are bent in seven places, would be rejected even by the most sketchy off-brand-low-rent rental shop.
I have inherited a really nice pair of K2 carbon poles, 120 cm, in excellent condition, a present to my dad about 10 years ago, as he was the same type of expert skier with horrible poles as mentioned above. My dad skied his final run last season, and I'm tempted to re-gift his poles to my girlfriend's brother for Christmas, if I could be assured he would appreciate them.
I weighed one of each pair:
K2's: 211g (7.44 ounces) with strap, (120 cm L)
LEKI: 262g (9.23 ounces) (237g pole, plus 25g strap, 125 cm L)
Dang, maybe I shouldn't have done that....this unfortunate data does not match my perception
Rationalization: But most of the LEKI's excess weight is at the top, where the shaft is aluminum, while the weight at the bottom (carbon) is more important for swing weight. At some point in the distant past I was told in some ski shop to flick the pole back-and-forth quickly, as we do when making tight turns skiing. In engineering terms it's moment-of-inertia, a function of resistance to rapid acceleration and deceleration required at the tip of the pole, which has to travel much farther as we ski than the grip does, which is traveling only at hand-speed.
a) should I keep the shorter, lighter K2's for myself?
b) or am I too much of a LEKI snob to use traditional-grip poles?
c) will my girlfriend's brother appreciate a gift of decent ski poles? He's 5'8" so 120 cm is, in my opinion, appropriate. The gift would of course enable me to continue to critique his annoying prior lack of appreciation of ski-pole quality while riding the lift.
d) why do so many otherwise expert skiers not give a flying duck about swing weight or quality of poles?
LEKI grip and glove/strap
Carbon shaft damage above basket (I think comparable to what's seen on 7075 alloy aluminum shafts)