Poles, the untethered topic?

[Pajarito-bred]

I guess folks find a love for the tools. I never put much if any thought in my poles .. if heavy - well I guess that'll build wrist muscle. If lost, I buy cheap.

I gotta say I'm astonished at the high percentage of accomplished, enthusiastic skiers that do not recognize the value of well-designed, low swing-weight poles (and their wrist straps). With all that we spend and obsess over skis, boots, passes and travel, worrying about the cost of poles seems insignificant.

Ski poles can certainly also be used for fighting, so it's inadvisable to advise anyone who's skiing purely for the joy and rush of sliding downhill that what they are doing, or not doing with their poles, could be improved. There's already a bit too much gritty pole-impole-liteness in thread.

I sure like being able to skate away from the lift as I click in my 1st-gen LEKI trigger grips, instead of stopping to wrangle my gloves thru wrist straps. They are only 25 years old, the carbon chipped up enough above the basket from ski edges that I really ought to get new ones, eventually, but now they have sentimental value. They were valuable as trendy crutches (with rubber tips) to gimp around my workplace as I recovered from ACL surgery, many years ago.

 

[Tony S]

I gotta say I'm astonished at the high percentage of accomplished, enthusiastic skiers that do not recognize the value of well-designed, low swing-weight poles (and their wrist straps). With all that we spend and obsess over skis, boots, passes and travel, worrying about the cost of poles seems insignificant.

This.

Every canoeist, kayaker, paddleboarder ever: Just don't skimp on the paddle!

Every xc skier, ever: Just don't skimp on the poles!

Alpine skiers: Meh, poles don't matter.

 

[cantunamunch]

Alpine skiers: Meh, poles don't matter.

Conclusion: if other sports had ski lifts, hand held accessories wouldn't matter to them either

 

[pete]

I gotta say I'm astonished at the high percentage of accomplished, enthusiastic skiers that do not recognize the value of well-designed, low swing-weight poles (and their wrist straps). With all that we spend and obsess over skis, boots, passes and travel, worrying about the cost of poles seems insignificant.

Ski poles can certainly also be used for fighting, so it's inadvisable to advise anyone who's skiing purely for the joy and rush of sliding downhill that what they are doing, or not doing with their poles, could be improved. There's already a bit too much gritty pole-impole-liteness in thread.

I sure like being able to skate away from the lift as I click in my 1st-gen LEKI trigger grips, instead of stopping to wrangle my gloves thru wrist straps. They are only 25 years old, the carbon chipped up enough above the basket from ski edges that I really ought to get new ones, eventually, but now they have sentimental value. They were valuable as trendy crutches (with rubber tips) to gimp around my workplace as I recovered from ACL surgery, many years ago.

Lucky for me, I'm just enthusiastic and not so accomplished

I appreciate the love of tools for the sport which is why I have spent up for those in my crew who seek finer attributes.

 

[KingGrump]

Alpine skiers: Meh, poles don't matter.

If something is not used, it's useless. Pretty straight forward definition.

If used incorrectly, that opens whole other can of worms.

 

[crgildart]

Swix works great for me--both the metal or carbon, for SL, GS, and speed; bamboo is great for recreational skiing--I like the grass sticks: https://www.grasssticks.com

I wish grass sticks had better handles and better straps..

 

[locknload]

You cannot ride a lift on a race day without seeing some LEKI straps under the lift. I will say, LEKI makes soem very good race gloves. Speaking of gloves, LEKI makes some of the best gloves on the market on par with Hesta or any other brand. As much as I like thier poles, I love their gloves.

I used Goode 10.4 carbon poles for decades when was back East, I loved the low swing weight and the shock absorption on the firmer snow. Goode had a glove/pole combo before LEKI but not nearly as efficient and intuative. A antidote was told to me that when Marc Guiridelli was racing, we was using Goode poles because when he wind tunnel tested them they were a few tenths of a second faster and that was the differnce in a few races and he won the World Cup that year. Hyperbole? Maybe, maybe not, but it makes a good story.

Scott's S4 poles has been the reference shaft for durbility for decades.

Scott S4 Downhill "pointless" poles and Goode 10.4 Downhill poles
View attachment 216057 View attachment 216058

Unfortunately too many skiers use their poles with the level of efficiency as BMW driver use their directionals.

Scott's S4 poles has been the reference shaft for durbility for decades.

I mean...someone has to have the "reference shaft"...might as well be Scott.... Sorry Phil..the low hanging fruit was waiting to be plucked.

 

[DocGKR]

"I wish grass sticks had better handles and better straps."

Interesting, as they are my favorite grips and straps...

 

[Prosper]

I wish grass sticks had better handles and better straps..

Take the grips off and put on ones you like.

 

[crgildart]

Take the grips off and put on ones you like.

Got a bamboo infestation right across the fence out back. Toyed with that idea of making my own f'n pole shafts..

 

[Prosper]

Got a bamboo infestation right across the fence out back. Toyed with that idea of making my own f'n pole shafts..

You can never go wrong working on your own poles shafts.

 

[TahoeJoe]

Oh, sorry, I apologize for chiming in to what I thought was an open conversation?

Now everyone play nice, or I’ll have to get the velvet hammer on ya

 

[TahoeJoe]

I gotta say I'm astonished at the high percentage of accomplished, enthusiastic skiers that do not recognize the value of well-designed, low swing-weight poles (and their wrist straps). With all that we spend and obsess over skis, boots, passes and travel, worrying about the cost of poles seems insignificant.

Ski poles can certainly also be used for fighting, so it's inadvisable to advise anyone who's skiing purely for the joy and rush of sliding downhill that what they are doing, or not doing with their poles, could be improved. There's already a bit too much gritty pole-impole-liteness in thread.

I sure like being able to skate away from the lift as I click in my 1st-gen LEKI trigger grips, instead of stopping to wrangle my gloves thru wrist straps. They are only 25 years old, the carbon chipped up enough above the basket from ski edges that I really ought to get new ones, eventually, but now they have sentimental value. They were valuable as trendy crutches (with rubber tips) to gimp around my workplace as I recovered from ACL surgery, many years ago.

Thus the title,
“the untethered topic”

 

[Rod MacDonald]

Don't know if Kerma still makes poles.

They were durable. Last pair I bought was in 1972 Used them until a tip broke late last season.

I would have missed them more than all the boots or skis since but luckily I'd found the same model as a backup in the 90s.

Swapped the handles. They are pretty distinctive.

I use them as markers for my skis on the rack and to alert my ski buddies I'm in the lodge.

I've still got a pair of circa 90 with the corrective angled handles AND the straps that come apart for safety (years before LEKI) .

 

[Rod MacDonald]

I could be wrong but I think LEKI gloves are made by Hestra.

If they are (and they ARE exceptional quality) they're better than hestra, because they come in 1/2 sizes too...

 

[Philpug]

I've still got a pair of circa 90 with the corrective angled handles AND the straps that come apart for safety (years before LEKI) .

These?

Much different than what LEKI or even Goode did with their Inter-Loc strap and Inter-loc glove (which I could not find an example of).

Here is our pole quiver, both current and retro.

 

[Tricia]

Don't know if Kerma still makes poles.

They were durable. Last pair I bought was in 1972 Used them until a tip broke late last season.

I would have missed them more than all the boots or skis since but luckily I'd found the same model as a backup in the 90s.

Swapped the handles. They are pretty distinctive.

I use them as markers for my skis on the rack and to alert my ski buddies I'm in the lodge.

Yes Kerma still makes poles. Its under the Rossi Group umbrella

 

[Bolder]

These?
View attachment 216178

Much different than what LEKI or even Goode did with their Inter-Loc strap and Inter-loc glove (which I could not find an example of).
View attachment 216177 View attachment 216175 View attachment 216179

View attachment 216176 Here is our pole quiver, both current and retro.

I wish I could get those one-piece grip/strap poles again so I could hang them off the lift, freeing me to do ... other things.

 

[TahoeJoe]

I wish I could get those one-piece grip/strap poles again so I could hang them off the lift, freeing me to do ... other things.

That was my fathers favorite style of pole so he could drink his schnapps and smoke the devils lettuce. The apple fell far from the tree on that hill. I don’t like schnapps or lettuce unless it’s in a salad.

 

[dbostedo]

I wish I could get those one-piece grip/strap poles again so I could hang them off the lift, freeing me to do ... other things.

You could always use the "sit on your poles" method of keeping your hands free.