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Powder extendable poles

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Can anyone recommend a brand or set?

My piste £20 jobs have cracked and I want a set for both powder and piste.

I’ve no idea where to start
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Why extendable?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Leki touring poles?
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https://www.thepisteoffice.com/index.php/the-piste-office-store/ski-poles-baskets.html
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under a new name wrote:
Why extendable?

I suppose you could call them "Shortenable Mogul Poles" Toofy Grin
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Old Fartbag wrote:
under a new name wrote:
Why extendable?

I suppose you could call them "Shortenable Mogul Poles" Toofy Grin

On a skinning traverse you can run the inside pole short and the outside pole long and then swap hands after an uphill kick turn. Or if boot packing they can be shortened right down. And can be broken down/backpacked if boot packing with an ice axe(s) etc. And broken down to take in a restaurant so they don't get nicked.
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under a new name wrote:
Why extendable?


For skiing different terrains
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spyderjon wrote:
Old Fartbag wrote:
under a new name wrote:
Why extendable?

I suppose you could call them "Shortenable Mogul Poles" Toofy Grin

On a skinning traverse you can run the inside pole short and the outside pole long and then swap hands after an uphill kick turn. Or if boots packing they can be shortened right down. And can be broken down/backpacked if boot packing with an ice axe(s) etc.

Damn, you're good!

You simply can't beat that sort of experience and knowledge. Madeye-Smiley
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@spyderjon, these things I do.

Just curious as to why @DanFuller wanted extendable "powder" poles Twisted Evil Maybe they might bring more powder?

Anyway, interesting to see that you have the "more traditional" versions with "proper" handles with extended grips? Chum just acquired what appears to be the trend (fad?) in Cham of just long ribbed (phnarr) grips which she doesn't like and I can understand why, as I don't like them either. Those Scotts look way nicer than my old BD ones but I am totes out of ski budget for the year.

@Old Fartbag, why would you want shorter poles in bumps?
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under a new name wrote:


@Old Fartbag, why would you want shorter poles in bumps?

If you are skiing in the troughs and planting poles on the moguls above your skis, shorter poles can help. If you plant the pole when fully absorbing a mogul (ie fully compressed, so at your shortest), then your poles need to be shorter. Finally, a shorter pole can be swung quicker in the very fast turns achieved by good mogul skiers.

Shown here by Deb Armstrong @ 8:00


http://youtube.com/v/_yKez2M5G4w?t=467


Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Wed 12-02-20 20:52; edited 1 time in total
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under a new name wrote:
@spyderjon, these things I do.

Just curious as to why @DanFuller wanted extendable "powder" poles Twisted Evil Maybe they might bring more powder?

Anyway, interesting to see that you have the "more traditional" versions with "proper" handles with extended grips? Chum just acquired what appears to be the trend (fad?) in Cham of just long ribbed (phnarr) grips which she doesn't like and I can understand why, as I don't like them either. Those Scotts look way nicer than my old BD ones but I am totes out of ski budget for the year.

@Old Fartbag, why would you want shorter poles in bumps?


Apologies for not being explicit. Powder baskets If possible.


I also like to adjust them on powder days to slightly shorter compared to piste skiing. Being 6”5 I find the 135s too long but the next size down too short
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Old Fartbag wrote:
under a new name wrote:


@Old Fartbag, why would you want shorter poles in bumps?

If you are skiing in the troughs and planting poles on the moguls above your skis, shorter poles can help.

Shown here by Deb Armstrong @ 8:00


http://youtube.com/v/_yKez2M5G4w?t=467


If I was based that way I’d pay a lot to have her teach my kid
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DanFuller wrote:

If I was based that way I’d pay a lot to have her teach my kid

She has a wonderfully "No nonsense" and enthusiastic approach to skiing, by de-complicating it.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I have these, a strong adjustable pole at sensible money.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/ski-skp-fr900-vario-id_8493887.html
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Old Fartbag, Not sure I agree. In 90% of cases, on piste, inc. bumps, a properly sized pole is what you need and if you can ski bumps reasonably well you can adapt to the other 10%.

It is an opinion, I have a nice book on bumps skiing that made a difference for me where it talked about trying to stand upright as you skied the line, ergo, not shorter poles. I liked the effect,

On the other hand an over short pole can (well, I've seen it happen to one chum) cause over flexing at the hips, bum out and the resulting problems.

PS all of Jon's comments are as usual entirely valid.

Equally, I know a number of frequent tourers who can't be bothered adjusting pole length. A chacun.
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@king key, those look good and not the usual screwlock grips used on many cheap models. Nice.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
G3 Via poles for me after trying Black Diamond and Leki adjustable poles. Great grip shape, designed to flip binding levers, removable straps, extra grip stop lower on the shaft so you don’t have to shorten a pole or swap poles when traversing, big but not too big baskets.

https://www.genuineguidegear.com/explore/poles
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@under a new name, Let me quote Reilly Mc Glashan:

“A few problems with a pole that is too long for what you are doing is it can jar your shoulder, for example in the moguls…Also so I don’t look like a little kid driving a bus… This is the main area I have a short pole for because I ski moguls a lot and I don’t have the opportunity to change pole between runs… I feel it is much easier to ski with a slightly shorter pole than a long one… the other thing is if you want to stay a little lower in transition it can make it easier to plant the pole… but all this on piste can be modified to use a longer pole anyway… if you flair the poles out further away from you, you can do it the same really with a long pole also… moguls is the main reason really for me.”

Personally for me (and I assume for most holiday skiers), it is not an issue, as I'm simply not good enough to worry.....but if you are talented enough and really want to concentrate on Mogul skiing, then shorter poles are advantageous. It is definitely a thing - but nothing for most of us to worry about.

FWIW, Mc Glashan uses Poles 10 cm shorter for skiing Moguls.....so who are we to argue. Toofy Grin
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I've a pair of Leki Peak Vario S with both powder and race baskets and the wrist strap if they are of
interest??
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Mosha Marc wrote:
I've a pair of Leki Peak Vario S with both powder and race baskets and the wrist strap if they are of
interest??


New?
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A good number of guides hate telescopic poles. Faffing, breakages and faffing.

COI declaration: I have telescopic poles, my wife and kids have telescopic poles, with powder baskets. We are all poseurs (poseuresses). My excuse is that I can make them shorter if I am telemarking low... humm.

Top tip for skiing with guides; never ever ever faff about with telescopic poles, especially if you then break them / lose bits in the snow / look like a knob. (NB this didn't happen to me (honest- no really not me) but I did witness it all first hand- not pretty......

Those long poles with extra extra long handles are light, aren't very breaky and avoid faffing- but they are just stupid expensive and are also poseurey, except a very superior sort of pole snobbery- "I'm too good to have telescopic poles like the hoi polloi."

I think the only legitimate reason to have telescopic poles is if you are using them for alpine approaches walking to the foot of a crag with a heavy sack and then need to put them out of the way to climb. But no one would see you- so what's the point?
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PowderAdict wrote:
G3 Via poles for me after trying Black Diamond and Leki adjustable poles. Great grip shape, designed to flip binding levers, removable straps, extra grip stop lower on the shaft so you don’t have to shorten a pole or swap poles when traversing, big but not too big baskets.

https://www.genuineguidegear.com/explore/poles


You obviously tried the others you mention in the post. Were your positives for the G3s just outlined above or did the other two brands do anything better than others?
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I currently use a set of Black Diamond Trail Walking Poles, mainly because i already had them. Having said that they have nice long handles that work well when on a traverse and they come with both small baskets and powder baskets.

I know they are not the lightest or strongest, but they work well for me. There are lots of options simply comes down to price and what features you are after.
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DanFuller wrote:
Mosha Marc wrote:
I've a pair of Leki Peak Vario S with both powder and race baskets and the wrist strap if they are of
interest??


New?


No,but not heavily used.
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I've been using telescopic poles for well over 30yrs.

First when I was snowboarding and touring so pretty obvious reasoning there as to why.

Then touring, again as has been mentioned, useful for climbing traverses.

As for handles being long etc really good for getting grip in more awkward climbing ski tour scenarios.

Really good modification is to buy tennis racket grip tape and use that below the handles.

Lastly if you end up on a very long flat valley run-out which can often be the case if doing back country routes then extending the poles is great for skating poling hence the reason XC poles are longer.
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DanFuller wrote:
PowderAdict wrote:
G3 Via poles for me after trying Black Diamond and Leki adjustable poles. Great grip shape, designed to flip binding levers, removable straps, extra grip stop lower on the shaft so you don’t have to shorten a pole or swap poles when traversing, big but not too big baskets.

https://www.genuineguidegear.com/explore/poles


You obviously tried the others you mention in the post. Were your positives for the G3s just outlined above or did the other two brands do anything better than others?

BD and Leki have made loads of different models and both are excellent brands, but of course I haven’t tried everyone of their poles. The BD poles I still have, they are one of their early carbon poles, very strong, but not that light, and only a very short length reduction when fully compressed. The Leki poles where again carbon, but this time 3 part. The main issue was the grip shape which was very smooth and rounded with a long grip down the shaft, which for me wasn’t that great has you have to grip the ‘grip’ rather than push against the grip (if that makes sense), and they were useless for flipping bindings.

The G3 Via poles on the other hand where like the designer sat down with me or watched me use my poles, and then said, ok that works, that we can change, we can add that, here is the pole you want. It might not be the pole others want, and I’m not a fan of the current G3 corporate orange colour, the original blue I have is much nicer, but they have always delivered.
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@Old Fartbag, but 99% of the skiing public don’t ski bumps to the level where it’s going to make a difference.

Jarred shoulders can be avoided by placing the pole in the right place at the right time...
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king key wrote:
I have these, a strong adjustable pole at sensible money.


Sounds more like a Craigslist posting...
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@DanFuller, personally I'd ignore any recommendations and get yourself to a decent retailer as I find ski pole grips to be a bit like gloves - while they all do the same job some just fit in your hand better than others.

I invested in a pair of these for this year as I had a guided backcountry week coming up so needed the option of powder baskets and could see the value in being able to either shrink everything down to attach to my backpack/extend things slightly to more of a walking pole length to help when treking. I dropped in to Ski Bartlet who had a good range of adjustable poles and ended up with a pair of Scott poles, not due to brand loyalty, price or anything just because they just felt 'right' in my hand.
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under a new name wrote:
@Old Fartbag, but 99% of the skiing public don’t ski bumps to the level where it’s going to make a difference.

Jarred shoulders can be avoided by placing the pole in the right place at the right time...

We are arguing 2 different points.

I have argued, and provided proof, that it is advantageous for good mogul skiers (who spend a lot of time in moguls), to have shorter poles. This is just a fact.

You are arguing that it is not something that most of us need to worry about - that is also correct.

You asked why shorter poles would help in moguls and I provided you with the reasons why....now stop being so difficult. Toofy Grin
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FWIW I have these (an older model but can't see changes) - I have the powder baskets for touring. I very rarely adjust the length. The extended grip is useful however.

https://eu.blackdiamondequipment.com/fr_FR/trail-trekking-pole-BD1125076006ALL1.html#cgid=trekking-poles&start=3
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PowderAdict wrote:
G3 Via poles for me after trying Black Diamond and Leki adjustable poles. Great grip shape, designed to flip binding levers, removable straps, extra grip stop lower on the shaft so you don’t have to shorten a pole or swap poles when traversing, big but not too big baskets.

https://www.genuineguidegear.com/explore/poles


used these for last few years and they are great , the new model look even more versitile

aslo +1 for jons suggestion re taking inside at lunch etc , the price of a good set of carbon poles makes them very desirable and a bit easy to lift from the ski racks
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ed123 wrote:


Those long poles with extra extra long handles are light, aren't very breaky and avoid faffing- but they are just stupid expensive and are also poseurey, except a very superior sort of pole snobbery- "I'm too good to have telescopic poles like the hoi polloi."


But worth their weight in gold on a tricky ascent when you’re sliding down or backwards and they keep you up. And considering they should last you 10 years a false economy to go cheap here if you are touring with them IMO.

https://www.sport-conrad.com/en/products/black-crows/furtis-sc.html
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@Old Fartbag, I am difficult by nature. And to be technical, you provided two opinions, admittedly from high level instructors...

But I see very few instructors on piste in Chamonix (in fact, none I can recall) with extensible poles ...

But in fairness, on page 81 of 89 of "Everything the instructors never told you about mogul skiing" by Dan DiPiro (Which I find extremely helpful and must re-read), he does say,

"Many bump skiers share my preference for short poles but some do not."

So you have a point.
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I ski with adjustable poles all the time, but they only get adjusted for one use - Xcountry style long flat sections that need a lot of pushing, Valle Blanche, getting back to Zerotta in Courmayeur and the like - I have them extended out as far as possible and then they are worth carying the weight around the rest of the time.
When touring I have a rubber grip below the handle for cross hilling, never used to adjusting one long and one short, over the years I've probably done 100's of days of touring...
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under a new name wrote:
@Old Fartbag,

"Many bump skiers share my preference for short poles but some do not."

So you have a point.

I know! Toofy Grin

I first came across it on Martin Heckelman's VHS on Mogul skiing.....In the section where he was talking about competition Mogul skiing. He showed a still of a Mogul Skier in a very flexed position, where the handle of the planted pole was actually higher than the guys head. The image has always stuck with me, for some reason. My mind now remembers things from 25 years ago, clearer than 25 minutes ago!
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I skied with adjustable poles for quite a few years, primarily so that I can have it shortened for moguls.

Then one day, I saw another skier skiing the same mogul field with a longish poles, putting his hand a bit higher than how it looks for everybody else but without looking too bothered by it.

It just occurred on me I could simply keep my hands high with regular poles! Simple but a revelation!

Now I use fixed length poles, adjust my hand position to suit.


(The real issue is, people who are still learning to ski moguls maybe hindered by too long poles.

So in a lot of mogul lessons, it's often recommended to try shorter poles. Many found it helpful. So they think they actually NEED shorter poles. But once you learn the correct body position, you can use different length of poles, by simply moving your hands a bit higher or lower

Granted, if you ski moguls A LOT, you want your poles optimized for that)
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If any of my ski mates had to wait two minutes each end just so I could adjust my poles by 10cms before and after a bumps field, I would be a pretty lonely skier!
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Never seen anybody go to the trouble of having different pole lengths on a ski tour. Have touring poles with long grips that run far down the poles, just hold the uphill pole lower down when skinning up something steep. Recently gone from 3 piece to 2 piece poles. They don‘t collapse down as far but feel more sturdy than the 3 piece poles.
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under a new name wrote:
If any of my ski mates had to wait two minutes each end just so I could adjust my poles by 10cms before and after a bumps field, I would be a pretty lonely skier!

Ah, but when you sped past them, with an effortless newfound skill, they might have a change of heart. Madeye-Smiley
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