 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
I was looking for some advice on what makes a good pole, is it down to weight or are certain makes just better then others? Is it really worth spending £40-£50 on a pair if you only ski 2 or 3 weeks each year? I spend a bit of time in the park and off piest but nothing extravagant, does any one have any advice?
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Forget aluminium, when they get bent they stay bent. I got my composite poles jammed in a gondola door mechanism once, they must have bent a good 20 degrees. As soon as the door opened they sprang straight again - Al poles would have been knackered. Buy the cheapest carbon/composite poles you can find, with powder baskets if you go off-piste. Or buy Al and stay away from gondola doors! 
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I've just moved to carbon poles for a change. I've bent a few ally ones in the past too and you can't straighten them. The K2 carbon ones I've just bought are made by Shakespeare, who specialise in making fishing rods. I've seen fishing rods bent into incredible shapes without a problem. The guy at Lockwoods demonstrated the same effect on a K2 ski pole and that did it for me. £45 spent.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I have straightened my kids poles effectively several times. I remove handle put a pipe bender inside to stop it kinking while bending it over my knee. ( I don't take it on hols but they use the dryslope a lot) It might not be as strong as before but they keep growing, so stops me having to buy a new pair the same size.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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But if you use that technique on a grown-up's pole, there's a good chance it will snap at some point in the not too distant future. Aluminium fatigues very easily. I just used to leave aluminium poles bent as long as they weren't too bad.
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I give my poles the same consideration as I give my lip salve colour. Apart from being the right length and having a decent size basket couldn't care less.
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| T Bar wrote: |
| I give my poles the same consideration as I give my lip salve colour. Apart from being the right length and having a decent size basket couldn't care less. |
whereas I strive for perfection in every detail 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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uktrailmonster,
What length is your lip salve then?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| T Bar wrote: |
uktrailmonster,
What length is your lip salve then? |
No idea, I don't care about lip salve. It comes under the category "make-up" as far as I'm concerned, which blokes are generally not interested in.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Snowy wrote: |
Are all you lot heavy-weights or something? My poles are as old as I've been skiing and I've never bent them (touch wood!). 
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Have they got those string mesh baskets and solid wood grips?
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| uktrailmonster wrote: |
| Have they got those string mesh baskets and solid wood grips? |
Yes. And I like to ski in leather boots with an ankle-length skirt and straw boater on.
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You know it makes sense.
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uktrailmonster,
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No idea, I don't care about lip salve. It comes under the category "make-up" as far as I'm concerned, which blokes are generally not interested in.
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Ha! I think you are a bit of an equipment light weight the true perfectionist knows exactly how much solar protection gear he needs.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Surely the lip salve choice should be based on flavour
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Poster: A snowHead
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Reading this thread with interest, as I was wondering whether to update the pair of ancient cheap poles I bought in Go Sport in Caen about fifteen years ago, free with a pair of end-of-season skis, about £100 the lot. The skis went to the big piste in the sky years ago but the poles are fine. My husband's, same vintage, are a bit bent but do the job. I looked in S & R, some of the wrist straps look much nicer than mine (stay open, keep their shape, so you don't need to put them in your teeth to get them back on coming off a chair lift) but other than that? Arguments above don't seem very convincing. Maybe mine will snap one day, then I'll buy some more. Dead ski poles seem to make great electric fence supports; pastures round our part of France are covered with them in summer. Nice to see them being recycled.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Scott World Cup poles last forever despite being aluminium. My oldest pair are about 15yo.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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b.dudman, I bent/lost/broke various poles till I bought some carbon ones 10 years ago. No such problems in about 25 weeks skiing since, and although they are no lighter, at speed they are easier to plant aggressively forwards and do feel more rigid. You can trim them to the exact length you need (like ally ones) and they fit more easily into ski bags.
Anyway, skiing is a gear-freaks paradise, an excuse for buying bits of kit.
Just don't buy pre-bent downhill racing ones...
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pam w, My old Kerma poles are 15/16 yrs old and going strong, but last year I replaced the grips with a pair from my daughters old Scott race poles and they certainly are much more comfortable. I think they should see me out now. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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b.dudman, It doesn't matter, just remember to sharpen the ends for JABBING agressively into the faces / shins etc of people who push in front of you in the lift line. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| b.dudman wrote: |
Hi,
I was looking for some advice on what makes a good pole, is it down to weight or are certain makes just better then others? Is it really worth spending £40-£50 on a pair if you only ski 2 or 3 weeks each year? I spend a bit of time in the park and off piest but nothing extravagant, does any one have any advice?
Thanks |
You should always procure the best kit your budget can afford. Why buy Skoda if you can get a Porsche.
Purchase ultrathin carbon poles. They look wicked. They are lightweight, to reduce tiredness. Find poles with pistol-grips, to moderate the risk of thumb injuries. Length is critical. They must not be too long or too short. However, one emerging trend is to get sticks that are an inch or so too short -- this encourages the skier to lean forward in the plant. If your new poles break or bend, just buy a new pair. Skiing is never cheap.
Good luck.
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| Quote: |
Why buy Skoda if you can get a Porsche.
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Because you'd be mad to buy a Porsche if the Skoda did the same job for a lot less money and nobody could identify any significant difference in the spec. I'd rather spend the difference on something which makes a difference, like great fitting boots or audio earpieces for my helmet...
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pam w, exactly!
Also if you buy expensive poles, you'll be forever lugging them into restaurants/bars with you rather than leaving them outside.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
They are lightweight, to reduce tiredness.
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I've felt tired through lots of different things when skiing, it has never occured to me that the weight of the poles is at the route of all my problems.
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| Quote: |
Also if you buy expensive poles, you'll be forever lugging them into restaurants/bars with you rather than leaving them outside.
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Well that's one advantage of my old poles that I never thought of! They're just getting better and better.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
Why buy Skoda if you can get a Porsche.
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Because you'd be mad to buy a Porsche if the Skoda did the same job for a lot less money and nobody could identify any significant difference in the spec. I'd rather spend the difference on something which makes a difference, like great fitting boots or audio earpieces for my helmet... |
How can a Skoda do the same job as a Porsche! A Porsche does 0 to 60 in 4 secs and handles like a racecar. It will get the job done faster than any standard Skoda. It is an incredibly superior product. Ditto for skipoles. Higher quality means better performance. Buy the best you can afford. Don't give in to the British Disease of accepting mediocrity.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
Also if you buy expensive poles, you'll be forever lugging them into restaurants/bars with you rather than leaving them outside.
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Well that's one advantage of my old poles that I never thought of! They're just getting better and better. |
Why would you leave £200+ skis outside the restaurant, but drag a pair of 40 quid poles in with you.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
Higher quality means better performance
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but nobody in this thread so far has come up with any suggestion that more expensive poles give "better performance". I'm afraid that "wicked" just doesn't cut it for me as a technical recommendation. Like T Bar I have never found my poles "tiring" and if they weren't already the right length I could adjust them. I don't believe I have given in to a British disease of mediocrity but neither am I prey to the other British disease of thinking that spending money on labels and looks will improve my performance. Spending money on high quality (the best I can afford) lessons is what does that.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Get the cheapest ones you can find that have nice hand grips. Bring your gloves with you when you are buying them. Poles break or bend so if you have cheap ones, you won't bother with the breakages.
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Poster: A snowHead
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They're sticks. Anyone who pays £50 for so-called 'technical' sticks has fallen for a load of moronic marketing nonsense and deserves to be thoroughly ripped off.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
Higher quality means better performance
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but nobody in this thread so far has come up with any suggestion that more expensive poles give "better performance". I'm afraid that "wicked" just doesn't cut it for me as a technical recommendation. Like T Bar I have never found my poles "tiring" and if they weren't already the right length I could adjust them. I don't believe I have given in to a British disease of mediocrity but neither am I prey to the other British disease of thinking that spending money on labels and looks will improve my performance. Spending money on high quality (the best I can afford) lessons is what does that. |
Upgrading the quality of your gear means better performance. Lighter poles are easier to carry, plant and time. If higher quality made no difference to performance, then skiracers would use bogstandard rental poles. They don't. They buy the best they can afford within their budget. Send an email to Bode Miller's team and let me know what response you get when you suggest those fancy, expensive sticks will make little difference to the quality of his skiing...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The only thing that makes a difference to me is the strap - I'm a convert to the Leki trigger system after falling on my old pole last season and consequently not being able to shake hands with anyone for about 8 weeks owing to the pain (a big problem in CH)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| maggi wrote: |
Whitegold, If I skied like Bode they would make a difference. As I don't  ....
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All the more reason for you to get some decent kit if you are such a gash skier.
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Whitegold, Just looked at some pictures of Bode, and Chemmy, using 'ordinary' sticks. At the summer races I compete in, everyone has ally sticks. Granted they'll be quality ones - Scott SL for instance - but not carbon ones. Sticks do not have that much effect on performance.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I think if you're at a level that a few grams of weight or a few mm's on the size of the basket makes a difference then you'll know exactly what you want anyway. For the rest of us, buy what matches your skis and fits in your hand nicely.
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FAQ
. So, after a bit of argy-bargy, he let me have the matching poles for the price of the matching ones. 
