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Carbon/graphite poles?????

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Nearing my 40th and fancy getting a pair of thin poles that won't bend - have now bent or broke 3 pairs of poles. Am I right in thinking that carbon or graphite poles should be more indestructable than alluminium?? If so, can anyone recommend some. I ski pretty much on piste 99% of the time, but will probably start venturing off piste in the next year or two.
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buy 3 pairs of normal poles all the same for the same price as 1 set of carbon ones......

you will then be able to break them 5 times instead of 3 for normal poles and only once for carbon which if you have already broke 3 pairs then you will probably break anyway

poles will break less off piste but you may loose one
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I've a pair of Goode carbon poles that I paid very little for and have had for about 6 years, I've probably skied almost 20 weeks with them. I much prefer them but the baskets on mine have now fell apart and it's either superglue (I can't replace them) or a new pair.
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boabski, I got some Scott Code 7 composite poles for the very reasons you state, bit thinner than normal aluminium poles but have a weighty feel to them which once I got used to actually feel better and I very much prefer them. Not that I go off piste but the basket is larger than standard too. They have a certain amount of flex which I would say is more forgiving than Al but I haven't fallen on them yet good grip on them too. Cost me around 50€ last season in a sale.
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Actually mine are probably some cheap composite rather than carbon!
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boabski, according to wikipedia, carbon fibre has a tensile strength of about 6,000 MPa, whereas aluminium alloy is only about 500 MPa.

I have thoroughly abused a pair of Leki carbon poles for the last three seasons (about 17 weeks in total) and they stood up to jump turns too (although I'm quite light, so that should be taken into consideration). Not sure about other brands, but Leki does replaceable baskets, which is a bonus.
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boabski, I went through 3 or 4 pairs of poles before I bought my carbon ones. Got a pair of adjustable Goode ones and still going strong after 11 years. Used for at least 2 weeks a year all over the mountain and through the trees. They look a bit battered now but work just as good.

I like the balance and swing of 'em but a lot of people dont. The baskets a bit a small for deep powder but I get by with them wink
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I wonder how long it takes to break 3 pairs of poles.

A few years ago, in Verbier, I started bragging about how my poles were the oldest piece of equipment I owned, going back to early uni days (about 15 years then). Sure enough, on the very next run, I fall and break one of them.

I bought some cheap second-hand replacement ones from the next patrol hut we passed. Still using them now. I do wonder about graphite poles though, being lighter they may help me get rid of my pole dragging habit.
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I much prefer light composite poles, They are pretty much bomb proof; my old ones lasted 6 years and only cost £28. Very light and flickable too.
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Not sure they'd necessarily last longer - where metal bends (and can be bent back) carbon can shatter. Depends on the sort of impacts taken I guess.
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clarky999 wrote:
Not sure they'd necessarily last longer - where metal bends (and can be bent back) carbon can shatter. Depends on the sort of impacts taken I guess.

True, carbon is brittle but isn't this overcome by making composites? It would be interesting to hear if anyone has actually broken carbon poles.

boabski, perhaps you should stop making skis and poles seats for sipping G&Ts on the mountains wink
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I've got K2 4 and 5 Karat poles, they seem a combination of resin with a metal core and carbon fibre running up the sides of them in about a dozen places. I don't ski hard by any stretch of the imagination, but they seem strong, 'flickable', and look the part!! K2 also make blokes equivalents, about £40 a 'pop' I think, and would recommend them if that is any recommendation as its from me Laughing
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I took a heavy fall on one of mine a couple of years ago, impaled myself on the thing. No damage at all to the pole, unlike my ribs.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Zero-G wrote:
clarky999 wrote:
Not sure they'd necessarily last longer - where metal bends (and can be bent back) carbon can shatter. Depends on the sort of impacts taken I guess.

True, carbon is brittle but isn't this overcome by making composites? It would be interesting to hear if anyone has actually broken carbon poles.

boabski, perhaps you should stop making skis and poles seats for sipping G&Ts on the mountains wink


I don't know all that much about carbon in ski poles, I'm basing that on carbon whitewater kayak paddles (and yes, I've known a few people break [expensive] carbon paddles). Incredibly strong in some ways, but relatively fragile in others (I actually opted to get a fibreglass shaft on mine to add some flex into the system to better take impacts.

With poles I imagine they have great strength along the shaft, but if it can down horizontally across a rock (for example) with your weight on it, I reckon a metal shaft would take the hit better.

Not that I'm a material scientist/engineer or anything lol, but that makes sense in my head anyway.
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Zero-G, well yep, I broke my Leki carbon the other day, GUTTED i have had them for 5 to 6 seasons, Leki Carbon triggers, I am trying to find a replacement Puzzled

On the other hand my son gets through about 5 to 6 pairs of poles a season, we have a very large odd collection here in the office now, nearly all of them are bent alu poles.

With carbon poles then tend to break rather than bend so can be a pain if your miles from anywhere and do not have a spare pair with you
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Despite being a lardy barsteward I very rarely break poles (if we leave out an unfortunate midstation chairlift instance at Mt Hutt wink ). Alu is fine for me , as others have said composite or carbon fibre will snap/shatter rather than bend whereas you can bend a alu pole into something resembling a skiable shape.
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I got given some K2 4 speeds a couple of years ago. I really like them - the reduced weight is nice for flicking them around, but also I can easily put them wherever I want them in a second.

They got a bit knackered because the handles were just foam and the pole came up through the foam, so have replaced with K2 3 Speeds that now have more solid handles.

I much prefer composite to ally. And they cost about the same - mine were about £15 in the end of season sales, from Ellis Brigham I think. Keep an eye on the site that keeps selling off Scott stuff cheap and you'll get a pair for under £20.
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Monium,
Quote:

the handles were just foam and the pole came up through the foam


common problem, you are not alone
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Thanks for all the advice folks. Will look into the various options.

PS The poles I've broke or bent to date have usually been on chairlifts, not because I'm a lardy back bottom (think the expresssion is overweight wink ) or pissed - I can honestly say that not one of them have been bent on way down from Mooserwirt
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Quote:

True, carbon is brittle but isn't this overcome by making composites? It would be interesting to hear if anyone has actually broken carbon poles.

Yes I've broken carbon poles - nice set of swix CT2 poles, first time out I stuck one down a drain cover and snapped it. I've kept the intact one as a spare in case i break more. There again my replacement carbon poles have taken a fair battering in races and not broken.

I've also seen poles break frequently in races when people fall and someone skis over their pole, or in head to head sprints where people are fighting for position. Carbon poles do have a great deal of strength in compression, but are susceptible to breakage if loaded sideways.
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my carbon poles are my oldest bit of kit. i did break one hitting it against the edge of my ski in frustration when i couldn't get them back on in deep snow (serves me right) but in normal use they have taken a fair beating and are still going strong. the section was replaceable (these are BD flicklock poles) so the breakage wasn't really a big issue
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I bent my K2 pole about 45 degrees when it got caught under a chairlift. Didn't break, just sprung back. Losing a pole is never a critical problem for most skiers, and breaking a pole is unlikely unless it is a pretty massive fall, in which case I'd be more worried about injury than a pole breaking.
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General rule is buy the best you can afford. With ski's and boots this comes with the healthy caveat that the ones you can afford might not be the best for your ability (and in some cases positively detrimental) but with ski poles, go wild.

3 seasons ago I discovered my poles were too short so bought some new ones. My head was turned by some neon multi-coloured Scott jobbies. They had the most comfortable grip, looked the dogs, and had a racing tip that I don't think I could have done without.

They cost £70 and are still going strong.
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Carbon poles are fantastic. I have a pair of Dynastar Freeride Legends from 2004 that are still going strong after 30-40 weeks skiing. Bought in an end-of-season sale for about €70 (sale price!). Interchangeable baskets, breakaway straps, inclined grip for rapid flicks; really light swingweight. Have proved to be virtually indestructible - prior to buying them I had had 4 pairs of Alu poles in 6 years. I often think I would be more pi55ed off if someone nicked my poles than if they nicked my skis (skis get better every year so I don't mind replacing them, but there's a limit to pole progression and the current Freeride Legends are Alu to make them cheaper Sad )

If you want similar benefits to carbon without the cost, there is also a trend now towards fibreglass poles; Salomon and Dynastar both make them, probably others too.
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Decathlon own brand .. cheap. light and ( touch wood ) indestructible even after about 4/5 seasons ...
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love my Goode adjustables. I like to work the pole using finger or hand movement only, so I like the lightness and low inertia of carbon.
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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.
Monium, I think the K2 4 andd 5 speed poles are the equivalent of the Ladies K2 4 and 5 Karat poles I mentioned above.
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