Black Diamond Contour Elliptic Shock Trekking Pole - 2008 BCS

Best pole ever!! The elliptic shape is the way to go for durability, very rugged and easy to adjust.

First of all I want to thank everyone at this company for all of their help and excellent service. I purchased these poles with safety and comfort as priorities. These poles are well worth every penny. Both upper and lower locks are FlickLocks and they hold and I mean HOLD. If they did not, I would either be severely injured or the worst that could happen. A sudden high gust of wind, which is common and to be expected, hit while in a canyon and I struck these poles hard and often against the rocks for stabilization and they did not collapse or give at all. The carbide tips are outstanding. The anti-shock system on these poles are whisper quiet. There is no "bounce back", no rattling or clattering. It is a comfortable system and yet a very stout system. It is plenty stout for uphill traversing and very smooth downhill. It does not turn off. Some people like the on-off but this is the best and most comfortable, yet stable anti-shock for all purpose use that I have used. Personally, even if it did turn off, I would leave it on. The baskets are small but they are tough and work very well. I am hoping to find more in this diameter. These poles may weigh a little more, keep that in mind, but you will be getting some excellent poles. The excellent personnel will be more than happy to help you with any product that may suit your particular needs. Give them a call. I did.

I love these poles.

The biggest plus for these poles, or any black diamond pole for that matter, is the flick lock. I can adjust my poles in gloves, in any weather with absolute ease. The other brands twist lock has always been a pain for me and these are idiot proof.

The foam handles below the main handles are great on steep pitches when holding the handles isnt really ideal. The shock absorber isnt really noticed but I do feel better in the shoulders after long days.

The downside of these poles is they are a tad on the heavy side for poles and they are kind of pricey but I'd buy them again and when its time to retire these (a few years from now?) I will be coming right back to the newest model.

This is not a delicate pole... after a disappointing experience with a set of Leki's I tried these puppies out. I wish they offered a cork grip, but the locking mechanism is glove friendly and reliable... unlike the Leki's... the poles are strong and durable. Whether you're using them to hold up a Kiva shelter or you while you're crossing a stream, they will stay exactly where you set them.

Now that on used these poles for a long time:I bought this poles for my backpacking through the AT. The poles let my arms give me more momentum and a greater "push". They also gave my legs a break which was very important. The shocks were what I was looking foward to and I was not disappointed. Works great on holding up a shelter too. I love how they came about on rocks; I did not feel a thing. This is a buy and one will not be sorry.

Have had these for two season and they really are
the best around. easy locking system for height shocks are great!!!
Holds weight perfect no slip

I took these poles to Peru to hike the Inca Trail for 3.5 days. They were worth the extra money. The best feature was the easy snap-lock extension feature. Others were struggling to extend and shorten their poles by twisting. This was time intensive and, if you didn't screw tight enough, the hold could give. The locking system on these poles made a huge difference. I was able to change the length of my poles without needing to stop my climb. Definitely worth the extra money for the "cadillac" of trekking poles.

I bought these poles for use going downhill with and without a pack. They're really quiet and they're really secure, two things that I didn't particularly love about Leki Makalus. Unlike with the twisting action of a Leki, you know when the BD are locked. The grips and straps are comfortable, but I wish the grips were tilted forward to position the wrists more naturally on the downhill (like Leki). I haven't used them as intensely as the Leki's (3wks in Patagonia), so right now I'd saw they're about equal.