Black Diamond Traverse Ski Poles

Good pole for the price. Easy adjustment and seems fairly sturdy. The plastic grips need to be softer & baskets are to big.

Black Diamond has really done a great job upgrading these poles throughout the years. This is now my second pair of the traverse poles, and I'm pretty happy with them. The poles adjust really easily on the fly, both with or without gloves on. For me, I like to tour with a longer pole, I have them set at 50", but I ski aggressively and low to the ground, so I adjust them down to 46". This is super easy to do without any sort of turning or tightening, just a flick to open, and a flip to close. Two upgrades that are very welcomed this year are the new grips, and the grip around pole. The new grips are super ergonomic, and the pole straps work seamlessly. That was one of my biggest gripes about the old version was the awkward pole strap. The new ones are amazing, and are about equal in feel and function to the high end Scott pole grips which are my favorite of all time, and probably the best on the market. The other upgrade I spoke about was a grip added near the top of the pole. This serves many purposes. There are plenty of times when traversing or hiking where you need to hold your ski pole for support and balance. Now that there is a grip there, it's a much more reassuring feeling that you won't slip. The pole is also great to ski with. It is has a low swing weight and is really balanced. My one gripe that I still have with this pole is it feels a little cheap. BD could use a higher grade aluminum. When using it to clear out snow from my boots, it rattles and vibrates. And when I put a lot of weight on the pole, like doing a hop turn on a steep pitch it is not as sturdy as I would like it to be. I've actually bent one pretty badly (beyond repair) after taking a nasty tumble and landing on it. Overall though this is a great pole, that BD continues to make make better.

Good pole for your buck.I had the carbon poles.Lost one in a slide.All they had we're the orange ones.Adjustable,cheap.Cool grip for side hilling.
Flip the pole over with the grip and pull up your toe piece on your touring binding.

This must be the only product on the market that is the best in its category yet also the cheapest:
-- Reasonably light;
-- Sufficiently strong;
-- Very reliable adjustment mechanism; and,
-- Big range of adjustability.

And nothing you dont. This is my first pair of adjustable poles, and they provide everything i was looking for. Lightweight, smooth adjustability, secure lock, a comfy grip, and look good. boom.

I got these a few days ago, and have used them for a couple days at the Bird. While they aren't as light as I expected, they are definitely sturdier and more durable. The grip is great and the flicklock mechanism is pretty incredible. Pow baskets are super nice as well. Considering they are cheaper than most "high end" poles, I don't know why you wouldn't go for these. If you can only afford one pair of poles for resort/side/backcountry, definitely grab these!

I received these poles as a Christmas present a couple of years ago. Honestly? I ski better with these poles. Adjust them to the desired length easily with the flick-lock feature, and let 'er rip. I ski better with these poles. Period. Get some.

Got these today. Already in love. The changes from the previous version improve this substantially from the last traverse pole. The grips are perfect for skinning, as anyone who has used them for that knows they have to put their own grip tape in order to do this previously. Also the straps are improved in my opinion and now fit more easily into a gloved hand while skiing. The baskets are the only downside, as personally I liked the unsymmetrical climbing baskets offered by the previous bd pole a little better

I use the Traverse pole for a few reasons. One, they are strong and therefore I don’t worry about them while I’m abusing them in the mountains. Two, adjustable poles are nice. Three, they accept a Black Diamond snow saw easily.

Aluminum poles are tough. While cruising around the resort it’s difficult to understand why a tough poles is helpful. Once in the mountains the reasons become apparent. They get stuck between rocks, used as anchors, and generally hammered throughout a day. A carbon pole is cool - until it shears into nothing.

Adjustability is really helpful. I don’t get picky about my pole length while I am going up, down, and across terrain. But it is helpful to be able to shorten the poles while stowing them on the pack. It is also nice to be able to extend them while touring out of long valleys while in tour mode, but not using skins.

Attaching a snow saw makes cutting big blocks of snow much easier. Whether cutting a Rutschblock, or an extended column, it is a lot easier with a saw and a pole.

Certainly these poles are not the lightest of the bunch. But they overcome this deficit with durability and function. The FlickLock is a great locking mechanism. While poles with twisting devices constantly come loose, allowing the pole to shorten or lengthen, the FlickLock stays put - always.

They are just solid- strong, on the ligher side, and reliable. No problems in a year of skiing, just a heads up that you must be sure your baskets are fully attached otherwise you will lose em!

Super strong and quick adjusting. Takes a lot to break this thing. Ironically, the only time I have broken one is skiing lift service. Just goes to show ya, don't bring your good backcountry gear to the resort!

Great Poles - easy to adjust - love the grip stuff right below the grip.

Sturdy poles that are easy to use, I like the flick lock vs. leki's twist locks.

Great Poles for the cheddar!

I have a set of BD Traverse Poles that I bought back in 2002 which I thought then and still today that they are a bomber set of polls and so I decided to get a second set this year. I like the improvements in the straps, weight, the extra grips for side hilling (a must), and the new baskets. I took them to the slopes on this past Friday and yes...these are even more a bomber set of poles!!! Great poles...great price!

With a winter of touring and 100 miles of backpacking, these poles are proving their worth! They are strong and light-weight. The locking mechanism holds true regardless of the conditions. I successfully tore the strap out of the pole by getting it caught on a tree but was able to epoxy it back on and the poles aren't worse for the ware. Recognize that you are buying a one-part collapsible pole so it collapses down to about the size of a packed 4500 cu in. pack - which tends to bother ticket agents when you are checking your bag at the airport. Minus this, for the price think of it as a backcountry pole and a trekking pole for the price of one. A wicked sweet deal!

These good simple adjustable ski poles. My only complaint is that they dont seem as sturdy as my old Leki's and the entire basket housing cracked and broke off on the fourth time out with them. BD's customer service sent me a new one and a replacement basket within a couple of days though so it was not a big deal.

Good durable pole for the price....

Solid poles for the price!

Look no further, These are simply great poles. Had them for two seasons now and i've rocked em really hard and they still havent bent & the adjustable lock hasn't slipped. Great for the steeps, pow & trees.

Very nice poles. The FlickLock system is solid. Easily adjustable and firm hold. Will take some abuse, but the aluminium shaft bends eventually. Remember to open them up (take them apart) after each use, and let them dry.

These poles are really nice and great in powder. My one concern is that they are a bit heavy. For adjustable poles, they are moderately light, but for normal non-adjustable poles, they are not exactly light. You become more accomodated to the weight the more you use them. Besides the weight, they are really nice looking poles and are great quality. You cannot go wrong with Black Diamond poles.

These are my go to poles. Last season I spent two whole weeks with these in the backcountry. This pole stood tough through it all. whether I was using it to saw a rutschblock, using it to measure snow cave walls, or just using it to haul my ass up the mountain I always had full faith in this pole. Also I would like to give an extra hurrah! for the flicklock system. I'm the kind of guy that likes to be always changing pole length, longer for the up shorter for the down etc.. and the flicklock mechanism has shown zero wear whatsoever even though it gets used dare I say excessively lol. Anyway awesome pole, BD coming through as always!

I love these poles for touring. I use the lower rubber grip all the time and they are super light. The strap has a slim profile and the length is easy to adust with the Fliplock, and I've never had the pole collapse (or the Fliplock fail) under pressure- it's pretty strong. A great pole for out of bounds.

it is so much nicer to have two poles at the same level when going up a steep switchbacking skintrack! Simply shorten one and use it on your uphill side. The flintlock works great and is easy to operate with gloves on. I would recomend these to a friend hands down.

This is by far the best extendable pole for the money. Even if you hardly ever need an extendable pole they are great because of the replacement parts. I was messing around in the lift line and accidentally broke a pole :(. The next day i ordered a new bottom half for 15 bucks and boom brand new poles. If you brake ordinary poles you have to buy a whole new set.

Very comfortable and easy to adjust when new, but the lower part is far too weak. The first pole bent after a minor crash and the second broke in two after a more brutal one. I have never seen that with any pole before... Very disappointing!

These are nice and easy to adjust because they're only two sections! Downside: don't fit in most bags. I only use them for skiing, so it works, but they are a pain to pack. Grips are nice, but duct tape does the same thing (and helps when you brake something).

Strong. flicklock system for adjustable lengths. cool color. great look. big 100mm powder baskets for rippin up the pow

I have been using the Black Diamond traverse poles for 8 years and have been very impressed with how reliable the flicklock adjustment mechanism is. I have seen many other poles break or fail at the adjustment point, but my traverse poles have been bomber. Recently purchased the newest model of these poles and I really like the new rubberized grips on the shaft of the pole. It is very useful when traversing (thus the name of the pole) when I want to shorten the effective length of the pole. The rubberized grip on the handles are also a nice touch. Big fat baskets do well in powder, however I liked the old, asymmetrical baskets. I use these for skiing, both in bounds and backcountry and hiking.

I've used these poles exclusively for the past few years, and they're still going strong! Simple, sturdy, and easy to adjust. They've survived lots of baggage handlers and hard skiing and have had no problems-I've basically just been able to forget about them, which is great.

The standout feature of these for me is the basket design. My AT skis have BD Diamir freeride plus bindings on them and the basket on these poles is great for flipping the heel riser up and down. It really is a great take on the 3/4 powder basket, rigid with a slight lip on the top and bottom to grab onto the riser. While both of my other poles are lighter (including a Ti one) these are now the only pole I ride with on AT skis.

Black Diamond really did a good job on these poles. They are perfectly made and impressively priced. The poles come with all the necessities. Great basket, adjustments, grips etc. etc. Sweet!!

best value. i use these and some aluminum leki 3 section poles. the lekei's are a bit stronger but these are easier to adjust on the fly and the extra grips are great for the way up and/or out.

I bought these poles for snow shoeing, but they are so stiff that I will be using them for back country skiing as well. The grip and strap are very comfortable. The best feature on these poles is probably the locking mechanism which is easy to operate and much more secure than the twist lock on other poles. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a strong and stiff two section pole. I tried the three section poles and found them to be much too flexible.

I have had these poles for at least five years. Possibly Longer. I ski 120+ days a season, have replaced several parts over the years and they are great and still going strong. Thinking about a second pair since my current ones are starting to look a little ratty after 700+ days of skiing.

We ordered this set when the lower section of an older version of the Traverse poles snapped. They are light weight and do the job but we're kinda wondering if we need a stronger pole, better skiing technique, or to lose weight. I just snapped another of the older poles but in both cases we came down on them hard.

these poles are pretty rad. i have gone through several pairs of poles, and these are way sturdy, and do not feel like they are breaking anytime soon. its also way nice to since they are adjustable. black diamond always makes good stuff. buy em

Great poles and great price. The height adjustment works very well (I have had no issues due to ice build up), big baskets, and a well designed (improved) handle and strap. I was happy to find this pole as I had been using its older version for the last 8 years. On my bc trip last week, there were four of us in the group and everyone had this pole or an older version. With lots of choices out there, it was funny to see us all had selected this one.

Let me start out by saying......I "was" a diehard Scott man...my Punisher poles were my go to poles the past few years............but as my education and knowledge of back and sidecountry terrain continues to grow, I have seen the importance of having a quality adjusting pole like the kind that BD makes and is known for. The Traverse pole has super funcionality, nice swing weight, powder baskets, bomber flint lock system, and a great extra lower grip for skinning or traversing. Have I said yet, that these poles were an excellent purchase. This is my first pair of BD poles, but it will not be my last........great product.

I am done with traverse ski poles, could just be me but all the models Ive had have broken after just a few trips. These are no exception.They seemed sturdy and fine on my first trip, but pushing them a little made em brake. If anyone have recommendations for a sturdy traverse ski pole, let me know!
Oh, and in case anyone wonders, I used em uphill when they broke, was working my way up to a summit, and cant say I leaned to heavily on them either.

Strong, light, adjustable and at a reasonable price on BC.com...what more could you want?

I got these in October, so I've only been able to use them around the house. The flicklock works well as I transition up the stairs inside, and they haven't frozen up in the 60 degree temps. I haven't tried the alternate grips on the pole, as I don't have any side hills in the house. My only issue is that the tips often slip on the concrete in the garage, and they're tearing up the linoleum in the kitchen. But I believe they will work well when there is enough snow to ski on IN ANOTHER MONTH or so!

Adjustable and light this pole is great for backcountry adventures. The added grip part way down the pole is sweet for side hill travel.

The Good:
Almost as light as the fancy carbon poles that cost twice as much.
Easy, reliable length adjustment.
Durable.
If you break a lower section, they're cheap and easy to replace.

The Bad:
If you bend the lowers on these guys, they can't be bent back-they snap.
You'll confuse your poles with your touring buddies.

Conclusion:
These poles are a near-perfect b/c product, and work really well as a resort pole as well. Their higher resistance to bending comes from using higher strength aluminum than cheaper poles. This means they are MUCH less likely to bend, but can't be bent back if they get tweaked. However, new lower sections are about $12 apiece, so no big deal. There are other decent poles out there, but these set the standard for ease of use, durability and serviceability. Unless you have a carbon fetish and lots of cash to burn, these are the poles to get.

Strong, look good, decently light, packable and adaptable a wide range of conditions.

The pow baskets are sizable, so I'd look into smaller ones if you don't spend loads of time in it.

I use these poles for BC skiing and some alpine climbing. I have broken one lower section on a steep descent, but I wouldn't count it against the poles- I was abusing them. Good news? BD's replacement parts program is A+. I've bought a variety of baskets and tips as well.

These poles have been fantastic! I bought them for telemarking and backcountry use and have not been dissapointed. They are super easy to adjust and the price was great.

Love my poles. Good baskets, easy to use. Great for fending off snow ninja's as well.

Don't buy these for your everyday, resort skiing poles. They will not handle that type of abuse as I found out the hard way (fortunately I replaced them with a second pair). I use my composite poles for the inbounds terrain and save the BD's for my backcountry trips.

For the backcountry, these poles are awesome. Very comfortable grip and strap, very sharp tip, and wide basket. The adjustment is very easy and reliable.

I bought them because they were the cheapest option and they have met my expectations.

THESE ARE VERY ACCOMMODATING FOR DIFFERENT USES DUE TO THE ADJUSTABLE LENGTH. THESE BABIES ARE LIGHT AND HARDY. THEY HAVE A GRIP SECTION 3/4 OF THE WAY UP FOR EASY HANDLING ( NICE TOUCH ). MY ONLY GRIPE IS ONE OF MY BASKETS WOULD NOT STAY ON AND I HAD TO SUPER GLUE IT PERMANENTLY. THE WAY THAT THEY HAVE ENGINEERED THIS IS WEAK. OTHERWISE, I LOVE THESE POLES !

I have been very happy with these poles for skiing and backcountry snowshoeing. Strong, lightweight and reasonable packable.

I'm 6'1" 170lbs and a x ski racer and theys are by fare one of my beast poles iv ever has so far. i ski hard and fast and they haven't collapsed on me or bent them. but i do have to be a bit careful but a grate pole over all.

These are the best adjustable poles on the market. They are reliable and easy to use, but they will still break. Buy them. Just don't take them front side and off of big airs and high speed through trees. Don't lean on them too hard, and don't abuse them. I wrecked mine, so now I just use cheap rental poles for skiing where I'm likely to break something.
Great basket, awesome adjustment features, solid construction, comfortable grip, and nice weight.

I have a 15 year old pair of Leki poles that no longer locked perfect. So I have been looking over other peoples poles for several months. This weekend I tried out this pole and the grip extension sold me. It is nice to have the firm lower grip on the pole to help slow down when going between trees. Ordered this pair ASAP after the backcountry ski trip. The 155cm is longer than my old poles and when in lots of fresh powder the length was nice. I am 6'1". Although not looking forward to the pole extending a few inches higher when attached to my pack. ... The previous reviewers did a great job of describing these poles.

This is a really solid backcountry ski pole. I use it both in bounds and in the backcountry. It adjusts easily and is quite strong. I have no complaints and really like the additional hand grip for choking up on a traverse. One note, the large is a tiny bit heavier than the small – I don’t really notice much, but my fiancé does.

this is the pole that you see in the backcountry, and there is good reason for that, it is bomber. this is a great pole and is one of the cheaper options out there. the extra grips are key. great price, great pole.

I've replaced my 3 section BD poles with these 2 section pieces and find them to be a bit quicker to adjust than before. I really like the rubberized grip for a quick slip down the shaft on uneven terrain without fully readjusting the length. Awesome poles.

Awesome poles. I have bashed these poles to no end and they still are going strong. Great adjustment and not too too heavy for a durable all around pole. Have no fear stomping cliffs and bashing them against trees at high speed. They simply won't break on you.