Really nice

By Brian G. Sweeney Ranked #43 - Snowshoes July 26, 2009

I just got a chance to try these out - they were overall really nice. As usual pros and cons exist...
pros:
-grip is very comfy
-straps are the most ergonomic straps of any hand held equipment ive ever used (lots of ski poles traverse poles, ice axes and so on...)
-markings on the shaft allow you to quickly adjust them to your known preferred length
-the tips actually provide GREAT purchase even on the granite that permeates the white mountains! i could hardly believe it but where my boots slip these things can be relied upon for a great amount of weight and balance
-comes with interchangeable powder baskets

cons:
-while comfy, the padded straps did cause my hands to sweat a bit more than i would have preferred. i sweat a lot other may not experience this - it was only about 60 the day i used them
-the obvious trade off with trekking poles is the use of your hands - certain terrain mandates that you stow them or something so that you can scramble uphill

overall good purchase.

POST-HOC UPDATE:
-After a good 60 miles of usage one of the seams on the padded straps started to come undone. I imagine this is a defect and wont happen again once i get them replaced. Furthermore it did not really impede my usage of them at all, its just irritating that new gear has something wrong with it.
-On a really long hike after a lot of downhill your wrists start to get tired - i have small weak wrists though so this may not be true for everyone.
-I just finished a hike that had a combined 20ish miles worth of scree rock fields - trekking poles are indispensible in such terrain.

View Details: Black Diamond Trail Trekking Pole

Helpful Votes: 2 Yes | 0 No