Great Pole, Great Value

By Matthew Tabrys Ranked #7 - Backcountry Ski Poles August 29, 2011

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.

View Details: Black Diamond Traverse Ski Poles

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