EQUIPMENT:
Pole racks can be confusing.  
What separates one style pole from another is FEATURES.
Poles have different: grips, straps, tips, weights and some are anti-shock.

Features:
The Pole currently on the market that has the features we like best is made by a company called Leki.
The model we like best is the Ultra-lite Ti Ergometric- A/S (see products page)
For people with larger hands, we like the Super Makulu Ergometric A/S
Features we like:

•       P/A - Positive Angle Grip – more ergonomically comfortable, ergometric poles have a 10 degree positive angle which enables a more neutral wrist position when poling.  

•       A/S - Anti-Shock - improves comfort

•       Smaller Strap (lined with wicking material) – if you want to hike without gloves this is the only strap we found both comfortable and small enough.

•       Carbide flex tip – the concave shape of this hard tip seems to grip the ground better than other styles.

•       Ultra-lite poles do make a difference.  (see products page)

•       Basket - actually stays on.  See DVD for tips on interchangeable baskets.

The Leki expander system seems tricky (especially at first).  It requires more turns to adjust (and we adjust frequently). There are some tricks to using it – we include many in the our DVD and some on this website.   From Leki - Info on Easy Lock & Soft Anti-shock features

Other poles have some of the features we like, some have easier expander systems, but overall, we prefer this type of pole.  Under our GEAR page is a POLES page.  Listed here are the models (currently available) that we like - for reasons stated above.  Get good gear!

Rubber tips:  Use a little powder inside them to make them easier to take off.  Especially good for the Nordic Walking "feet."

Take your hands out of the straps when you sit down and stand up (or even stop to tie your shoes).  The extra seconds it takes to remove the straps will help prevent your body from getting tangled up in the poles.  This I know!

Cost of poles:
If you think that $129- $149 retail is a lot to spend on a pair of poles, then weigh your comfort against a few extra dollars.  What you get by spending more money is more features.

Now, if you intend to lose your poles frequently, then we agree that $149 is expensive... But cared-for gear should last years and years.   Also, I cannot emphasize enough proper pole care - it's easy, but critical to keep your poles functioning - see DVD Tips - Pole Care section.

Get Good Gear!
Prevent one injury and you’ve more than paid for both the video and the best poles available!

POLE CARE
Hiking in the Rain – Looking for Newts – What Fun!

·         Do not close poles when they’re damp -  extend and dry the shafts. See DVD - Tips Section/Pole Care.  This is VERY IMPORTANT.

·         Put poles back together carefully so you don’t pinch your fingers.  You may have to loosen
    expander to fit sections back together.  If difficult to re-assemble, hold larger section with
    one hand, try twisting smaller section as if loosening while you push smaller section
    gently into larger section.

·         Wipe poles down after hiking, especially if it’s dusty.

·         Never lubricate your poles (if they’re sticky, they’re dirty)

·         Clean poison oak residue with either soap & water (be sure to rinse thoroughly) 
    or rubbing alcohol (enough alcohol to cut the oil, not just move it around)

If your poles get sticky and you cannot get them clean by washing them, perhaps there’s residue on the inside of the shafts.  You can get an inexpensive gun cleaning kit from your local sporting goods store to clean the inside of the shafts.  Make sure the wire brush you get is not too large.  The brush should slide into the shaft easily.  After reaming out the shaft, tap the shaft to remove any residue.  Some manufacturers have special pole cleaning kits. 

I’ve never had to use a pole cleaning kit because I keep a rag in my car and wipe my poles down after hiking and take them apart after hiking in the rain.

Travel:  A frequently asked question!  I always take my poles apart for travel.  Make sure the expander is secure (if you have the type that comes off) and pack them separately along the side of the suitcase.  They're safer along the hard straight edge of your suitcase.  Also, I use rubber (pavement) tips for storing my poles.  It's an extra expense, but worth it.  When I hike, I carry the tips with me for stretches on pavement.  If you don't have the rubber pavement tips, make sure you use your travel tips that come with the poles so you don't cut yourself or stuff in your suitcase.  If you try to carry your poles onto a plane and get away with it, please let me know!

TECHNIQUES (continued from DVD)
2 Finger Swing - Not much more to add here, just practice!
If you lose your form, review Level 2 for the progression.  Go thru the entire learning progression to reinforce your muscle memory.

Swing Assist (a hybrid for gentle slopes) - really good description on DVD; to perfect try the quick step (in tips section) with the downhill SA technique.

Plant Push - once you get grooving on this and tune into your triceps and lats, add a little shoulder, straighten your arms just a tad and bring the obliques into it with a very small upper body twist.

If you’re having trouble learning to keep your poles behind you on the uphill, here’s a trick I’ve learned.  Lengthen them way too long.  It will be very hard to yank yourself up the hill with poles that are too long.  Remember we said that you can hiking uphill with poles that are too long?  Your arms are in the same position, but your poles are farther behind you.

Check Step - do I plant alternating or same side is the question I always get and the answer is YES!  Once you get the feel of the poles in front of you, see if you can lock your forearms into your hips (this brings more rectus abdominus into the movement). 
Note the alternative downhill techniques in the tips section of the DVD.  Practice these only when you're comfortable with gentler downhill.

Cruising Mode - I use this alot when on flat and on up.  Try in tall grass or on overgrown trails, just modify a bit by externally rotating hands (from shoulders) so pole tips come together a bit behind you.

FAQ’s:

Poles Section Won’t Tighten?
Welcome to the finesse of trekking poles. 
Nothing is perfect and, even with all the incredible benefits (see benefits page), this can happen.
Understand this problem and how to solve it so you're not dealing with it in the middle of a hike.

It’s a simple fix. Depending on the kind of poles you have, either the section that won’t tighten has come loose from its expander and the expander is buried deep in the upper section or (as in the case of poles that have self-contained expanders) you've over loosened the section and the orange "rocket" which moves up and down the treaded portion of the poles is jammed.

For removable expander type poles:
- Push the section that won’t tighten all the way closed.
- Push while you twist, keep doing this until it catches.
- You can then loosen enough to adjust the length, tighten and go.

For "contained" expander systems:  Check out this page by Leki
- take poles apart
- notice that the orange "rocket" that moves up and down is all the way down on the threaded portion inside the green or blue expander. 
- Twist the expander clockwise and feel it release.  If it is really jammed, Leki says call customer service - but what if you're out in the middle of a hike?  Take off the blue or green expander (you'll see that there is a portion that opens all the way) and try to release the orange dealy-thing by turning clockwise.
Please get familiar with this BEFORE you go out with your poles.  According to outfitters, the #1  & #2 reasons poles are returned is because people cannot adjust or take apart and put back together.  I think we do a good job of instructing the pull apart & put back together in the DVD, but since different poles have different mechanisms, practice before you need it.

Adjusting:  With the new Leki expander system, loosen just enough for the pole shaft to move easily, then adjust and tighten just slightly more beyond where you feel it start to tighten.  If you are overly ambitious in your loosening, you will have to do the “catch the expander” routine.  If this still does not work, take sections apart, twist expander with your fingers to loosen (expand), then push section in, push and twist until it "catches."  

I've taught thousands of people to use poles, so have had to deal with this expander "catch" hundreds of times.  I can now do it without taking the poles apart most of the time.  Hopefully you will never need to develop this skill to this level because you will become proficient at adjusting your poles and not over-adjusting either too loose or too tight.

Review how we adjust poles in the DVD - notice that I always adjust the same way, which is optimal for shoulder health (I don't put my shoulders at risk for impingement) and it's safer because I have more control and am less likely to stab my buddies.
As always, if you've watched the DVD and still have questions, we welcome your email.

Pole Length?  
EXPERIMENT with different combinations and length.
Get used to changing length frequently and easily.
You don’t have to take your hand out of the strap to adjust pole length, just let one pole dangle while you adjust the other.  
Try twisting the middle section (overhand) just enough to loosen. 
Over loosening may cause the expander to come lose. 
The faster and easier you can do this, the more you will have the best length for the terrain you’re on.

When walking on a steep hillside or a traverse, shorten the uphill pole and find a comfortable downhill length for the downhill slope side (sometimes quite long) and see how this increases your stability on small hillside trails.

How long do I adjust my poles on downhill?  This is by far the most frequent question I get when teaching check step.   The answer is long enough so you don't have to shift your weight forward in order to get the poles out in front of you.  Learn to get a feel for this instead of focusing on numbers.

For more on pole length, see our DVD Updates Page

Would you like to share your favorite tip or comment on our site? 

HAPPY HIKING!  (Be sure you know how to care for your poles and efficiently separate the sections)