Raid Light Trail Poles
http://www.likeys.com/cgi-bin/sh0000...1105#a10_21105
second ones down... used them for a 60km/4000m race in the Alps last year and they were great
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Raid Light Trail Poles
http://www.likeys.com/cgi-bin/sh0000...1105#a10_21105
second ones down... used them for a 60km/4000m race in the Alps last year and they were great
Not keen on sticks - take away your natural sense of balance, make noise, contribute to erosion, cost money, yet something else to carry, threaten others when carried carelessly, whether in the hand or in a pack etc etc - no doubt many will feel they have a role. For general walking, with respect to balance, they are the OPPOSITE of physiotherapy.
Agree with you on this one Mike!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
For me poles are the bee's knees. Or should that be bees'? One for you, Spelling Bee?
Yawn... a prime example of what I was saying on the Compression Shorts thread... someone asks for a specific bit of information and someone chips in with an "you don't want to do it like that...." comment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
Only Me!!!!!!! Don't know much about lightwight Poles, all the one's i've met seem to be able to handle a lot of Vodka!
Thank-you Nikalas, just what I was about to say.Quote:
Originally Posted by nikalas
.... assuming this is a conversation, was my comment really that out of line - if it was I don't understand the rules!
I have the Mountain King Trail Blaze poles, and plan to use them for the Fellsman but can't think of any other time they would come in useful-i have also experienced a "reckless" user which was very irratating as i kept having to hold back for fear of my eye being taken out-either that i was about to shove 'em where the sun dont shine! :thumbup:
Also have a pair of MK Trail Blaze
I've used them through the winter on long outings in the snowy mountains of Scotland.
On snow and ice they are invaluable to aid balance and purchase.
They have been grand.
light, simple yet effective.
They are foldy uppy ones with a simple shock cord down the middle, which is used to tension and lock them in place.
Learn the correct way to position the strap and with little practise they are well worth the money.
Not wishing to de-rail the thread but, if the question asked had been "should I use poles?", then your comment would have been relevant. However, the question asked was very specific about which brand of poles to use. As I said on the compression shorts thread prime examples of this irritating trend on this forum are people asking what GPS to buy and some numpty chipping in with the classic "what's wrong with a map and compass" comment or someone asking a question about what brand of energy gels to use and getting the "what's wrong with a pork pie" comment. It just always comes across as a bit churlish, unhelpful and niggly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
I have got some of these, lovely and light! http://www.titaniumgoat.com/poles.html
My only problem with poles is how to hold your map and compass when I have a pole in each hand! I therefore only use them when I don't need to navigate. I tend to use them as a tent pole more that walking poles, but it means you don't need to carry both!
There was some discussion on the UTMB 2010 thread here:
http://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/showt...9348-Utmb-2010
Starts at post #7 then comes and goes!
Speaking personally, in the dreadful conditions I had for the CCC last year, they were very useful indeed.
I plan to use them again this year, from around 70 kms onwards (Trient), on the uphills, once tiredness sets in. :wink:
Think I tried a pair of these after snapping a pair of Raid Lights (it happens).Quote:
Originally Posted by Alexandra
Didn't get on with them; the straight up and down grip gave me bad wrist pain; seems that the tilted grip of the RLs suit me better.
Would be prepared to part with them, if I can find them in the cellar. Used maybe twice. Long version. 120/125 cms?
Indeed. This is a problem, as I found out in a white out at dusk on the summit of Meall nan Tarmichan; compass smashed through continuous bashing against pole. (after descending the clouds cleared and I was able to use the stars).Quote:
Originally Posted by jhb0510
resolved this on later trips by stashing the compass under the elasticated wrist of my sleeve and the map down the front of my troos.
apologies if you know this, but perhaps useful for others.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorganW
Straps should be positioned so that most of the weight goes through the strap to the heel of the hand and on to the back of the wrist, you barely need to hold the handle.
see here
http://www.mountainkingpoles.co.uk/a...ing_Poles.html
most people I see do not have the strap positioned correctly
"most people I see do not have the strap positioned correctly"
Agreed. Ski pole straps should be used the same way - otherwise if you fall your poles don't hang from your wrists and you are likely to land with your hand on top of the pole, thus injuring it - and as the strap may come off altogether it means there is the potential for skewering your body with the pole - you cannot do this if it is still attached to your wrist.
AndyQuote:
Originally Posted by andy k
Sorted this one some time ago.
I guess swapping brands during CCC prep wasn't wise, but Likeys didn't have the RLs when I needed them.
Agreed, but walking today with my beloved Leki poles in Calderdale I had of course to keep on taking off my gloves to open gates. Getting my big warm gloves out of the loops is a big struggle, so I found myself using the poles for at least half of the day without benefit of loops, knowing there was another gate coming soon.Quote:
Originally Posted by andy k
...er .... no comment?Quote:
Originally Posted by Alexandra
Is this a first? Are you feeling OK, Mike?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
......I must be coming down with something .....Quote:
Originally Posted by Alexandra
Polio? :w00t:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike T
Excellent!Quote:
Originally Posted by Mountain Goatess
Whats more important in a pole weight or anti shock?
In my experience, the lightest Leki poles feel really springy and responsive, I have never felt jarred by them even on the longest days out. However, I wouldn't usually use them on tarmac, and if I did do so I would fit the rubber bungs beforehand. Anti-shock adds, as you say, weight, but also there is more to go wrong. The joints in poles are already the weak place where problems arise, rendering the pole useless. I would never want to add to that vulnerability. A friend was once outdoors taking his pole apart at the joint, when there was a sudden PING and the anti-shock gizmo flew of into the heather, never to be seen again. I don't want that to be able to happen to me. I also suspect I would find the anti-shock irritating.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom R
Appalling as the price of the best poles is, if you think you might use them regularly it is truly worth paying up for the best. I have the impression that some members of the Forums think of poles as a sort of crutches, and using them as acknowledging oneself as decrepit or disabled. On the contrary, holding my poles I feel as if I have extra bionic limbs, strong, athletic, precise and armed with feline claws.
depends what you arre using them for.
for me its weight.
I use them on long climbs, so shock absorbtion is not an isssue.
On descents I am running.
Avoid the poles at all costs: Exped Quad Poles (four section telescopic).
I got a pair for the OMM last October and have used them less than 10 times. After only a few used they started to corrode (even though I dried them carefully) and have now locked solid. Exped have refused to accept this is their fault. So I am left with a pair of £50 poles that are only of use to a 3 foot high dwarf! Better off with some cheap and nasty ones that you can replace every 6 months than some expensive ones that break!
Yes, either buy ultra cheap and chuck when they break down or buy from a reputable stockist like Cotswold and a reliable maker like Leki. My expensive Leki poles, which I have used a lot and not really looked after, eventually (long after the guarantee period) developed a fault in the strap adjustment mechanism. I was able to take the faulty pole in to my local Cotswold, even though I had bought it from another branch, and it was sent back to Leki and fixed at no cost to myself. The downside was that it all took a while, but I would have hated to have to pack and post it off myself - and then perhaps get a dusty answer from the maker/stockist. Cotswold and Leki are not the cheapest by a long way, but no hassle after-care is worth a lot IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by #1Spookster
I use CAMP XENON, they're as light as Raidlight ones, and cost nearly half.
In long races (50 miles +) with significant climbing, they're a big help.
Where did you get them? I can only find stockists in the USA.Quote:
Originally Posted by blackmagic
UK Distributor http://www.allcord.co.uk/
Or, if you don't mind buying from the Bay, it's in Italy, but shipping cost to Uk is reasonable (15 euro)
http://cgi.ebay.it/BASTONCINI-XENON-...item1c17a32483
Otherwise Ferrino makes a similar pole. Both are very common with Italian and French Alpine Guides, which is a guarantee in itself.
Allcord say they have never distributed Camp Xenon poles, though they do other Camp stuff. Any other suggestions for stockist for these or the Ferrino poles? I have just received a Mountain King Trail Blazer pole, and it's great except that the wrist strap is not adjustable and the padded grip is not really long enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by blackmagic
Yup, the guys distribute also FIZAN, who specialize in trekking poles, it makes sense they don't keep CAMP's ones.
For FERRINO UK distributor: http://www.wildsheepdistribution.co.uk/
TOUR model is slightly heavier, but comes with a longer grip, which you might like. Still lightweight enough at 450 gr.
Otherwise EIGER is like CAMP XENON, but with the added comfort of 4 sections instead of 3 and 4 different sizes (instead of 2).
I like the look of the Camp Xenon 4 poles best, and am thinking of buying them from CHAM3S. They only charge 10 euros to send to the UK. I'm just a bit nervous about buying from abroad, especially as to possible faults or need for spare parts - I imagine the elastic band down the middle must perish eventually. Also the £ is not doing too well against the euro at present.
Whats peoples thoughts on the Mountain King Trail Blaze poles?
I'm running the UTMB this year and although i've never used poles i'm thinking of trying some. The thing that has put me off so far is the getting them out and adjusted then putting them away continually during a race. The MK pole slook like they'll be less hassle?
T
Tom, for the vast number if folk who use poles, once they are out, they stay out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom R
Learning to run downhill without using them but carrying them together in one hand, and swapping from time to time, is all part of the challenge.
Personally, I won't be getting mine out til late on in the CCC, then they'll be with me all the way I suspect, unless I put them back in at Flegere maybe.
IanR will have a view on this too, if he's around.
Thanks. I'm hopefully out for a longish run on Friday (to get away from the wedding) so i will take a pair along and see how i go
T
450 doesn't count as light when MK Trailblaze come in at under 250g for the pair....Quote:
Originally Posted by blackmagic
Tom, they are not too much hassle, they are fixed length so its just a case of waving them about a bit until the sections slot together.
But like Morgan says once they are out you tend to just carry them, unless you need to scramble or carry an axe instead....
Setting and collapsing isn't the so much issue its stowing them, I'm thinkingof trying to rig something on the front of the straps of my pack.
AndyQuote:
Originally Posted by andy k
The very experienced Continental runners who use the packs with a pole sleeve on the back have perfected the art of putting both poles together back in the sleeve, points down, in one fluid motion. Then they run on with them stuck up like a couple of aerials.
Bet that takes a bit of practice!