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Cork
For hot weather, cork is a good option. It wicks sweat away from your hands, moulds to your hand's shape and reduces vibrations. It is also an environmentally friendly choice.
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Walking Poles Buying Guide
Introduction
Walking poles offer those who enjoy the outdoors a whole host of benefits
They help protect your knees, ankles, hips and spine. This is especially true when walking down hills (with each pole plant, walkers remove roughly 3% - 5% of the impact from each step).
Protect existing injuries or are recovering from knee or hip surgery.
You can travel across terrain at a quicker pace, particularly when going downhill.
Poles improve your uphill walking technique. They encourage an upright posture that decreases the chance of a fall or slip and helps to promote an efficient breathing position.
The poles aid balance on uneven trails, (four points of stability rather than two) reducing the risk of injury and spreading the weight of a backpack.
Reduces fatigue, improves efficiency and strengthens core muscles, arms and shoulders. These improvements in the upper body will aid you when are walking with or without the poles.
This extra endurance, strength and stability can improve your confidence on trails. Please take caution when assessing the difficulty of routes. It is always best to walk with more experienced hikers where possible.
The anatomy of a walking pole
Wrist strap
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Shaft
Walking poles typically have shafts made of either aluminium or carbon.
Handle
The temperature and weather conditions that you will be walking in should determine the choice of handle.
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Locking mechanism
Most walking poles come with one of two mechanisms:
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Baskets
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Tips
The end of the poles need to grip the ground to provide stability. To help them do this, they have specialised tips of which there are generally two types:
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Walking pole categories
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For use on varied terrain. These poles are normally made from hard-wearing aluminium and should be used with rubber feet.
Using walking poles
How to use walking poles
Unlock both clamps, extend the bottom shaft ¾ and lock it in place. Next, adjust the length of the top section to the appropriate height. (The correct pole length should create an angle of 90 degrees at the elbow when you hold the pole in front of you - for comfort and control).
Pass your hand up through the wrist strap so that it sits between your thumb and palm then grab the handle of the pole. The strap and handle should now sit in your grip. Be careful not to grip the handle too firmly because this will waste energy and can cause excessive rubbing.
Flat Ground: place the poles slightly in front of you pointing tip backwards with an angle of around 15 degrees at the elbow. You want to focus on pushing the poles back as you walk, propelling you forward.
Uphill: adjust the pole length for the terrain- when going up hills shorten the poles by 5 – 10 cm. Place them nearer to your body than on the flat otherwise it is difficult to climb the hill.
Downhill: lengthen by 5 – 10 cm. Place the poles slightly further in front of you than when travelling uphill but keep your steps small to decrease the chance of a slip.
More guides
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