The best ski poles

1. #1 Leki Sticks 1 4/5 see on amazonsee details
2. #2 Black Diamond Expedition 3 poles 4.3/5 see on amazonsee details
3. #3 K2 Freeride poles 18 3.3/5 see on amazonsee details

Often overlooked, ski poles are nevertheless important to be able to become a successful skier or simply have fun on or off-piste. In the snowpark, they are not essential while in ski touring, they are just as useful as skis.

Selection of ski poles

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Comparative table ski poles

Tips for choosing your ski poles

Even if the exercise of choosing ski poles seems obvious, it is often underestimated or even neglected. In reality, the few key points listed below will guide you to the pair of skis that is adapted to your skier profile.

Length

The length is undoubtedly the most important criterion. Even if it seems obvious, choosing the right size directly impacts the way you will ski. Too long, the poles will get in the way and will constantly get caught in your skis. They might even knock you down.

Too short, they will be useless, because you will not be able to use them to push on them in flat areas, or to gain support at each turn. The famous planted stick will be undermined!

To sum up, even if it's more complicated than that, your elbow must be at a right angle when you grip your stick upside down, and you take it by hand just under the puck. It's a quick and easy test to make sure they fit your build.

Weight

Depending on the material used, the weight of the stick can fluctuate from simple to double. For example, carbon fiber is very light while aluminum is quite heavy on first impression. The case of telescopic models can also be problematic in terms of weight, in particular because of the tightening / adjustment system and the spring sometimes integrated inside.

For pleasure skiing, even a heavy pole is quickly forgotten, even in the case of all-aluminum models. The weight becomes important if you want to be efficient, or if you are ski touring. In ski touring, every gram becomes important. You have to carry all the equipment with the strength of your muscles, and of course the poles are part of it, even if we tend to forget it easily.

To sum up, the question of the weight of your ski poles is not a fundamental criterion, unless you are looking for performance, if you are racing, or ski touring. On the track, the aluminum models are sufficient.

Material

The material influences several parameters at once: weight, strength, flexibility and performance. There are half a dozen materials used for the construction of ski poles such as aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber or even bamboo.

Aluminum

It is the most commonly used material. The advantage is that aluminum is resistant to shocks, knocks and scratches. Main disadvantage, aluminum is not light.

There are however different types of aluminum or alloy with aluminum which can lighten the poles.

When aluminum ski poles take a hit, they tend to deform rather than break instantly. It is often for this reason that many of them, especially on the rental stock, are slightly twisted. It is possible to straighten an aluminum stick when it is twisted too much. You can do it with the strength of your arms, but the risk of wanting to straighten it is to weaken it by exerting too much stress. It could break instantly. Often, it is wiser to keep the stick with its slight curvature rather than wanting to straighten it at all costs.

Carbon fiber

Carbon fiber is an excellent material. This fiber has the property of being light, resistant and does not twist. However, my only experience with carbon fiber models was inconclusive. My poles broke after a few days of skiing, certainly from repeated blows, doing freestyle skiing. Since then, I have not tried carbon fiber models again, but the manufacturers assure that the material has been more resistant for several years.

If you are looking for lightness and performance, this is definitely a carbon fiber stick you should consider.

Bamboo

No, it's not a joke, bamboo is really used to make ski poles. And despite the first impression: it's wood! They are actually extremely durable. I know very good skiers who are used to freeride skiing with bamboo poles. Jumping rock bars, freestyling, so far no problem. Bamboo like aluminum has a certain flexibility, and will not break immediately.

In addition to the ecological side of bamboo, the bamboo ski pole has a unique and let's face it, rather trendy look. So why not try the bamboo adventure! It is rather independent brands that offer this type of model, the big brands confining themselves to classic and proven aluminum for most of their entry and mid-range poles.

Handle

There are different types of grips on ski poles:

Standard

They are simple and strong, with protruding ends, so that the handle does not slip between the hands. They play the role of stopper, and are very practical when you start skiing. It is this type of handle, not really ergonomic, but practical, that is used on rental sticks. Resistant and practical.

Profiled

They have an ergonomic shape that matches the shape of the hand and sometimes they have a "meaning". There is a right hand grip and a left hand grip. You could reverse them and still ski without difficulty, but you should feel some discomfort. Their grip is pleasant and natural. You don't need this type of handle if you are a beginner, it won't do you much good. But if you are looking for more performance then this is a good option.

Extent

Some models have an extended grip zone (also called grip). The handle may have a stop, less pronounced, then the grip extends over the stick to partially cover it. The main advantage is that you can grab it below the handle, and the grip is excellent. It is very useful during hiking trips or in conditions of steep slopes or steep slopes. On a steep slope, you can take the downhill pole by the handle and the uphill pole at grip level, so your uphill arm is not stretched upwards and no longer throws you off balance.

Material of the handles

Most club grips are made of hard or soft plastic. The hard plastic handles are very resistant but less pleasant to grip. This is often the type of grip on rental sticks. Softer plastics are more pleasant and offer a better grip.

Finally, some poles dedicated in particular to ski touring are made partly of cork. Cork provides flexibility and excellent grip. It offers a good grip, especially when using the poles without gloves. Which can be the case, uphill in ski touring.

hand strap

The strap, as its name does not indicate, is the strap that goes around the wrist in order to keep your stick in hand and not to lose it too easily. The strap therefore has a simple role. The materials that compose it are mostly a nylon mesh, which has not had to evolve for decades. And, there's no real reason for that to change, because it works just fine that way.

On the other hand, if it is necessary to attach importance to a detail, it is to make sure that the adjustment of the strap is easy and fast. The standard wrist straps found on entry-level models and rental models have a fairly basic plastic adjustment buckle, which tends to loosen a little too easily.

Some slightly more sophisticated models offer adjustments with scratch or more scratch adjustment buckle. The difference will not be huge because once you have found a comfortable position with your wrist strap, you have no reason to readjust it.

Detachable straps are an interesting alternative, as they allow you to separate poles quickly without having to remove your hand from the strap. It is an anchoring system that allows you to simply clip and unclip the strap in the handle. It's very easy to use and it's very comfortable. In fact, it's very useful for skiers who stop regularly and need to do tricks quickly without poles, such as ski instructors or trackers for example. The detachable straps, for some of them, can also detach automatically if they are subjected to strong traction. This can save you from injury, especially if you ski in undergrowth or between trees, and in avalanche terrain.

Washer

The puck is this small plastic disc located a few centimeters from the tip of the ski pole. The puck allows the stick not to sink too deeply into the snow. Imagine the puck as a float. Depending on its size, it allows you to stay more or less on the surface of the snow.

For example, the large washers make it possible to make good support in deep and powdery snow. Conversely on the piste, a small puck is more than enough, because the snow on the piste is worked, groomed, compacted.

To put it simply, a small puck is ideal for compact or hard snow like on the ski slopes. A larger puck, providing more lift and buoyancy, is useful off-trail and in powder snow.

Telescopic sticks

Telescopic poles are really useful off-piste and ski touring. Because they have the main advantage of being able to be quickly adjusted, via a small tightening system at mid-height. They are particularly popular for hiking. We will prefer to adjust the length to have a long stride on the way up, and have shorter poles on the way down if the snow is deep. Another advantage is that if you are on a slope of several hundred meters on the climb, you can adjust your poles differently to better follow the terrain and feel less unbalanced by planting the pole upstream and downstream. For slopes, poles with extended grip are also very practical to be able to grip poles at different heights without having to readjust them.

type of practice

Depending on your main practice, you can orient your choice towards sticks with specific characteristics.

On track

We will say that it is the standard practice of skiing, in this case you do not need specific poles. Aluminum poles, of standard length and with a small washer are recommended. You are not looking for performance, but pleasure and stability.

Off-piste, freeride

For off-piste skiing, solid poles, not too long to be easy to handle and not get in your way in turns in deep snow are recommended. Detachable straps can be a good option, if these straps come loose under heavy pressure. Therefore, if you get caught in a snowslide, the poles will come loose and you will be free to use your arms as much as possible. Likewise, if you are skiing in a wooded area and you inadvertently snag branches, the strap will come off and prevent you from potential injury.

Nordic skiing

When hiking, telescopic poles are a must! With an extended grip to be able to use them easily at different heights, which is quite practical on slopes. On top of that, lightweight, carbon fiber poles will free you from a few precious grams, when it comes to riding them by muscle strength.

Freestyle skiing, snow park

In freestyle skiing, the poles play a very secondary role, and sometimes parasitic. Some freestylers even do without their sticks completely to do tricks. It's understandable when skiers do grabs, the hand is freed up and can more easily grab the skis. When freestylers have poles, they are usually short or even very short.

In summary, to make the right choice

To choose the right ski poles:

1. pole length adapted to your size
2. strong material like aluminum or light like carbon fiber
3. basic or profiled handle for more performance
4. standard strap sufficient on the trail or detachable to save time or off-trail
5. large puck for off-piste and deep snow, small puck for on-piste

Your questions about ski poles

How to choose the size of your ski poles?

The size of the ski poles is directly related to your height, quite simply. Be careful however, depending on your practice, on piste, freestyle, freeride, the lengths may vary. The indications given below are for a classic practice of skiing on piste.

What are ski poles used for?

Ski poles are used to initiate your turn by initiating a movement of your upper body. Once the stick has been planted, you can trigger the turn by pressing the inside edge of the downhill ski.

Sticks should not be used by pressing on them. Think of the poles as an extension of your arm and allowing you to keep your body forward, which is important for keeping control of your direction and speed.

How to choose the size of your ski poles?

To find out if ski poles are your size, grab the pole upside down, just below the puck. If your arm is at an angle of about 90 degrees (at the elbow), then the skis are your size.

For freestyle skiing, skiers prefer shorter poles because they are less troublesome, especially when landing jumps. And in freestyle skiing the use of poles is not as important as for other disciplines.

What are the different parts of a ski pole?

A ski pole is made up of 5 distinct parts:

Why are some ski poles twisted?

Twisted poles are actually useful for slalom or giant slalom skiers looking for speed and performance. They also offer some aerodynamics. We are not talking about twisted sticks, but rather profiled sticks or curved sticks. Their shape allows them to be easier to maintain in the schuss position which is a speed-seeking position.

1. #1 Leki Sticks 1 4/5 see on amazonsee details
2. #2 Black Diamond Expedition 3 poles 4.3/5 see on amazonsee details
3. #3 K2 Freeride poles 18 3.3/5 see on amazonsee details
4. #4 Rossignol Carbon 20 Safety Poles 4.3/5 see on amazonsee details