Do you REALLY use your collapsible poles?

[TheDon]

I got into a discussion the other day about collapsible poles with a bunch of bc skiers. It was funny to see what people thought the reason the poles collapsed and if they actually ever collapsed them.

Seemed like most didn't actually every adjust the height but did use rubber below the handle on a steep skin track.

I just wanted to see what other here thought, do you really need collapsible pole? Could you just use the same height pole but put a something grippy below the actual handle?

[hafilax]

I use different lengths for the way up than on the way down. Ski mountaineering, the poles often end up strapped to my pack. I also use the same poles with different lengths while snowshoeing and back packing with a heavy pack.

[old goat]

I only ski inbounds these days but I do use collapsible poles--longer for pow, shorter for hardpack, and way longer for long skates and climbs.

[Hott Butt Mud]

Yeah, I use them. If you are ever in a long, flat area, being able to make your poles as long as possible will help you skate/glide/push faster. Going uphill I'll make them a little bit longer than what I would have them at for skiing down. And, as mentioned, it's pretty sweet to be able to shorten them all the way and strap to your bag. I think this would be especially nice for split boarders.

[XXX-er]

All the above^^and i could add sometimes a skin track will pack/freeze into a hard raised track while the snow on either side is soft/lower its nice to extend the poles

split boarders like the 3 piece poles to fit IN the pack

BD flicklocks have been bomber IME and they sell spare parts

[Meadow Skipper]

No, not really. Wish they made a fixed-length Whippet.

But really love my DPS Noris. Great poles.
https://www.dpsskis.com/bazaar/buy/dps-nori-pole

[rideit]

Yes.
What do I win?

[pappag]

In all my years skiing bc and mountaineering, I've only used whatever ghetto poles I can find in my trunk. Whippet could have been handy on a few occasions, but never had an instance where I wished my poles collapsed.

[jmedslc]

i barely ever adjust my poles. hell, most of the time, i don't even bring adjustable ones and just use my normal ski length pole.

[roadgap]

No, I don't ever adjust the length, but I do really like the baskets on the BD collapsible poles.

[Skirotica]

I find it a lot of work to stop, adjust and continue during a treck, whereas, gripping down or just hang dogging on the wrist straps can sometimes help in a pinch. But like HBM suggests, different height for up vs. down is not uncommon.


But, I use the same poles for different things (ski, hike, etc.) and the adjustment facilitates this vs. buying more sets of poles.

Also, collapsing them to store on backpack is essential.

[gregL]

I seldom adjust them, maybe once or twice a year for a frozen lake crossing, but I like having the Flicklock "knob" there as a stop when holding the pole below the handle.

[bestskieratsnowbird]

yep. definitely the rubber grips more than anything but long skates or uphills i definitely push em out aways and then back to the lowest setting for skiing. having shoulder issues i do really like very short poles that would be useless when i'm not actually skiing though so that may affect my usage.

[cmsummit]

Do I actually NEED them for a successful bc excursion? Probably not.

Is it nice having an adjustable length for going up vs. down? Yes.

[GeezerSteve]

Yes, every tour.

I extend them for double pole glide-outs and flats (e.g., frozen lakes) on about half my tours. That's the Nordy skier double-poler in me.

On switchbacky tracks and traversing on side slopes, I usually have a short pole in the uphill hand and a long pole on the downhill hand.

On crevassed glaciers I often have one pole long so that I can probe bridges.

[whyturn]

I like them for sidecountry, snowshoe and other stealth missions

[jfost]

...
On switchbacky tracks and traversing on side slopes, I usually have a short pole in the uphill hand and a long pole on the downhill hand.
...

this. I find it nice on steep kick turns to have a long downhill pole to brace against. I guess I could just use my 3rd leg, but it gets cold out there...

[~mikey b]

yes - I adjust them a lot

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

One point that I love adjustable poles for is using them to secure the inner walls of a mega mid. Rather than using a center pole, with adjustable ski poles (2 sets - assume 2 people), you can put them together handle to handle (using the opposing wrist leashes to lock them into each other for inward force, as well as some BD ski straps to add rigidity), and then put them from the side of the mid into the center on each side. Adjustment is key to be able to put them in and then expand to tighten.

This is hard to explain (I realize reading above it makes no sense), but it is (1) bomber, (2) renders one less thing you need to carry for shelter (e.g., no center pole) and (3) alows a ton of floor space without the center pole.

I couldn't use this system with fixed poles.

[SB]

poles - yes

adjustable - yes

[iscariot]

Usually longer on the up, and shorter on the down.

[huhh]

Yup. It's so easy to adjust my bd traverse poles when I'm skinning so why not.

[PNWbrit]

snowshoe and other stealth missions

Stealth snowshoes?

Do you have to use the carbon fiber flicklock poles with those?

[Ski to Be]

Also good to be able to shorten them and strap to the pack when using snowmobiles for ski access.

[Meadow Skipper]

Oddly enough, the times I do adjust them it's almost always to shorten them for the up, then back to normal for the down. Keeps my hands lower than my shoulders when climbing and I can push down on the tops. Am I the only one? Y'all should try it..