You gotta love the people complaining that fidlock-like systems are fiddly. Despite what the name suggests it's probably the dumbest mechanism ever designed. Flip switch with a finger, adjust pole, flip switch back, done. How can you even think of operating a touring binding if you can't master a fidlock?? And the grumbling tends to be from the same group of people constantly agonizing about elasticity, power transfer, freeride spacers, any number of fiddly-as-fuck shit that provides an infinitesimal measurable benefit (if that) but ties directly into the image of the rad bro...
2-piece alu poles with foam grip extending 6" below the standard grip work well enough for "sidehilling, booting, skiing shallow, skiing steep, sideslipping, poling on flat road, etc". They also won't shed all their fancy rubber when use them in aggressive bushwacks.
Like in every sport, the kooks with the shiniest gear and the strongest opinions tend not to be the ones you want to take tech advice from, unless you want to skip on the price of the Blister subscription and go with the regurgitated review they'll provide.
"Your wife being mad is temporary, but pow turns do not get unmade" - mallwalker the wise
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