What's with the fully padded ski poles?

[Boissal]

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.

[John_B]

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.

Fucking preach!

[MagnificentUnicorn]

I’ve never liked adjustable poles, I’ve owned a few different pair. To me the Black Crows Oxus is the perfect pole. It’s made of the same aluminum as Scott Series 4, light, stiff and almost indestructible. Mine are just a hair long, so I’m not really choked way up if at all depending on the slope and snow. I’ve had homemade long grips on Scott poles before, I needed new poles and I found the Oxus for $50. Don’t care if I look like a gaper.


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[Buster Highmen]

I get the padded extra grip functionality
I get the adjustable functionality.

I don't get the extra grip + adjustable functionality.

That said, I just revived my somewhat fiddly ife-link adjustables after losing their tips:

[alpinevibes]

I’ve never liked adjustable poles, I’ve owned a few different pair. To me the Black Crows Oxus is the perfect pole. It’s made of the same aluminum as Scott Series 4, light, stiff and almost indestructible. Mine are just a hair long, so I’m not really choked way up if at all depending on the slope and snow. I’ve had homemade long grips on Scott poles before, I needed new poles and I found the Oxus for $50. Don’t care if I look like a gaper.


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Oxus are great. I got some in 2016 (before the fad ), but bought them too short. Sold them four years later, with a slight bend and buncha scratches for almost what I paid. The fad had arrived - and apparently is still arriving - according to this on-trend thread.

[JackSkier]

Don't ask me why cos I'm not an engineer, but I feel that the pole swing is entirely different when you're holding a long grip pole halfway down to have the correct length for the descent vs holding a regular pole at the grip at the top.


Love my long grip poles for touring and especially steeps, where being able to rapidly descend the uphill hand on the pole is a big advantage. But for regular skiing, they're inferior.


The worst for fashion victimness are the Batons d'Alain. They're even rented by posey touring shops in the Alps now as a USP.

[Peruvian]

The worst for fashion victimness are the Batons d'Alain. They're even rented by posey touring shops in the Alps now as a USP.

The Wizco ones are the most dangerous.

[XXX-er]

I toured with an assistant guide/ hut custodian/ splitter at GAH who instaled golf club grips on his poles

[Name Redacted]

Seems like a little road bike grip wrap would be sufficient.

[Peruvian]

The best price is the end of season sale at Home Depot.

[ASmileyFace]

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.

My issue with flicklock has nothing to do with how easy or difficult it is to use it. You've never had it open at a wrong time and lost the bottom half of your pole on a deep day? Nothing like having to make your own pole out of a dead branch halfway through a 5k vert pow day. No bueno.

[scmartin69]

My issue with flicklock has nothing to do with how easy or difficult it is to use it. You've never had it open at a wrong time and lost the bottom half of your pole on a deep day? Nothing like having to make your own pole out of a dead branch halfway through a 5k vert pow day. No bueno.

If you JB-Weld the lowers into the uppers it solves that problem...

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[PNWbrit]

My issue with flicklock has nothing to do with how easy or difficult it is to use it. You've never had it open at a wrong time and lost the bottom half of your pole on a deep day? Nothing like having to make your own pole out of a dead branch halfway through a 5k vert pow day. No bueno.

Nope.

[Westcoaster]

Nope.

Happened to me all the time. Adjustable poles blow.

[byates1]

Rebar w golf grips and bar tape. It's settled then..

[Shred Baron]

The fuck do you need the golf grip for, rebar is already ribbed the entire length. My preference is #4 kinda lightweight but not as durable as #6. I use #10 while hiking in the summer as weights for training.


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[XXX-er]

My issue with flicklock has nothing to do with how easy or difficult it is to use it. You've never had it open at a wrong time and lost the bottom half of your pole on a deep day? Nothing like having to make your own pole out of a dead branch halfway through a 5k vert pow day. No bueno.

actualy it does sound like you had trouble with the ease or difficulty of pole operation

I know the lever is a tough one so just get your mom to help you

[PNWbrit]

Happened to me all the time. Adjustable poles blow.

I must be doing something wrong?

[babybear]

Yea I’ve never had issues with adjustable poles either. Maybe back in the day with the twisty Lifelink poles but not since then
My husband is a Line athlete and now they sell poles, so he basically gets me whatever pole matches or coordinates with whatever skis he gets me for a Christmas gift.
But the poles are legit. They have a more basic grip like a golf club grip which I dig. Check em out

https://lineskis.com/en-us/c/poles/

[Name Redacted]

Yea I’ve never had issues with adjustable poles either. Maybe back in the day with the twisty Lifelink poles but not since then
My husband is a Line athlete and now they sell poles, so he basically gets me whatever pole matches or coordinates with whatever skis he gets me for a Christmas gift.
But the poles are legit. They have a more basic grip like a golf club grip which I dig. Check em out

https://lineskis.com/en-us/c/poles/

Yeah I like my Line poles. I do wish the little tab at the handle was stiffer so it could helps with stuff like buckles and toe pieces and such. But other than that they’ve been great. The Phillips head tips have saved me more than once. Haha

[babybear]

I agree about the tabs being stiffer- i often try to use them for unbuckling on the lift but they are not robust enough

[m2711c]

The fuck do you need the golf grip for, rebar is already ribbed the entire length. My preference is #4 kinda lightweight but not as durable as #6. I use #10 while hiking in the summer as weights for training.


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useful ski tips like this are what attracted me to this site in the first place.


thank you.

[::: :::]

The fuck do you need the golf grip for, rebar is already ribbed the entire length.

And at 0deg, the steel just sticks to skin

Because gloves are for Texans

[Boissal]

My issue with flicklock has nothing to do with how easy or difficult it is to use it. You've never had it open at a wrong time and lost the bottom half of your pole on a deep day? Nothing like having to make your own pole out of a dead branch halfway through a 5k vert pow day. No bueno.

Not going to pile onto the mockery here despite how tempting it is... The only reason a flicklock fails is because the nut/bolt is loose and doesn't clamp hard enough. If that's the issue, again, how do you manage to adjust the DIN on a touring binding?

I've had the same pair of BD adjustable poles for 5 or 6 seasons. Before they updated the mechanism from plastic to metal. Never once have I lost the bottom part, deep day or not. The poles never "self-adjust", even when I blow it on an icy skinner and put all my weight on one side. I've had the basket get stuck in a tree branch and damn near rip my shoulder out of its socket (yes, pole straps bad). I routinely use the poles as a blunt machete on brushy outings. I've smacked the shit out of the fliplock on thick branches, the thing just does not care.

To be fair, I've had to resort to using branches while touring. Because the poles stayed at home, not because they flew apart. And frankly it wasn't the worst thing I've had to do while touring. We have some aspens with gloriously straight branches in the 'satch.

[westoxified]

the best part of these padded poles is how much easier it is to rock a spontaneous lurking rig. bring two straps to keep the creep alive in the lift line.

good luck figuring that one out millennials.