Splitboard.com Forums

Any one have any input in to poles. New to the back country boarding thing and have never used poles for anything except fishing.

I would think that a 3 piece would be best?

~Thanks

BD Expedition Flicklocks seem to be the pole of choice. I have and love em. To the extent the sport requires poles

unless you are over 6'2", get the compacts. they fit inside the pack for tree runs much better than the regular length.

Most people here seem to have the BD 3 piece flicklock and a whippet.

I'm like 6' and actually the compacts were too short for me, because I like to use them pretty angled.

Make sure to try em out at the store if you're not sure, i use the standard size at almost full length most of the time, especially in snow but also for hiking.

Well I didn't have time to chime in for you, RIM climber but perhaps anyone else reading this in the future might care that I too use a set of Black Diamond Poles. I have the Alpine CFs. They employ the bomber Flicklock system and are of reasonable weight for a collapsible pole system.

Sounds like you ordered some but I'm going to use this opportunity to plug the new splitboard.com shop anyway.
http://splitboard.com/site/ApproachTools.html

While I agree that the Flicklock poles from BD are definitely a must (or the similar adjustment system now available from Komperdell (sp?)) I will interject the following. If you are looking for some poles that you plan to use in extremely cold environments I would definitely opt for the BD Trail poles over the BD Expedition poles (I do own both). The hard plastic grips of the Expedition poles seems to stay much colder than the foam grips of the Trail poles. This may not be a big deal on a day trip in nice weather, but if you really plan some touring trips in cold weather it will become less-than-ideal. The hard plastic grip of the Whippet is also my only gripe about that BD product, but it is still far superior to the alternative Grivel Condor IMHO. I'm done

Interesting point Chris. While I haven't used the Expedition poles in Alaska cold, I have used them in single digit temps and I can't remember the grip temperature being an issue. Maybe I didn't notice because I was too busy trying to keep the rest of my body warm.

I do agree the poles on the Trail version are pretty comfy and I like the way they extend lower on the shaft. Does the foam ever absorb moisture? It seems like if they did and then it froze that could be an issue. I also seem to remember some durability issues with the Trail versions, or maybe it was the CFs.

I heard Petzl had a flick lock style coming out too, maybe they meant Komerdell, or maybe both brands are doing something similar.

Water absorption hasn't been a problem to date, even in the summer with sweaty palms they stay dry. Haven't noticed any durability issues on the Trail poles, this will be their third season, and although cosmetically trashed they are still in good functional shape. If I remember right the CF only have only flicklock and one 'button lock'? I personally don't like having only one flicklock as the poles are somewhat limited in terms of how short one can make them.

The handles are made of a closed-cell foam which will not absorb water. In fact the miniscule dimples in the outer edge of the foam will keep moisture away from your glove/hand and actually feel less damp than a smooth plastic surface which will keep moisture in direct contact with your person.

Petzl offers 3-section poles with FLICKLOCKS... http://en.petzl.com/petzl/SportProduits?Produit=89
They come in 3 flavors... aluminum, titanal aluminum or carbon. I've seen these in person and they definately rival the BD poles. They are very simular to BD's Trail and Alpine poles.