Hiking poles can bring a lot of benefits to outdoor hiking and traversing activities, such as improving walking stability and reducing the burden on the legs; according to research, using hiking poles while walking can reduce the force exerted on muscle joints such as legs and knees by at least 22 per cent, making the legs feel more comfortable! And using two trekking poles at the same time can provide better balance. And let's not forget that if you can't find a tree trunk, it can also be used as a pole for building a canopy with a tarp.
Understanding the construction of trekking poles Currently, trekking activities generally use three sections of adjustable trekking poles with aluminium/titanium alloy shafts, tungsten carbide tips, handle pads designed according to the palm of the hand, and quick-detachable snow loops; high-grade trekking poles are also equipped with shock absorbing systems to alleviate the burden on the arms! Here is a brief description of each part.Handle: Usually made of rubber, cork, plastic and foam, the first two materials are generally more comfortable to grip, but also more expensive. Some trekking poles have a 15-degree handle, which is derived from the design of ski poles. It is easier to hold onto the ground to achieve the braking effect when going downhill, but it is not easy to hold onto the ground when going uphill or walking on a flat surface, and you have to be very skilled in the use of poles to get used to it; therefore, it is not suitable for beginners or those who are walking on flat surfaces only.Wrist strap: This is the most important part to consider when purchasing trekking poles, because the mutual transfer of power between trekking poles and user's body mainly passes through the wrist strap, so the durability, softness, comfort and width of the strap material should be considered, and it should be possible to adjust the length of the strap to facilitate the movement of the wrist, and it is best to choose the strap without buckle; if there is a buckle attached to the wrist strap, it is necessary to try it on to make sure that it won't affect the movement of the wrist or the palm of the hand. If a buckle is attached, be sure to try it on to make sure it will not interfere with wrist or palm movement.Struts: Struts are usually made of steel, aluminium alloy and titanium alloy; titanium alloy is the lightest in weight, followed by aluminium alloy; the lighter the weight, the more expensive the price.Shock absorbing system: Shock absorbing system is a spring inside the trekking pole, which can cushion the impact according to the need, the price is more expensive than the trekking pole without shock absorbing system; there is also a kind of trekking pole which can turn off the shock absorbing system, the price is more expensive. But isn't it great to have a shock absorbing system? Why switch it off?According to the correct way to use, when you push back with the poles when going uphill, and when you push back with the poles and legs when going downhill, you need the shock absorbing system to moderate the impact; but when you go uphill, the shock absorbing system will cut down the backward thrust, that is to say, you need to use more thrust to achieve the same effect as the general poles, and at this time, the shock absorbing system has become an unnecessary device.Ski ring: Ski ring can prevent the poles from getting stuck in the mud, but the environment of mountaineering traversing has thorns and bushes, the ski ring will hinder the convenience of action, so pay attention to the ski ring should be able to quickly dismantle and install, so as not to cause trouble.Tip: There are rubber tips, iron tips, tungsten carbide tips, etc. Tungsten carbide tips are the hardest and most expensive, while rubber tips are the cheapest, but they can't cope with rugged outdoor terrains, and are not as wear-resistant as tungsten carbide tips.Adjusting the length of trekking poles When adjusting the length of trekking poles, first loosen all the poles, and stand on a flat surface with the poles in hand to adjust the length of the poles, the poles have a scale on them for reference. Arms hanging naturally, with the elbow as the fulcrum, raise the forearm to 90 degrees with the upper arm, and then adjust the tip of the trekking pole downward until it touches the ground; or put the top of the trekking pole under the armpit of 5 to 8 centimetres, and then adjust the tip of the pole downward until it touches the ground; and then finally lock all the poles of the trekking pole. The adjustment should not exceed the maximum adjustment length shown on the pole.The strongest state of the three adjustable poles is when the length of the three poles is equal, so don't extend one of the poles without the other, or exceed the warning scale of the poles, which will cause the poles to be easily bent and deformed, and cannot be used! The best way to use the poles is to adjust the other two extendable poles to the same length, which can ensure the support strength of the poles and increase the service life of the poles.Correct use of wrist straps When using trekking poles, people usually hold on to the handles tightly to exert force, thinking that the wrist straps only serve to keep the poles from leaving their wrists, and if you think so too, then you are wrong.When going downhill, the impact force of the poles should be transmitted to our arms through the wrist strap; and when going uphill, the thrust force of the arms is transmitted to the poles through the wrist strap to generate uphill assistance, so the wrist should not be directly from the top of the wrist strap to reach in and grab the handles, but rather, we should pick up the wrist strap, and from the lower part of the strap into the wrist strap, and then gently grasp the handles, and that's it. Support the poles through the wrist strap, rather than gripping the handle tightly to apply force. If you have a buckle, adjust it slightly so that it does not interfere with the operation of the poles.The following is the normal way of using trekking poles, but it is not the only way, you can make slight adjustments in the actual operation to find out the way that suits you, so as to fully utilise the benefits of trekking poles.Flat ground and gentle uphill is the same rhythm as normal walking, the right arm in the left foot forward at the same time, bring the poles forward, but the tip of the poles do not exceed the front of the body, and then pressed against the ground to push back, the left hand and the right hand to do the same action.Steeper slope action and normal walking, but the arm should be forward to put the position of the hiking pole in front of the body, the use of hiking poles to support the body up to reduce the pressure on the legs, if necessary, you can use two hiking poles at the same time to do the action of the climb, push the body up, the palm of your hand can be placed on the top of the poles to strengthen the push force.Downhill due to the impact is relatively large, it is necessary to use the hiking poles to reduce the load on the legs; hiking pole position must be placed in front of the body, and than the front foot first on the ground in order to achieve the effect of sharing the force, at this time the body will be tilted forwards, this action is not a natural action of our downhill, so we need to practice often, and at the same time, we need to feel the hiking poles to be placed in the position of how far to achieve the slowing down of leg pressure effect, and will not slow down the leg! The effect of pressure, and will not slow down the original speed and rhythm of travel. If necessary, you can extend the length of the poles according to your personal feeling.Maintenance of hiking poles When the poles are not used for a period of time, it is best to separate the poles and store them with the openings down and upright, so that the water inside can slowly flow out. If you can't unscrew it, you can gently tap the locked part or wet the poles to reduce some friction, and then you can unscrew the poles smoothly.A problem that often occurs with rotating locked poles is that the grommets inside the poles will rotate with the poles and fail to lock. The reason for this type of failure is that most of the grommets are too dirty, as long as the poles are disassembled and the grommets are thoroughly cleaned and then put back in place to solve the problem.
