How to use trekking poles hiking downhill Aaron shows you how to use trekking poles like a pro.You see people using trekking poles. Keep the below comparison in mind and practice both to determine which works best for you: As you move forward with each solid pole plant, raise your forearm slightly to allow the trekking pole to swing forward ready for its next plant. This should be a subtle, natural movement with the arms and less of a noticeable pickup and throw forward. Using poles is pretty straightforward and intuitive but there are few key things to get right which will make using them much more enjoyably. Here are the other types of trekking pole locks; Twist lock: Uses an expander and screw to lock the pole into place. For lengthy, uphill sections of trail, it is recommended that you shorten the length of your poles (1” to 4” depending on gradient). If you are climbing or descending, the optimal length is not the same. Thanks for checking out my trekking pole technique, I hope it helps. Like when skiing, poles provide extra points of contact with the ground which provides more traction at all times. For example, a pole might use an external lever lock on the upper shaft and a twist lock on the lower shaft. You see people recommending trekking poles. They make the impact of your trekking pole tips a lot gentler (you’ll feel that in your arms) and can give you a far more secure walking pole placement by reducing the unexpected skidding of your poles that can happen when you put the bare metal tips on rock. Establish both poles on the lower level before stepping down. The only time this is useful technique is when you’re stepping up onto a ledge -- which will reduce leg fatigue. The best method of pole walking is to put your opposite pole out after each step. You can rely on your poles most of the time but prepared to react to any slips or poor pole placements. Plus, it makes walking with your poles … They provide lots of traction in mud, gravel, ice, snow, etc. How to Correctly Size Your Trekking Poles Determining pole length. The core use of a hiking pole is to relieve pressure, provide balance and give you traction. When walking downhill the terrain ahead is always lower than you so to maintain a comfortable grip it’s a good idea to slightly increase the length of your poles. I do not find that they are a real positive or a negative. If you are hiking in winter conditions, trekking poles are great for balance on a slippery and snowy trail. Once this part is removed you’ll be able to tighten and or loosen the strap making the hole smaller or larger. Since this is where your body meets the pole, it’s important to find a grip that fits and works for you. If you hope to enjoy your time on the trail for many years and many miles, take a closer look at the benefits found whilst hiking with trekking poles. Easy Trail Guide. Tip #7. This allows you to alternate them at each turn for greater leverage. P.S If you’re still on the fence about whether you should get a pair of trekking poles, here are the main pros and cons: There are a number of reasons to use trekking poles. Trekking or hiking poles reduce fatigue on your joints, provide additional stability in challenging terrain, and can even be combined with shelters to create multi-purpose use. Trekking poles can serve as the critical support necessary for creating a splint commonly used for serious sprains or bone fractures experienced while on the trail. Your tips will wear down eventually, and they can be replaced(it’s a pain). Wrist straps: It’s actually pretty common to see hikers using their trekking pole wrist straps incorrectly. The use of trekking poles, however, greatly increases your steadiness and reduces the likelihood of a bad fall while on the trail. Why not spread the workout to your upper body for full-body fitness? If you’ve ever taken a wilderness first-aid class or read through what you should carry in a backpacking first aid kit, you’re familiar with the need to sometimes improvise emergency medical supplies in a backcountry setting. Long, downhill segments require a longer pole height to better aid with stabilization and shock absorption. When going uphill, try to incorporate a solid pole plant and arm push to better launch (that is what it feels like when you time it correctly!) Some grips have raised ridges, and these ridges don’t necessarily match every hiker’s ha… This roughly translates to a 70-degree angle. This allows you to walk comfortably without having to hold the poles really tight with the grip of your hand. Each Cascade Mountain Tech trekking pole is built with a tungsten carbide tip, meant to provide optimal grip on a variety of surfaces, including rocks, dirt or ice. And when you’re crossing a frozen stream, using the trekking pole to test the ice is a great option. Now there is no need to continually adjust your poles every time you’re going up or down a path -- but it is worthwhile if you’ll be walking uphill or downhill for a sustained period of time. Anywhere too high or too low can cause arm strain and discomfort, so adjust the length of your poles accordingly. Press the push button to release the lock and collapse the poles. To ensure that you do get the best possible results when using a trekking pole, you will need to ensure that you use the correct tip for the right environment. You may not recognize it at first, but there are, actually, several strategies behind the method and rhythm to which you swing your poles forward. There are hundreds of different poles out there from ultralight carbon fiber (more expensive) to durable aluminum (more common). Poles help with posture. Whether you're new to trekking poles or a lifelong fan, we encourage you to test out pole tips vs. no pole tips in different settings to find what works best for you. When using poles the weight of each step is distributed between two extra points of contact and we can absorb this energy with our upper body. Have you ever hopped off a rock without knowing whether the mud in front of you was a negligible ¼ inch deep or a shoe-ruining 6 inches? You may need to try a few different sizes before getting the right grip. My point here is that there are a time and place for both methods, with neither being the only ‘right’ way. Poles help steady yourself and reduce your chances of falling over and causing injury. With extensive use, trekking pole tips must eventually be replaced. First, it’s an extra weight to carry and secondly using poles does increase your energy output -- although the caveat to this is that you’ll be hiking further and most people don’t perceive the extra energy output. Keep it neat, relaxed and … Every good hiker or backpacker knows that the best gear items are those that have multiple uses. The purpose of the tip is to give you good purchase in the ground so that you are able to push effectively down through the pole during the whole of your swing without the pole slipping. Almost all trekking poles are extendable which will allow to set them up at the right height. This extra balance means you can walk faster on more challenging terrain. I find it limiting, however, to say that this is how you should always do it. Walking or trekking poles are designed to give the hiker maximum support so that they provide propulsion. Push-button lock: Poles with this locking mechanism snap into place and lock with a single pull. Metal tips can wear down when used on ‘improved’ surfaces like asphalt or pavement. If you put your tip first, you’ll have less leverage and you walking will be less efficient. Push-button lock: Poles with this locking mechanism snap into place and lock with a single pull. This results in a more powerful pole plant helping to boost you onward and upward. Trekking poles come in handy to help out with stability. To begin with, you must be aware of how to use trekking pole tips while hiking. Knowing how to use trekking poles improves efficiency and increases enjoyment – when used properly . By using trekking poles, our knees are better protected. Any skilled photographer knows the importance of stabilizing the camera for obtaining crisp images worthy of sharing. This is, particularly comforting when hiking around blind corners and is a lot less annoying than bear bells. Rubber tips absorb shock and vibration better than metal tips on paved terrain. The sharper, carbide tips will work best when they are used … Heading out for a day hike or a backpacking trip and wondering if you should get a pair of trekking poles and how to use them correctly? This technique gives you better balance and stability. Tips The tip is the piece of plastic with a metal point at the end of the pole shaft. When walking on flat terrain, your poles can help you with your forward propulsion. In this guide, we will be covering the following: Trekking pole use for hiking, walking, and backpacking is a given for most experienced outdoor travelers, yet we often see new hikers hesitant to bring them along. What about leaping onto a rock while crossing a creek unsure of its stability? It is the most used type of tip when it comes to hiking. Take advantage of the shock absorption found in most quality hiking poles to help lessen the impact your joints experience while hiking, particularly on downhill sections which can be rough on knees. You can use them to erect an emergency or ultralite shelter, for example, or conduct simple “ski-pole” tests of a snowpack’s strength when traveling avalanche terrain. We, commonly, check things like mud or snow depth, rock stability, and even tap logs we’re about to step on in hopes of scaring critters away before our foot is on top of their home. It wouldn’t be much fun to retrieve your nice camping tent from a gear duffel only to find it has been punctured by the sharp tip of your trekking poles, which you stored in the same place. Move the pole and the foot together when stepping up or down ledges. Face upstream if the current is strong and maintain a tripod position as you shuffle sideways through the water. A tip I got from a hiking buddy is to have one pole slightly longer than the other when hiking zig zags paths. When adjusting the height it’s important to have it locked in properly so it doesn’t slip and cause injury. The pole tip can easily gain traction in mud, dirt, snow or ice without leaving any permanent damage to the trail or making much noise. Whether walking on flat ground or climbing steep hills, poles have the ability to increase your average speed, allowing you to cover greater distances. These foot pieces have no sharpened edges and this will keep them from sinking in. A properly adjusted strap should be tight enough to help support the weight of your hand on the pole. Another way to get the right pole height is by using multiplying your height by .68 in centimeters. Placing too much weight on your poles can lead to injury or falls if they slip. yourself over trail obstacles. Consider purchasing a small handle accessory that turns a trekking pole into a convenient monopod for better photos. Different poles using different mechanisms, but usually, it involves: Here are the other types of trekking pole locks; Twist lock: Uses an expander and screw to lock the pole into place. 54 Comments Bill Brokob on May 31, 2017 at 8:11 am. Hi, I’m Simon, the hiker behind OutdoorYak.I love to love to travel, hike and explore new mountain trails. Ideally, you want your poles to come up to your hand comfortably when your arm is bent at the elbow by 90 degrees. By increasing the length of the pole, you can make traction with the ground and have your arms not outstretched too far in front of you. Just imagine how quickly that impact can add up over the course of many miles. Your elbows should rest at a comfy 90-degree angle when using your trekking pole. How and When to Use Trekking Pole Tips & Baskets There are several ways to optimize your trekking poles by using the accessories, tips and baskets, on the appropriate terrain. This is a great way to reduce impact experienced by your joints when your entire body weight comes crashing down onto the next step. Check out our tips below on why you should be using trekking poles, how to use them properly, and when to adapt their set-up for various terrain. Here are a few tips to ensure that you are attaching yourself to your trekking poles in the correct manner. The wrist strap on hiking poles are there to help transfer load and weight as you use the poles. Put your hands through the strap hole from the bottom upwards. Trekking poles are designed to give you extra stability and confidence when you are hiking. Slide your hand up through the strap from behind the pole’s grip, Grip the handle of your trekking pole – the strap should now be running down, between your thumb and forefinger into your palm and around the back of your wrist, Make sure that there are no extra twists in the strap and that the webbing sits flush against your skin, If you let go of the pole it should fall down out of your hand, How to adjust them for different terrains, Adjust your poles to the proper length before hiking, Use the wrist straps for reducing hand/wrist fatigue, Know basic maintenance for handling problems on the trail, Remember to use the proper tip (carbide for soft soils and rubber for rocky surfaces), Assume that trekking poles are unnecessary, Be afraid to commit some weight to the poles while hiking – that’s what they are for. Never ending paths of awkward foot placements make ankle twisting slips and falls very common. Ultimately, your goal should be to develop a rhythm with your hiking poles so that they act and feel like an extension of your body’s natural movement. The poles use a reliable twist-lock mechanism to collapse or extend to your desired length. Trekking pole length (how to size) The right size trekking pole will put your elbows at a 90-degree bend when the tips are on the ground. It … Take a mental note of this number so you can easily extend them to this each time you get them out ready for the hike ahead. You hold the grip similar to how you would hold a ski pole. This is here to stop the pole damaging the box or other items when in transit. Almost every single trekking pole on the market comes with hardened steel/carbide tips(cheap poles might not). This technique supports your wrist and heel of the hand and allows you to keep your hand relaxed on the grip. If your grip is too tight it will reduce blood circulation in your hands and leave a mark. For general hiking we recommend the standard pole tips- they are ideal for both walking and hiking. Knowing the differences before you hit the trail will help in determining which may work best for you. You’re in the right place! Trekking poles were the most commonly used item for improvising splints during scenarios throughout my training as a Wilderness First Responder. (not on every descent, just for sustained periods of moving downhill). Note that to avoid poles skidding on rocks even with rubber tips, be careful where you place them. Grips come in different sizes, shapes, and materials. Every time we take a step forward our knees must take some of this impact. These tips serve to offer you sufficient grip and traction on a wide range of surfaces, including ice, snow, standard trails, and any other type of terrain you might encounter. 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