Alpine Touring/Telemark Poles

Recent Alpine Touring/Telemark Pole Reviews

Leki Vario XS

Leki's Vario XS four-season poles are designed for kids, but are fully functional on trail or in the snow. Adults or children who use poles in the 80-110 cm (31-43") range will find these two-piece poles are easy to adjust both for length and strap position. Leki's HTS 5.5 aluminum balances strength and weight, making the Vario XS a four-season pole that can adjust for growing children.   Leki Vario XS  The Vario XS replaced the Leki Vario Jr. SpeedLock and, while aimed at younger hikers and skiers,… Full review

Leki Guide Lite V

For this review, I'm going to break the Leki Guide Lite V ski pole into each of its components and go over each one separately, since I have some very mixed feelings about the pole. Pole Body The main body of the Guide Lite V pole is a two-piece, all-aluminum construction adjustable from 110 to 140 centimeters. The construction of the pole itself is more or less what you'd expect from a high-end ski pole designed for backcountry skiers. Due to its all-aluminum design, the Guide Lite V is slightly… Full review

Black Diamond Compactor Ski Poles

Lighter, faster, and easier to use than other poles, yet worries about durability linger. Despite the worries, I really like these poles. Summary: From Black Diamond: "The aluminum compactor pole adjusts between popular pole lengths and uses an internal Kevlar cord to instantly break down to packable size and redeploys in a flash. One, rock solid, point of adjustment means you can keep moving instead of being the one always fiddling with your poles." I trek on my ski poles. Or maybe I should say… Full review

Black Diamond Compactor Ski Poles

Love the trekking poles. I use to hike a lot, but with aging my pace has really slowed down. These poles are so much better than using a cane for any walking you do. Because of the perfect balance they create you can move easily wherever you use them. However, I have lost my manual and I need advice about how to put on the powder baskets. Help??? Full review

Black Diamond Compactor Ski Poles

Awesome product fo sho! When your trail is slippery, rocky, unstable or challenging in any way, bust out these poles for sure footing. Also, if you have pain in knees/ankles from impact on the trail, these will offer much needed relief to keep you going. Full review

MSR Deploy TR-3

MSR has consistently made rock solid products, and this is no exception. The overall design may become the industry standard. The pole never slipped in height adjustment. The aircraft grade aluminum offered consistent stability. The pole offers a simple way to adjust height without fussing with clips, locks, and twists. The no catch triangular basket, solid construction, and ease of use will make these my go-to poles for my winter hiking and snowshoeing. The TR-3 at first blush to me while attractive,… Full review

Black Diamond Compactor Ski Poles

I love these poles. I use these poles for everything, skinning with my splitboard, snowshoeing, and backpacking. They are awesome. Lightweight and they collapse down really small.   The only downside I can think of is that the powder baskets need to be on in order to keep them from flopping around. The baskets have two notches in each one that snaps onto the pole shafts to hold them together into a compact package.   Without the baskets (used as a trekking pole) they will flop around on your pack… Full review

Black Diamond Whippet

The Whippet will give you added security in places where falling will have dire consequences. You have to know how to self-arrest for it to be useful. I recommend it for anyone that has ever wished they had, or actually had, an ice axe in their hand while skiing. I started skiing with a Whippet two seasons ago and I really like it. I don't have crampons for my skis so this gives me a nice sense of security when skiing on hard snow. I've had a few unexpected falls/slides where I couldn't stop if… Full review

Black Diamond Expedition 3

Light, tough, and cheap. I find it a bit amusing that after many years, the traditional leaders in hiking poles, Leki and Komperdell, are finally coming out with locking systems for their poles based on the Black Diamond Flicklock system. We've all heard stories about the old twist-lock poles collapsing at the wrong moment, dumping someone in a puddle or causing a fall, and it's good to see other companies following BD's lead. I've had my latest pair of Black Diamond Expedition poles for about three… Full review