Komperdell Contour Foam AS

I own 5 pairs of Komperdell poles. Contour Foam AS are the heaviest. The poles are pretty much as advertized. They're ok.

The problem is Komperdell has absolutely no support. You cannot contact them. That's almost impossible in this day and age, but they are reclusive. They apparently change their US representation on a quarterly basis.

I've been trying to reach them first through Sierra Trading Post where I have bought most of my poles. They sent me to two possible sources. One turned out to be a dead phone number. The other a very nice company who told me they no longer rep Komperdell. They passed me onto another company, who is also no longer working w/ Komperdell. They passed me off to Komperdell Austria which is where I have been sending unanswered emails for about 6 months.

I've been a loyal customer for their products for several years. But no longer. I'll take my business elsewhere, and urge you all to do the same.

This is a great lightweight trekking pole. Extensions slide inside one another and lock solid so the pole stays at the length you put it. A friend of mine had a different brand that comes apart like a tent pole, and it kept coming apart when he got it stuck in some rocks.

I love the foam hand hold extensions which allow you to slide your grip down for a step or two when the terrain changes, without you having to re-adjust the pole. Being a three piece instead of two, collapses down to a small enough size that it can easily strap to a day pack. I highly recommend.

I would not recommend this pole. I have used them about a year on about 20 hikes. Top part of pole broke at handle early on and stayed attached by a small piece of metal.

A couple of weeks ago I had trouble adjusting one of the poles and could never get one section to lower. Sometime during the hike, the section fell out, and now the pole is useless. A week later the broken portion at the top of the pole finally came off along with the wrist strap.

Now both poles are pretty much useless. Not what I expected for $90.

This is a lightweight, well balanced pole. During my recent Haute Route trek I snaped the internal locking mechanism when the Duolock came loose. Since I normally check the locks ever 4-5 hours, I now feel uneasy with this pole, as it could have been very dangerous if this had happened at another time.