Are walking poles worth it, and how do I use them?

Poles divide opinion until people use them on a long descent with a loaded pack, at which point the argument tends to end. They reduce load through the knees, add two points of contact on rough or slippery ground, help with river crossings and boggy ground, and give you something to do with your arms on a long day. They are also one more thing to carry and they occupy hands you may want for scrambling.

What you'll need

• A pair of adjustable poles
• Rubber tips for hard surfaces
• Snow or mud baskets for soft ground

Step by step

1. Set the base length on flat ground.Stand upright, hold the pole with the tip on the ground next to your foot, and adjust until your elbow is bent at about ninety degrees with the forearm horizontal. That is your default.
2. Shorten for climbing.Going uphill, take five to fifteen centimetres off so you are not reaching up. On a steep zig-zag you can also simply choke down and hold the pole lower on the shaft rather than adjusting.
3. Lengthen for descending.Add five to fifteen centimetres so the pole reaches the ground below you without you having to stoop. This is where poles earn their place and it is the setting most people forget to change.
4. Use the straps properly.Bring your hand up through the loop from underneath, then bring it down over the strap onto the grip. Your weight goes through the heel of your hand onto the strap, and you can hold the grip loosely. Gripping tight with the hand dropped straight into the loop tires your forearms and gives you far less support.
5. Adjust the strap length.The strap should be snug enough that your hand is supported without needing to grip. Most poles have a buckle or a screw — set it once and leave it.
6. Walk with an ordinary opposite rhythm.Left pole with right foot, in the natural walking pattern. Plant the tip roughly level with your foot, not far ahead of you.
7. Plant both poles together on steep descents.On steep or awkward steps, plant both poles below you, take the weight through them, and step down. This is the technique that saves knees and it is worth practising.
8. Use them for river crossings and bog.Two poles give you a stable tripod in moving water; face upstream and move one point of contact at a time. In bog, poles find the firm ground and stop you committing a leg to a hole.
9. Match the tip to the surface.Carbide tips for soil, grass and rock. Rubber tips for tarmac, paving and hard rock slabs, where carbide skitters and makes an unpleasant noise. Wider baskets for snow, soft bog and deep mud.
10. Stow them when you need your hands.On scrambling ground, ladders, stiles and steep rock, poles are a liability. Collapse them and put them on the pack before you need to, not while you are standing on something awkward.
11. Look after them.Dismantle after wet or gritty trips, dry the sections, and clean the locking mechanisms. Grit inside a twist lock is why poles collapse under load.

Tips

• Buy poles that adjust and pack down to fit inside or on a rucksack. Folding Z-poles pack smallest; telescopic poles adjust over a wider range.
• Two poles are considerably better than one because the loading is symmetrical and you always have a plant available for the next step.
• Anti-shock springs are largely unnecessary and add weight and failure points. Good technique does more.
• Poles double as tent poles for many tarps and lightweight shelters, which is a real weight saving for anyone camping.
• If poles annoy you on the flat, carry them and deploy them for the descent alone. That is where the benefit is largest.

Common mistakes

• Putting the hand down through the strap from above — The strap then does nothing and you support your weight by gripping, which tires the hands and forearms and gives far less help.
• Leaving poles at one length all day — The correct climbing and descending lengths differ by a good ten centimetres. A pole that is too long uphill and too short downhill is working against you both times.
• Using poles on ground where you may need your hands — On scrambles, ladders and steep rock you want hands free. Stow them before the ground demands it.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask