Choose proper backcountry ski poles to make your ski touring way easier (and safer)

Although ski poles seem simple, the task of choosing good ones for backcountry, isn’t. For a start, backcountry skiers expect a lot more from their poles than frontside skiers (unpisted snow and no uplift, right?). Second, there are so many options available now, that choosing good poles for backcountry use can get pretty complicated.

So, as backcountry skiers/riders, we need to focus on what we need from our poles. For example, super light weight, or wear-resistance? This post will go through the various design features and help you choose the best ski poles for your type of backcountry touring. And for an overview of a truly wild and variable ski touring destination, check out Ski touring in Scotland: a brilliant backcountry classroom.

Adjustable or single-section?

Ski tourers used to just have the choice of adjustable or fixed-length poles. Now, with Z poles, we have another option, which attempts to give the benefits of both. Read on to find out more multi-section poles.

Adjustable poles

Adjustable trekking or ski poles are usually made of 2 or 3 sections of slightly different diameters, which ‘telescope’ inside each other. They can be easily lengthened and shortened, and when fully dismantled they take up very little space.

Older designs used an internal clamping system, but most current ones use more reliable external clamps. Adjustable ski poles are usually set up with a single adjuster at the handle end. In some designs, the wider diameter tube is the upper one, in others it’s the lower (which may, surprisingly, be weaker).

Z poles

Improved manuacturing has now made Z (or ‘folding’) poles mainstream. Like adjustable poles, they usually consist of 2 or 3 sections. But unlike adjustables, these sections are all of the same diameter and are joined permanently by an internal polymer ‘string’. When assembled, they all interlock like a tent pole or avalanche probe, to make a pole of uniform thickness.

This system relies on tensioning the internal ‘string’, so there’s no external clamps. Although this design can be collapsed for storage, it’s length is fixed. That said, you can also get Z poles with a single short telescopic section, usually at the handle end. Some might prefer this style for a ski touring pole (check out the Black Diamond Compactor pole as an example).

Lifelink were another take on multi-section poles. They were designed to be joined together to form an avalanche probe. Although they work, they are not as effective as a proper probe and they are rarely seen nowadays.

So, which is better?

Short answer is, it depends. Certainly, more joins in the pole means there are potentially more weaknesses. But the modern locking designs are very strong and well tested.

One of the main disadvantages of telescopic-type poles was the external clips snagging and failing, but Z poles now offer an alternative. If you’re a splitboarder, adjustable or Z poles will always be your go-to because you need to stash them for the descent. But skiers now have lots of options. For ski touring, single-section poles are hard to beat for their balance of strength, cost, weight and reliability. But if you really need adjustables, then there are some good designs out there.

You don’t realise how important poles are on the ascent, until you lose one. Once, while leading an intro tour, one of my group members snapped their 2-piece pole just below the handle. We had deep, unconsolidated powder snow, rapidly dropping visibility, strong headwind and plummeting temps. The best solution was to just give him my poles, otherwise we would probably have had to turn back early.

Grips and straps

Poles for backcountry skiing need to be comfortable for long periods of uphill skinning. Handgrips can be made from plastic, foam, rubber or cork. They all have slightly different properties, so you should choose the one that suits you best. Some have a hook type shape, in theory helping you to adjust your binding’s climbing stages without having to bend down.

In a fall, the pole strap can cause injury to the thumb (‘skiers thumb’), or wrist or shoulder. Consider not using straps if a nasty fall is possible. If buried in an avalanche, hand entrapment could prove fatal, so some backcountry skiers cut off their pole straps.

There are also minimalist grips, corrective angles (reducing wrist stretch) or broad oval handles (easier to ‘palm’ with). Some grips extend down the shaft, allowing you to more easily ‘choke’ the pole (indeed, you can make your own with grip tape). Various strap designs exist, some quick-release, some Velcro, but most are simply adjustable webbing.

Aluminium vs carbon

Both are good materials for a ski touring pole, but they have significant differences. If you are just starting out, are rough on your equipment, or may need to use your poles as part of a crevasse rescue system, full length alloy poles are a good shout. If it’s all about the swingweight, then carbon fibre is the way to go.

Aluminium (Alloy)	Carbon fibre
More forgiving	More stiff
Can be bent roughly back into shape	Does not bend, fails catastrophically
Less affected by abrasion	Can be severely weakened by abrasion
Cold to touch	Warmer to touch
Light	Very light
Cheaper	Expensive
Recyclable	Not currently recyclable
Low swingweight	Very low swingweight
Strong	Very strong

Pole tips are of a fairly standard design. Alloy poles often have their tips inserted directly into the metal shaft. Almost every other type has its tip in a strong plastic sleeve, with the pole shaft inserted into that. Although the plastic ones rarely fail, the fixed alloy construction is still probably strongest. Pole tips are usually made of tungsten carbide – the same stuff as used for drill bits. Poles for ski touring should be replaced before they get too blunt, otherwise you will lose alot of ‘bite’ when skinning on icy snow.

Baskets

A wide basket is essential on a backcountry pole. The small baskets for on-piste use tend to sink in unconsolidated snow, making skinning or walking tricky. Most manufacturers make a mid-sized basket that fits in between their narrow piste/trekking baskets and wide ‘deep powder’ baskets. Another advantage of a mid-sized or ‘freeride’ basket is that you can more securely stash the pole upside down behind your back, similar to the mountaineers ice axe carry.

If your trekking poles have wide baskets, but you want to use your ordinary downhill poles for touring, try swapping the baskets over. Unfortunately, large, round baskets do get caught by the wind a bit more. They can also sometimes stop the pole tip biting in hard snow. One way round this is to opt for asymmetric baskets.

How do you size poles for backcountry use? Basically, it’s the same as on-piste. However, when backcountry skiing, your poles have many more jobs to do, so length may be more of an issue. Slightly longer can make skinning easier (even one long, one short for traverses). Slightly shorter poles can be good for skiing steeps (alternatively, ‘choke’ the pole).

So, poles are an essential part of your ski touring kit list and one of those things you only notice when they’re NOT right. To help you choose the best ski poles for backcountry use, prioritise the features you need most for your style of touring.