walking pole failure

[Nuts]

C'mon!!!

Yeah, probably, can't avoid in some places, your walking world is bigger than mine, I'm guilty of thinking of places more familiar to me.. Tracks and people avoiding mud by using the plants to step on.

Still you Can vault over them with poles.

[ILUVSWTAS]

C'mon!!!


Still you Can vault over them with poles.

Nicely done! 8/10 for comedy, and 10/10 for getting it back on topic.

Excellent set of tennis right there!

[corvus]

Some Cushion plants are firmer than others. I dislike standing on them too, but in some places they are so common it is almost impossible not to. Oh and i'm a little bit over 50kg.

You do look a bit thin in your Loddens pic just how much over 50kg are you and yes I agree in some places they are impossible to avoid.
corvus

[ILUVSWTAS]

Well I never! Why are we discussing my weight? Im nearly half that again.

[roshall]

thanks for all the info...recon I'll get flick lock ones. as to the damage they do when they first were being used inTas I kept noticing little round holes by the tracks....I thought there must have been an invasion of spiders making holes before I realised what was going on! Ros

[Wolfix]

Shouldn't be excessive damage as long as mud baskets are used. Only 1 inch of disruption which would be tamped down again by hikers.

[Wolfix]

Maybe 2 inches.

[photohiker]

Wikipedia reckons they have impact:

Impact
An impact of trekking poles, scratches left by poles on a rock in a wilderness area

Some hikers have complained that pole use leaves a visible impact on the surrounding trail, poking visible holes in the ground and damaging adjacent vegetation. The most common complaint is that the carbide tips leave visible white scratches on rock, and make scraping sounds. All these detract from the wilderness experience they seek.[1]

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), which estimates that pole usage rates on the Appalachian Trail vary from 90% among thru-hikers to 10-15% among day hikers, recommends several measures to mitigate the environmental impact of trekking poles in accordance with Leave No Trace principles of low-impact backcountry recreation. Hikers, it says, should not only be aware of what they put their poles into, they should remove the pole baskets unless hiking in snow and use rubber tips to avoid scratch marks on rocks. On level sections, or in areas where the potential for adverse impact is high, the ATC suggests putting the poles away entirely.[1]

I have seen the impact of walking poles on flat stretches of popular track, but not in Tasmania. When you see an abraded area on each side of a narrow track comprising of thousands of walking pole prints, you know it's time to put them away. Like anything, an ultra high usage shows a similarly high impact.

[stepbystep]

Well there you go, if it's in wikipedia.....

The trackie that complained to me was referring to damage to tracks in Tasmania.

[Wolfix]

Hmm, fair call. I wonder too about the environmental ethics of sport climbing routes, while we're talking about human impact in use of parks.

[Onestepmore]

Roshall, Main Peak has 35% off all Black Diamond poles at the moment (plus $10 postage)

[madmacca]

I carry poles, and use the strap. The trick is to put your hand up through the strap, so the load is going through the palm (the diagram above is worth 1000 words), and you don't need to actually 'grip' the pole. I find poles great for steep descents, stream crossings and very slippery (eg. wet clay) surfaces. Most of the rest of the time they are folded up and strapped to my pack as more trouble than they are worth.

Some have reported troubles with wet twist lock poles, where they become too slippery to undo the twist lock. I have solved this problem with a rubber band on each pole - it provides enough grip and torque to undo even the tightest, wettest pole. I use the 3mm red ones that often come with the mail, and wrap them several times around the pole.