Hiking and Trekking Poles - Features Plus Why & How To Use

As we became more involved with mountain hiking the more our views on hiking and trekking poles moved from, ‘No, I won’t take them’ to ‘Yes, I will need them for this walk’.

There are several main benefits but reducing the pressure on knees when descending steep terrain sits at the top of this list. On the other side of the coin, they can occasionally be irksome when scrambling (even when attached to your rucksack).

So, this leads nicely into Why Use Poles

The Main Features Of Poles

Various makes of poles are available and you should be able to find one ideally suited to your hiking needs and preferences.

In the main features of hiking poles we run through the key features available, such as telescopic sections, shock absorbers, handle and grip options, the all-essential wrist straps, plus the materials available for lightweight poles.

John also talks about what he uses today compared to what he has used in the past.

John now uses a pair of Black Diamond Alpine CF poles (left), because they are compact (no more getting stuck!), are ultra light and reasonably priced.

Best Techniques and Tips – The proper way to use walking poles and guidance on setting the height

See techniques for using trekking poles for information on a simple technique to holding them that solves this and how to use them on the flat, as well as when ascending and descending.

How to Care and Maintain your Hiking Poles