Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

My Black Diamond Traverse poles just hit the dust today. Seems aluminium can only take so much beating before it breaks. Oh well. I liked them a lot but they were not perfect. Here are there pro's and con's, help me find something better!

Pros:
-good length (150cm)
-confortable wrist straps
-sturdy (though breakable it now seems)
-ajustable

Cons:
-the carbide tip is not sharp so is a pain cross-country touring on harpack or ice
-the snow baskets are small and rigid (have replaced mine with the old school leather king)
-The shape of the plastic handle is best for downhill. I shaved some plastic off to make it more XC-ski like for the long distance days.

What pole would include all the pros and better solutions for cons that I have mentioned?

Though I have no complaint about BD aluminum-carbon pole that I'm currently using, komperdell's series look very attractive.

I'm like tha Leki Air Ergo Backcountry titanium. They are light and have a xc style grip but I don't know if they are still available.

I've broken the bottom parts of those BD Traverse poles in the past. I find they're ok for certain things, but kick and glide on XC skis its not one of them.

Did you know you can get a replacement for the bottom section?
http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/ski ... l#start=23

montrealer wrote: Did you know you can get a replacement for the bottom section?
http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/ski ... l#start=23

I did not know, thanks! Now if only I can find a way of getting a pair sent to Canada at a competitive price. Any ideas?

Let's keep the thread going on what could be the best xcD/XCd comprise ski pole available! I'm looking for a telescopic type, minimum 150cm!

I got mine (the poles, not the replacements) at Le Yeti. I don't see them on the site, but maybe call them. http://www.leyeti.ca

Also noticed MEC doesn't carry them on the site, but maybe they stock them.

Give them a call. You can find a 1 800 number on their site. They are very helpful. And they garantee their stuff, so, you never know. I lost some connectors for my skins: I gave them a call and they sent me some free of charge!

I have BD poles too, but I also have a non telescopic swix poles with big leather baskets: sturdy and lightweight... I love them for BC use...

I'm contemplating buying an extra pair of traverse pole ends, sawing off the carbide tips and hot gluing on some swix leather baskets with sharp tips i have hanging around. Since i've already altered the handles to my liking, this might actually make a very versatile, ultimate set up for myself (i also have full length non telescopic poles for when i go out on XCd day tours). I already gave sawing off the carbide bit a try on the broken pole end. cutting it off 4 cm from the carbide tip allows for a sweet connection with the swix plastic bit/basket while remove significant weight from the setup up (an ounce maybe?).

Anything better out there?

I'm rocking the Swix Mountain poles this year and loving it! I have two pairs, both found for cheap by trolling around various sales & shops. These are way lighter than 2 or 3 section poles and heavier gauge than normal XC poles. For some reason I prefer these to my BD sectional poles, the extra length doesn't bother me on downhills.

Rather than starting a new thread, I thought I'd try to revive this one. My motivation is purely selfish - I'd like to buy some new XCD poles....

I'm eyeing the (non-telescopic) Swix Mountain poles, but would like to know folks thoughts on telescopic vs. non-telescopic. For me, the key attributes are 'backcountry-grade' strength, a true xc grip, and the right length. Telescoping is a really nice, but perhaps not necessary, feature.

What are folks using? What do you like and don't like for XCD?

Thanks.

Tom