[at-l] Poles, was: wrist straps

[KLandau364@xxxxxxx (KLandau364@xxxxxxx)]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
In a message dated 1/11/2003 12:41:12 PM Central Standard Time,
daveh@psknet.com writes:

> From my observations, the folk who tend to like the spring loaded ones tend
> to be the stronger hikers w/ good balance, who use the poles mostly as
> propulsion aids.
>

I like my "spring-loaded" Lekis, but nobody who has ever hiked with me would
confuse me with either a particularly strong hiker or one with good balance.

I like the poles for all the reasons cited by others -- balance, propulsion,
and, most of all, reduction of stress on my joints (particularly knees and
ankles).  But the main reason I like the shock absorber feature is the
reduction of impact on all my arm joints -- wrists, elbows, and shoulders.
Sometimes, when the poles twist just right, the poles "lock" to a position
that turns off the spring-loaded feature.  I can always tell when that
happens immediately.  Particularly over long distances, I think that feature
greatly eases the stress on one's arms and shoulders.

Walkabout