All about walking

60 watchers

Rosehip Jul 2020 1:05pm, 25 Jul 2020 17,139 posts	0 Rosehip Gosh, they are cheap Jenny! please report back once you've been using them for a while, be good to know how robust they really are.
jennywren Jul 2020 2:06pm, 25 Jul 2020 15,714 posts	0 jennywren I will Rosehip. Planning on trying them out in (hilly) Macclesfield Forest tomorrow
jennywren Jul 2020 2:51pm, 26 Jul 2020 15,715 posts	0 jennywren Well the poles seem fine. I haven’t used them before so found they took a bit of getting used to. I did a short walk up a steep hill (Teg’s Nose) and they probably helped a bit on a steep set of steps. I’d say they didn’t do much on flatter ground and half way I put one of them away and just used the other on my stronger side. Work in progress I’d say.
Wombling Plodder (Welsh Womble) Jul 2020 6:51pm, 26 Jul 2020 3,257 posts	0 Wombling Plodder (Welsh Womble) Thanks for the update jennywren
GimmeMedals Jul 2020 6:58pm, 26 Jul 2020 17,256 posts	0 GimmeMedals I met a lady today on a coastal path, who was coming down quite steep steps and had poles. She said that they’d definitely made it easier on the downward parts of the walk. I find that too, especially if I have to step down quite a long way or if the ground is slippy or uneven
Velociraptor Jul 2020 7:05pm, 26 Jul 2020 47,713 posts	0 Velociraptor I can imagine poles helping on some of the trail that you photographed for your blog, GM. (Am still a resolute non-user because walking with things in my hands is too much like multitasking for me.)
FenlandRunner Jul 2020 7:17pm, 26 Jul 2020 4,373 posts	0 FenlandRunner Poles are amazing, they help keep your hips level. But you do have to accept being classed inadequate if you use them.
Angus Clydesdale Jul 2020 7:38pm, 26 Jul 2020 19,014 posts	0 Angus Clydesdale We’ve used poles for 20 years now, particularly when walking with heavier bags on multi-day expeditions. I’ve never felt (nor been caused to feel) inadequate.
GimmeMedals Jul 2020 7:56pm, 26 Jul 2020 17,259 posts	0 GimmeMedals I’m just nervous these days and expect to fall over dust, so the extra points of contact help with confidence. I’ve been known to dither for minutes about stepping down from a rocky step. I usually end up sitting down and sliding my way down, which is ok if the step is huge, but a bit ridiculous when everyone else manages it without much fuss.
Cerrertonia Jul 2020 8:11pm, 26 Jul 2020 12,994 posts	0 Cerrertonia We did a few days trekking at altitude in the Andes a couple of years ago, and it was the first time I'd used poles. Having originally said that I didn't see the point, I changed my mind when I saw that our guide was using them himself. Don't think I would've coped without them.