Walking Poles

[mtbdarby]

My mom told me "on the side" that she was interested in a pair of walking poles for Christmas. She thought they were too expensive for anyone to get her but I love a challenge and shopping online!

She's short, about 5'2". How do I measure her for poles, any brand or website recommendations and I would like telescoping poles so she can pack them and take them with her on their travels.

While we're at it, I'm 5'6" and would like a pair for snow shoeing. Thanks for your help!

[7rider]

Not sure how to measure for them, but Sierra Trading Post always seems to have trekking poles on closeout.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Dar,
There are threads for both fitness walking and snowshoeing- you might get some other good answers on there.

I got some very nice telescoping snowshoeing poles last year from EasternMountainSports. Heres a whole bunch:
http://www.ems.com/catalog/subcatego...761&i=1&n=1000

Here is some good info on Nordic walking poles and what to look for:
http://walking.about.com/cs/poles/a/nordicwalking_3.htm

[limewave]

A lot of trekking poles are adjustable. I just got my mom a pair for when she goes walking and she loves them. She was using a cane, but now she feels more hip and trendy, plus they offer better support

[DebW]

For street walking for your mom, you'll want rubber tips on the poles. Most poles come with metal tips and you buy the rubber things separately to cover the metal. Overall weight is one important factor in shopping, as well as the comfort of the hand grips and straps. I've had Komperdell poles and REI brand (on my 3rd pair). Leki is known for good service. The expansion bolts become problematic after a couple of years - you have to oil them regularly to keep them working, but then if they fail in the locked position and you can't loosen the joints, you're screwed. If they fail in the open position, you can usually pull them out and lube them. Some companies use lever-activated joints rather than twist-activated joints. The lever-activated may be more reliable, but I haven't tried them.

Pole length should be set to hand height with elbows bent 90 degrees and forearms parallel to the ground. But hikers will adjust them longer or shorter depending on the slope and terrain (longer for downhills, shorter for uphills). If you get the adjustable poles you can always make them right (just be aware that ultralight poles may be too short for tall people).

[Zen]

I've seen these in store. They're adjustable and if she ends up not using them you're not out that much.

[Trekhawk]

I love my Leki poles. They are easy to adjust for height which is great. My son who is shorter than me used mine to go hiking in Yosemite.

[emily_in_nc]

I have REI "Ascent" Compact poles (Compact is for shorter walkers) that I use for hiking, and I am about your mom's height. Most poles will work for her height; it's the really tall people that have to make sure they get poles that are long enough, as you typically lengthen them for going down a big hill and shorten them for climbing. Mine cost around $99, and I love them. Bought the add-on rubber tips to avoid marring rocks on the hiking trails as well. My DH has the same brand but in the regular length. And we aren't "old", we just like them for the extra stability they provide on rocky trails. They help the knees as well!

Emily

P.S. You can see a couple photos of me using them last weekend in the mountains in my blog (link below). Click on the photos to enlarge 'em.