XC ski pole failure

[Aint Doody]

Today I was out with friends cross country skiing on our golf course. It was just perfect--light, fluffy snow on the ground and more falling. There was a very small hill that I got to first. I double-poled to push off for some extra speed and went over sideways! I thought, "What the blazes???" Getting up I put some weight on my pole and it collapsed. That's what caused me to go down. It was like it suddenly had a hinge! I gingerly skied on for the rest of the front nine holes, and then ducked in the pro shop for some help.

The golf pro taped a couple of pieces of shafts from golf clubs around the bad place, and I was off again. Apparently my ski poles are graphite. When I got home, I looked and the other pole has obvious signs of stress at the same place. I'm imagining that I've done this from riding my poles sometimes going down steep hills. (I love to do that!)

I've just ordered some new poles from REI. They'll be aluminum. Do y'all think it'll be OK to "ride" them occasionally? I'd probably had my other ones for 12-15 years. I guess for $25 I can afford to replace them every few years. Any comments? Does anybody else ride her poles?

[Bron]

I've just ordered some new poles from REI. They'll be aluminum. Do y'all think it'll be OK to "ride" them occasionally? I'd probably had my other ones for 12-15 years. I guess for $25 I can afford to replace them every few years. Any comments? Does anybody else ride her poles?

I have carbon poles, so no I do not ride them

Aluminium fatigues, so there's a limited number of times that you can bend them before they get brittle and they are not going to be as springy as steel (same as with bike frames). Having said that, DH has given his aluminium skating poles a decent workout over the last four years and they are still ok.

[SadieKate]

Wow, graphite, carbon, whatever, isn't designed to have sideways force like that. If you grab a fly rod up in the middle to fight a big fish, you'll most likely break it. Same concept.