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#1
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ski poles question
Hi all,
just got back from Kaprun in Austria, where me & my partner went skiing for the 1st time & very much enjoyed it. We did a learn to ski course & both got on very well indeed, & will be going back either later this year of early next year. My aim is go go fully equipped this time with skis. boots & poles, of which I have just bought a 2nd hand pair of boots from ebay. My question is this...... Could I use walking poles instead of ski poles? ( I'm a keen walker & so already have walking poles) Please excuse the intrusion or if the question is silly at all, or posted to the wrong group(s) Any replies most welcome TIA Rich |
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#2
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If they are adjustable sure. Do they have interchangeable baskets?
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#3
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millt wrote:
Hi all, just got back from Kaprun in Austria, where me & my partner went skiing for the 1st time & very much enjoyed it. We did a learn to ski course & both got on very well indeed, & will be going back either later this year of early next year. My aim is go go fully equipped this time with skis. boots & poles, of which I have just bought a 2nd hand pair of boots from ebay. My question is this...... Could I use walking poles instead of ski poles? ( I'm a keen walker & so already have walking poles) Please excuse the intrusion or if the question is silly at all, or posted to the wrong group(s) Five issues. Baskets - you need snow baskets. Tips - ice/snow tips may be different than rock/dirt tips. Handles - you'll want ski type handles (with straps.) Length - proper length for skiing is different than walking, so they need to be adjustable. Weight/weight distribution - you'll want low swing weight. So yes, if the above is available you can use walking poles. But why bother - adequate dedicated ski poles are dirt-cheap or free if you just look around. Really. BTW, the chances that you bought a properly fitting ski boot on e-bay are nil. If you are going to acquire a ski kit, start with a good pair of boots properly fitted by a real boot fitter expert as the foundation of your kit. See previous posts in r.s.a for details - boot fitting is a recurring theme. |
#4
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millt wrote: Hi all, Could I use walking poles instead of ski poles? ( I'm a keen walker & so already have walking poles) Rich In addition to needing baskets, they should have metal or carbide tips, not the "rubber" tips used on Nordic Walking poles. Since you appear to be starting, adjustable treking poles will let you dial in the proper length if they will extend long enough. I use Black Diamond Traverse poles for BC ski touring, but they are marginally long enough being marked to 145 cm, but can be extended to about 148 cm. I use 150 cm poles on prepared track. In contrast while treking, my trecking poles are set to about 120 or 125 cm. Rule of thumb on classic length is somewhere between arm pit height to as high as the top bone of you shoulder. The shorter seems be feel better on steep climbs and the longer feels better double pooling and on flatter terrain. Edgar |
#5
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millt wrote: Hi all, just got back from Kaprun in Austria, where me & my partner went skiing for the 1st time & very much enjoyed it. We did a learn to ski course & both got on very well indeed, & will be going back either later this year of early next year. since you cross posted to alpine as well as nordic, are you talking about cross country or alpine? it isn't clear from your epost My aim is go go fully equipped this time with skis. boots & poles, of which I have just bought a 2nd hand pair of boots from ebay. maybe walking the house, they are ok. after 45km, it may be different. feet are irreplaceable and miserable ones with poor boots can certainly do you in for now and for a long time. I agree, spend the money for the boots at a good shop with good boots. make do with the poles perhaps but make sure the foundation is solid! My question is this...... Could I use walking poles instead of ski poles? ( I'm a keen walker & so already have walking poles) Please excuse the intrusion or if the question is silly at all, or posted to the wrong group(s) Any replies most welcome TIA Rich |
#6
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klh wrote:
millt wrote: Hi all, just got back from Kaprun in Austria, where me & my partner went skiing for the 1st time & very much enjoyed it. We did a learn to ski course & both got on very well indeed, & will be going back either later this year of early next year. since you cross posted to alpine as well as nordic, are you talking about cross country or alpine? it isn't clear from your epost You're right - I assumed Alpine. I doubt if an adjustable walking pole will extend long enough for nordic and retain structural integrity... |
#7
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millt wrote:
just got back from Kaprun in Austria, where me & my partner went skiing for the 1st time & very much enjoyed it. We did a learn to ski course & both got on very well indeed, & will be going back either later this year of early next year. My aim is go go fully equipped this time with skis. boots & poles, of which I have just bought a 2nd hand pair of boots from ebay. My question is this...... Could I use walking poles instead of ski poles? ( I'm a keen walker & so already have walking poles) Please excuse the intrusion or if the question is silly at all, or posted to the wrong group(s) You'll need different poles for nordic (aka crosss-country) than for alpine (aka downhill). Neither are very expensive, but you need to buy the right kind in the right length. You can find new poles for under $20US, or perfectly fine used ones at garage sales for a buck. Our local re-use center has several barrels of dollar poles. In this case, there's no good reason to cheap out and try to use your walking poles - just buy equipment that's made for the task. So what kind of skiing did you do? Downhill or XC? - you'll get much more applicable advice if you clue us in on that little secret. //Walt |
#8
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lal_truckee wrote: klh wrote: millt wrote: Hi all, just got back from Kaprun in Austria, where me & my partner went skiing for the 1st time & very much enjoyed it. We did a learn to ski course & both got on very well indeed, & will be going back either later this year of early next year. since you cross posted to alpine as well as nordic, are you talking about cross country or alpine? it isn't clear from your epost You're right - I assumed Alpine. I doubt if an adjustable walking pole will extend long enough for nordic and retain structural integrity... I assumed alpine because of the Kaprun reference and because who needs a learn to ski course for nordic?.... well maybe the jumping bit. Chris |
#9
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bumpfreaq wrote:
I assumed alpine because of the Kaprun reference and because who needs a learn to ski course for nordic?. Um... I did. Still do, actually. //Walt |
#10
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On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 15:13:07 +0100, millt wrote:
Hi all, just got back from Kaprun in Austria, where me & my partner went skiing for the 1st time & very much enjoyed it. We did a learn to ski course & both got on very well indeed, & will be going back either later this year of early next year. My aim is go go fully equipped this time with skis. boots & poles, of which I have just bought a 2nd hand pair of boots from ebay. My question is this...... Could I use walking poles instead of ski poles? ( I'm a keen walker & so already have walking poles) Please excuse the intrusion or if the question is silly at all, or posted to the wrong group(s) Assuming you are talking alpine skiing, then as others have said, you *can* use adjustable hiking poles. I did, this January, in the Dolomites, and had no real problems, apart from managing to lose both baskets at different times, and not easy to find replacements. -- Alex Heney, Global Villager Philosophy: unintelligible answers to insoluble problems To reply by email, my address is alexATheneyDOTplusDOTcom |
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