![]() For three-season hiking I‘ve come to prefer my Black Diamond Alpine FLZ they’re much easier to stow in my pack’s side pocket and break out when needed. It’s been 4 1/2 years since my original review and 3 1/2 since my previous update, and the Synclines are still going strong as my winter poles. From this point forward I'd guess that 75 percent of the time I'll just use these while snowshoeing, but it's nice to know that when I do decide to hike mountains I can count on them in really demanding conditions. THAT is what I call a quality piece of gear. ![]() They supported my entire weight at times while coming down, and at the end of the descent neither FlickLock had slipped 1 centimeter. The carbide tips grabbed and held on every kind of rock, whether rough or smooth, and supported my weight as I lumbered from rock to rock ("graceful" will never be an adjective used to describe me.) The shafts scratched and scraped when being placed and withdrawn, at times they'd get flexed up to 3-4 inches along their length, and never once slipped or otherwise betrayed me. Ascending, these poles gave me the confidence to get as far as I did before making the decision to stop and not hold up the rest of the group:Īfter about a half hour rest to let my quivering legs recover I started tagging along with people descending from the summit, stopping to wait for others when I fell more than 50-100 feet behind. Then you get above the treeline and things get even worse. It's steep, and the rocks are everywhere and more uneven than you could ever expect (as you'd expect on a mountain.) They're wet from meltwater and peoples' boots. ![]() We started up Tuckerman, where they didn't really get any use, then at the junction with Lion Head we decided to go that way due to trail condition reports from climbers coming down Tuckerman. Yesterday some friends and acquaintances and I climbed Mt Washington (I didn't summit, too out of shape), and let me tell you, these poles were a lifesaver. The indexing numbers on the inner pole could be bigger for ease of reading. You will want to slide the tubes apart and clean them once in a while to prevent corrosion. There are three-section poles that collapse to a shorter length, carbon fiber poles that are lighter, but for the price I don't think these can be approached, let alone beat. I've gifted snowshoes and Syncline poles to two friends, and I didn't even consider another brand or model. Adjusting the poles' length is very easy with the Flicklock locking system, even with gloves or mittens. I've jammed them into ice VERY hard - think Gandalf stabbing his staff into the stone bridge in Moria - in order to check if it's safe for my weight, and have never had the Flicklocks slip even the slightest bit. The included snow baskets keep the poles from sinking too far in snow, and the carbide tips really stick on ice. The straps are comfortable and don't chafe when I use them without gloves, and the grips have enough of a lip on them for pulling up my heel lifts. I bought my Black Diamond Syncline trekking poles for snowshoeing, and they're excellent for that purpose.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |