There are almost as many telescopic poles as there are snowflakes on the mountain. And many good ones too; but also some really bad ones. Black Diamond's 3-section telescopic poles are what every telescopic pole should be: durable, reliable, long-lasting. You can stow them away small and always have them quickly adapted to the prevailing conditions. Skiers (and snowboarders), what more could you want?
Why the poles are so good...
More and more manufacturers have understood that only the outer clamps work reliably in all conditions. BD has known this for a long time. Adjusting them works smoothly even with the thickest gloves. My current pair is seven years old and looks (almost) like new.
A matter of course: the poles are stable and hold reliably and permanently. Without wanting and being allowed to name brands here: there are others too...
The pole has no bells and whistles, it's just a pole. You do what you do with a pole when skiing and on tours: pushing, using the pole and poking around in the snow.
Weaknesses
Admittedly, I also bought my old Expedition poles because of the cool, asymmetrical large plates. They looked so well thought out. In reality, however, they are more of a pain than a pleasure. They are big enough and stable too. However, as I generally don't have my hands in the pole loops and the asymmetrical plates tend to get caught in the snow, I often lose one of my poles when I'm pushing off dynamically because it gets stuck in the snow. It certainly looks silly when I have to turn around. But there's nothing else to complain about. And replacing the plate would be easy. However, the current poles from the BD pole collection have revised plate shapes.
And why do you see a catalog picture here and not my old one...?
To my great annoyance, I've just noticed that the search for my pole is pretty futile. I left it stuck in the snow behind the lift the day before yesterday. And if you happen to read this Gear of the Week tip on Sunday, you'll also know where I am: looking for my long-serving, much-loved Expedition Pole from BD.
