All about Nordic walking, hiking and trail poles

Particularly useful in the mountains, walking and hiking poles are faithful companions that help you make the most of your outings. Let's take a closer look at this space-saving accessory, which has many advantages.

Nordic walking, hiking and trail running are sports that require little equipment. However, the better you choose them, the more you will enjoy your outings in the mountains and the better you will perform. Hiking poles not only make walking safer, they also give you more endurance and take the strain off your joints and back. For long hikes, difficult descents, climbs on unstable or slippery terrain, having hiking poles will make your job easier. You will be able to go faster, farther and last longer. You've got it: with them you'll always be one step ahead!

As with all new experiences, the first few times you use them you may not feel completely comfortable. But if you choose the right poles for your level and size and learn how to use them correctly, you will soon see that there are many more advantages than disadvantages to using walking poles for hiking. To help you identify your needs and priorities and choose the right poles for your comfort and enjoyment, here is a comprehensive guide to walking and hiking poles. 

Why use hiking poles in the mountains?

While poles are essential for Nordic walking to help you propel yourself, build upper body strength and increase flexibility and stamina, walking poles also offer many benefits when hiking.  

They help to: 

• Relieve lower back and joints, by reducing the load and impact considerably. When using walking poles, 30% of the weight is transferred to the arms, and therefore supported by the poles. If you are carrying a rucksack or on a slope, walking poles are even more useful, especially to protect your knees on difficult descents.
• Increase stability and safety on difficult, slippery or unstable terrain, on slopes or uphill, on ice or snow. Using poles will double your support and therefore increase your balance. You will be more confident and therefore more efficient, but above all, you will limit the risk of falling and getting injured.
• Overcome obstacles more easily if you are practising on steep terrain, littered with stones, rocks or tree branches for example. They will provide extra support and stability when crossing dangerous, slippery, muddy or river passages.
• Reduce muscular fatigue in the lower body thanks to a better distribution of muscular efforts. By using the upper body, your efforts will not be concentrated only in the lower body. Your legs will be less heavy at the end of the day.
• Have a more regular rhythm, as you will no longer be slowed down by the obstacles and difficult passages encountered along your route. You will have more support on the way up, more stability on the way down or during difficult passages. You will be free to regulate your pace and your breathing, gain in efficiency and endurance and reduce your fatigue.
• Have a better posture, for the many reasons mentioned above, especially if you carry a heavy backpack and practice on slopes. Be careful, however, to choose and adjust the size of your poles to ensure the right posture. In addition, engaging the upper body will help you develop a more harmonious physique. 
• Decrease hand and finger swelling through improved blood circulation as you engage your entire body down to your fingernails.
• Increase endurance, speed and performance. In short, you've got it, hiking poles will give you more endurance, increase your speed and reduce your fatigue for the same effort. 

Find out more about how to use your hiking poles.

Trail poles, hiking poles or Nordic walking poles: what are the differences?

There is a pole for every sport. Here is a summary of the advantages of walking poles depending on the sport you practice:

• Trail poles

Trail poles are the best choice for uphill and long runs. They save energy and strength, spare your leg and thigh muscles, and therefore help you to be more efficient and enduring. They help to protect your joints and relieve your muscles by reducing impact, but also to gain stability and confidence by reducing the risk of slipping or falling. On more technical courses, they allow you to maintain a good speed without losing the pace of the race. 

What is most important in trail running is extreme lightness combined with minimum bulk and maximum manoeuvrability. For trail running, between aluminium or carbon walking poles, it is advisable to choose carbon, which is ultra-light, solid and limits vibrations. However, there are also excellent aluminium trail poles, which are more solid, but slightly heavier. Foam or cork grips? Foam grips absorb perspiration better and are lighter, but they are less vibration-limiting and therefore less comfortable. On the other hand, cork handles have the advantage of being more durable.

• Hiking poles

When hiking on uneven, steep or difficult terrain, walking poles are not compulsory but are highly recommended. They will help you gain balance and speed, and provide comfort, safety and protection for your joints and back.

Foldable or telescopic walking poles, multi-strand or single-strand, it is possible to adapt their length according to the slope or the terrain. The most important thing to look for in a walking pole is strength and a small footprint. This is why the tubes are made of aluminium, carbon or fibreglass and why their length must be adaptable. Why do they have to be adaptable in length? So that you can easily slip them into your rucksack during certain passages or simply during long treks. They are equipped with simple wrist straps and sometimes a grip to allow you to put your hand lower on the tube.  

• Nordic Walking Poles

Nordic walking is a full body sport that involves not only the lower but also the upper body and back. The use of poles is essential for this sport, which requires a steady pace and engages all the muscles of the body. Nordic walking is generally practised on flat ground and the use of poles will help you to propel yourself, improve your flexibility and endurance.

In Nordic walking, poles are always used in pairs and it is advisable to use single-pole poles as they reduce vibration and provide a powerful, straight swing. The more carbon you use, the lighter the pole will be and the less vibration it will cause, thus protecting your joints. The gauntlet type wrist straps with thumb hole, allow you to push on your poles during propulsion, thus contributing to a smooth and regular movement. The tungsten carbide tips are particularly resistant. They can be covered with a rubber tip to improve grip.

To find out more, see the different types of hiking, walking and trail poles.

What size pole should I choose?

Beware, however, that if you don't choose poles that are adapted to your needs or your size, they can become more cumbersome than useful. There is no advantage in using the wrong walking or hiking poles, quite the opposite. If you use badly adjusted poles there is a good chance that you will develop poor posture which will lead to long-term pain. If you want your poles to give you the comfort and security you need, it is essential that they are adjusted to your size. 

The easiest way to choose the size of your hiking poles is to stand (with your walking shoes on) on flat ground and grip the pole, tip down, so that it is perpendicular to the ground. If the stick is at the right height, your elbow and forearm form a 90° angle. Another method is to multiply your height in centimetres by 0.68 and this will give you the optimum height for your walking and hiking poles. If you find yourself between two sizes, we advise you to choose the smaller of the two. However, always make sure that your forearm is parallel to the ground and forms a 90° angle with your elbow. 

If you are walking in the mountains or in alpine areas, and not on flat ground, you will need to adjust the length of your poles as you go along and according to the obstacles and gradients you encounter. This is why it is best to use telescopic poles, which you can shorten on the way up and lengthen on the way down. 

Hiking poles with or without shock absorbers?

Some models of poles have a shock absorbing system to reduce vibrations and thus better protect your joints. However, as with everything, you need to know how to use them correctly to benefit from their advantages and not be penalised by their use. 

When riding downhill, especially if you're going fast, they are good at absorbing shock and vibration, giving you greater comfort in the upper body and extra protection for your joints. On the other hand, they are useless for Nordic walking, on flat terrain or uphill; on the contrary, they reduce power and therefore performance. It is also important that your poles with shock absorbers are equipped with a locking system so that you do not use them on uphill slopes, as they will drain your energy.

In summary: how to choose your walking and hiking poles?

In order to get the most out of your outings, to spare your muscles and joints, to save energy but also to increase your safety and comfort by improving your performance, it is important to choose your walking and hiking poles correctly. When choosing your poles, there are many criteria to consider. You need to ask yourself the right questions: what is your level of ability, what kind of terrain are you used to and what sport will you use your poles for. To help you make the right choice and get a clearer picture, here is a concise summary of the characteristics of the poles you should choose for different sports.  

• Hiking poles: 

major interests: gain in stability and safety - reduce the risk of falls and injuries

tube composition: carbon or aluminium 

single or multi-strand: prefer telescopic or foldable multi-strand poles 

with or without shock absorber: with for more comfort in alpine or mountain hiking

• Nordic walking poles: 

major interests: help with propulsion, increase endurance 

tube composition: prefer carbon for more lightness 

single or multi-strand: prefer single-strand poles 

with or without shock absorber: without shock absorber

• Trail poles: 

major interests: gain in performance while sparing your muscles and joints 

tube composition: aluminium or carbon 

single or multi-strand: multi-strand is preferable to reduce the size of the pole 

with or without shock absorber: with for more comfort when going downhill

To find out more, discover how to choose your poles.

Trying out trekking poles means adopting them! They will never leave you, believe me! Now that these accessories have no more secrets for you, I wish you wonderful days in the mountains!