How Trekking Poles Can Boost Your Hiking Game

Hiking offers serious health benefits. Studies show that the vigorous outdoor pastime can lower blood pressure, manage stress levels, and even boost memory and immune system functioning. At the same time, it’s not without its risks. Under-conditioned hikers can contend with overexertion, injuries, and accidents—not to mention angry falcons and extreme environments.

Trekking poles have saved many a weekend warrior from sore knees and missteps on the trail. Evidence of humans using rods and canes as mobility aids dates back as far as ancient Egypt, but their use in hiking really took off after 1953, the year in which Austrian mountaineer Hermann Buhl climbed Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth-tallest peak, with a pair of bamboo sticks. The DIY design matured over the years to today’s high-tech products, which are typically constructed in lightweight aluminum or carbon fiber and come equipped with ergonomic grips, interchangeable tips, and locking mechanisms.

1. Trekking Poles: Physics and Physiology
2. Proper Trekking Pole Technique Makes the Difference

Trekking Poles: Physics and Physiology

When used correctly, trekking poles offer physiological and performance-related benefits. The poles transfer some of the energy expenditure from the muscles of your lower body to those in your upper body. Most users will notice that less strain on the joints and muscles in their legs and feet, and a little more in their core and arms. By involving the arms, trekking poles turn hiking into a full body exercise, increasing the amount of oxygen breathed in and calories burned by as much as 20 percent, according to one study.

They also make it easier to walk uphill and downhill or across difficult terrain without slipping. Instead of having two points of contact with the ground, there are four, increasing hikers’ balance. This advantage can help beginner hikers and those who are older, less physically fit, or carrying heavy packs.

Ashley Hawke, currently a research associate at Yale University School of Medicine and avid hiker, led a review of previous research on the physical effects of trekking poles. The 2020 study found that poles decrease strain on the legs but increase cardiovascular demand in hikers who aren’t carrying external weight, and for those who are sporting backpacks, poles also increase balance and stability.

Proper Trekking Pole Technique Makes the Difference

Because trekking poles make hiking more intensive (but actually feel easier), Hawke told The New York Times that that one’s decision whether to use them should be based on their health and level of fitness. The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) notes that correct technique is key, especially in challenging uphill and downhill terrain. The basics include:

• Choosing trekking poles that are adjustable or telescoping and with tight locking mechanisms.
• Adjusting the poles to the proper height. Typically, this means you should be able to rest your elbow at a 90° angle when holding the grip and the pole’s point is at the ground.
• Using the wrist straps correctly by placing your hands through the straps from below and looping them around your wrist as you grip the pole.
• Fitting the right basket to the pole tip for the terrain type, e.g., snow baskets for hiking over loose or deep snow.
• Walking naturally as you get the swing of things.

In rare cases, improper use may actually worsen a hiker’s sense of balance and even impair blood circulation in the hands and fingers in high altitudes, according to the UIAA. So, before you strike out for the wilderness, it pays to compare different models of poles, read up on technique, and understand your own physical abilities.

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