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BLACK

Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair

$159.95

(10)

Item # 839660

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The Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork trekking poles add support, stability and effortless swing to your wilderness forays, with 3 vibration-absorbing carbon fiber sections and natural cork grips.

3 sections of carbon fiber create lightweight poles that absorb vibration and retain strength over a wide temperature range
Double FlickLock Pro adjusters allow easy, slip-proof adjustment and won't accidentally loosen like conventional "twist" type adjusters
FlickLock Pro is 20% smaller and 30% easier to open than its predecessor and offers twice the holding force
Natural cork grips with dual-density top knobs fit comfortably in your hands
Adjustable nubuck leather webbing wrist loops support wrists
Foam extensions beneath the top grips allow the hiker to drop the uphill hand lower on the shaft while traversing steep terrain
Poles feature interchangeable carbide tips and low-profile trekking baskets; baskets' small size reduces weight and snagging
The Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork trekking poles include powder baskets for use in the snow

Please note: Black Diamond products can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.

Imported.

Item 839660

View all Black Diamond products

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Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair

4.6

(based on 10 reviews)

90%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Lightweight (10)
Ergonomic grip (8)
Good stiffness (6)
Durable (3)

Cons

Best Uses

Alpine (4)
Snowshoeing (4)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Advanced (5)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (8)

Reviewed by 10 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

Jun

2013

5.0

So far so good

By Chas 2

from Central Washington

About Me Expert

See all my reviews

Pros

Good Stiffness
Great Locks
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Alpine
Cross-Country
Snowshoeing

Comments about Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair:

Picked these poles up to replace my old poles. The adjuster locks work extremely well and the poles feel great. Extremely light and comfortable.

Comment on this review

Jun

2013

5.0

cool poles

By gytrail

from Houston, TX

About Me Beginner

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Ergonomic Grip
Excellent Shock Absorption
Good Precision
Good Stiffness
Lightweight

Cons

They Cost Too Much

Best Uses

Attractive Stand Out

Comments about Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair:

I use these for balance and support climbing or descending stairs with no rails, standing for extended periods, cobblestones and other irregular surfaces.

Comment on this review

May

2013

5.0

Awesome trekking poles

By Bobby Goat

from Mountain View, CA

About Me Advanced

See all my reviews

Pros

Ergonomic Grip
Good Stiffness
Lightweight
Quiet

Cons

Best Uses

Hiking

Comments about Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair:

I bought them for hiking, for which they are great. They feel sturdy enough for skiing and come with powder baskets.

Comment on this review

May

2013

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Almost perfect

By wmbii

from Asheville, NC

About Me Advanced

See all my reviews

Pros

Ergonomic Grip
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Alpine

Comments about Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair:

Good poles but couple issues. The clips don't hold at the very bottom of the poles unless you stop and re-tighten them more. The clips have to be opened ALL the way in order to slide the lower sections. All that said, they have worked well otherwise, and I expect them to give the great service I've had from the other half-dozen Black Diamond poles I've had.

Comment on this review

Apr

2013

5.0

Worth every penny

By Rotten Ace

from Virginia

About Me Intermediate

See all my reviews

Pros

Ergonomic Grip
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair:

Using them for my backpacking and (strenuous) day hikes. Great weight, solid construction (compare these flip-lock screws with others at the store -- no worries about mid-hike screw malfunction with these poles).

Careful with the cork grips: one rock scramble scuffed one of them when they were fastened to my back (I was crawling through a tight spot and they brushed (?) against a rock. Perhaps this was a combination of the force and the sweat...

Comment on this review

Apr

2013

5.0

Great.

By Kyle Meyer

from Portland, OR

About Me Expert

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Ergonomic Grip
Excellent Shock Absorption
Good Precision
Good Stiffness
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Alpine
Snowshoeing
Telemarking

Comments about Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair:

These are great poles. Stiff, durable, and light weight. The wrist straps are particularly excellent. For tarp and floorless shelter users like me, I want a pole that is substantial enough that I can rely on it for longer, harder hikes through snow where I'll be bracing myself heavily on the poles and also need them for my shelter.

These are expensive because they're light *and* tough. Perfect.

Comment on this review

Apr

2013

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

great poles

By RainforestSasquatch

from Ocean Shores, WA

About Me Advanced

See all my reviews

Pros

Ergonomic Grip
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Alpine
Cross-Country
Snowshoeing
Telemarking

Comments about Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair:

These are the best poles I have owned after Leki Corklite Aergon, REI traverse, and several other lesser brands. The flick locks are the best design I have seen yet, the straps are comfortable (the Leki's were uncomfortable), and the grips are comfortable and well designed.

One major advantage of these BDs, which may not appeal to all users, is that you can remove the lower section of one pole, and the tip of the other pole (about 3" long) slips into the bottom lock on the first pole, so you can lock the two poles together for use as a long pole for a pyramid shelter or other tall tarp (this also works with the slightly less expensive BD models). I have a GoLite Shangri-La 3 tent and these poles make a perfect center pole for the shelter, cutting out the need for the 15 oz. pole that came with the tent.

I don't want to get in a tuss with the other reviewers, but having straps or not is a matter of preference- the straps do have a purpose but it is certainly not a misuse to remove them- it is very common with thru-hikers. Arguing otherwise is like saying that everyone who ever used a walking pole needs to have it strapped to their arm somehow. The straps on my Leki poles dug into my skin so I took them off- this was before a PCT hike - you have to use the muscles in your hands more, that is all, and many hikers prefer it, especially the ounce counters. These straps are cushy and make comfortable contact, so I kept them on, but like one reviewer pointed out, you can remove them by pushing the metal pin through with a pointed object.

I have put these poles in some pretty strenous situations, getting them stuck between rocks or roots and then putting a lot of forward weight on them, and they hold up great.
I did have a problem with the cork crumbling off in little pieces in the ridges on the handles, and there was not much I could do to increase the durability so I sanded the crumbled areas flat and the problem did not worsen. I think BD will need to fix this issue in future models, or maybe I have a flawed set, but I'm not returning them.
Overall, despite the flaw I highly recommend this product, it is one of the best on the market.

Comment on this review

Feb

2013

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

great but straps too short for winter

By stillgoing

from Pittsburgh, PA

About Me Advanced

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Ergonomic Grip
Excellent Locks
Good Stiffness
Lightweight

Cons

Straps Too Short Winter

Best Uses

Summer Backpacking
Summer Hiking
Summer Mountaineering

Comments about Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair:

This is overall an excellent product but the straps are too short for winter gloves (if you hold the poles in the proper way). I only wear medium unisex gloves but I had to return a pair of great BD mittens because they didn't fit at all. Other winter gloves (which were not enough on Adirondack peaks in January) barely left enough room to grasp pole. I called BD and their product guy said he "wasn't a trekking pole guy" and had never used poles. They do not carry any larger straps, neither does REI carry replacement straps.

Note other review said he removed straps which is not at all the right way to use poles. The straps are supposed to take some of the weight rather than requiring your grip to take the weight.

Comment on this review

Jan

2013

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

So far so good

By Rcktmonk

from Pleasanton, CA

About Me Advanced

See all my reviews

Pros

Ergonomic Grip
Good Stiffness
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Snowshoeing

Comments about Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair:

Used over quick overnight trip to Yosemite in 3 feet of snow. 5 miles in and 7 miles out of snowshoeing on overnight stay in upper Mariposa Grove near the south entrance. Easily adjustable and joints never slipped and stayed locked in even under duress. I removed the slings on the grips to make more usable and lighten the load by driving out the metal pin in the handle.

Comment on this review

Nov

2012

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

New flick lock, bushwhackers beware

By CRGorgeHiker

from Troutdale, OR

See all my reviews

Pros

Carbon
Lightweight
Little To No Vibration
Strong

Cons

New Flick Lock

Best Uses

Cobweb Removal
Hiking

Comments about Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles - Pair:

For the kind of hiking I do, lots of off trail bushwhacking, the new flick lock is a design defect. Today, on 2 occasions, a branch of a bush I was muscling my way through tripped the flick lock and dropped the 2 segments into the dirt. I noticed right off when I tried to plant the pole for my next move. I've been very happy with the older BD flick lock carbon poles and in all the years I've used them I've never had this problem. There is a protruding grip on the flick lock that can be easily caught by a branch and released. BD needs to back off this 'improvement' - I'm returning this for last year's model.

Otherwise 5 stars for BD carbon just not this one.