Online: www.REI.com
URL for this product:

From the U.S. and Canada — Call 1-800-426-4840
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
International — Call 1-253-891-2500
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.

BLACK

Alpina ASC Backcountry Ski Poles - Pair

$19.93
$49.50^*

REDUCED PRICE You Save 59%

(7)

Item # 743066

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Gear and Advice You Can Trust

Orders of $50 or more ship for free.
Learn more

To view videos or use the zoom feature on REI's websites, please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

NOW PLAYING

Classic styling and durable construction make these Alpina ASC poles a solid choice for backcountry conditions and all skill levels.

Strong aluminum-alloy construction creates a great strength-to-weight ratio
Shaped cork grips place the hand in optimal position for efficient thrust; fitted with nylon wrist straps
Fixed snow baskets work well in deep snow
Alpina ASC poles have steel tips that hold a sharp point

Imported.

Item 743066

View all Alpina products

REI Membership

REI Membership $20.00

Alpina ASC Backcountry Ski Poles - Pair Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Alpina ASC Backcountry Ski Poles - Pair

3.1

(based on 7 reviews)

43%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Lightweight (5)
Durable (3)

Cons

Best Uses

Cross-country (5)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (3)

Reviewed by 7 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-7

Apr

2010

4.0

Nice, but...

By Dain

from Granby, CO

About Me Intermediate

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry
Cross-Country

Comments about Alpina ASC Backcountry Ski Poles - Pair:

I have a pair of 10th mountain skis that I was using this winter on moderately steep and usually ungroomed/untracked cross country trails in Colorado. Originally I was using an old pair of touring poles but the small basket and short (1 inch) spike under the basket didn't get adequate grip in powder or semi-packed powder. These backcountry poles with a big basket and a 3 inch spike worked much better.
About the wrist straps: Once on, they are very comfortable, and I found them big enough to fit all my gloves; but getting in and out of them is a time consuming operation. For me, it's just too much trouble to go through every time I need to get something out of a pocket. I plan to replace them with conventional straps.

Comment on this review

Mar

2010

2.0

Get a grip

By lambjams

from San Francisco, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Lightweight

Cons

Strap problems

Best Uses

Comments about Alpina ASC Backcountry Ski Poles - Pair:

Agree with other reviewers - whoever designed strap oddly didn't think users would be wearing gloves?! After a few difficult attempts, I figured out a way - rather than trying to push the strap through the loop, place the end near the loop, then push the loop over the end. A bigger plastic slot would have helped. I'm going to see if I can rig a permanent attachment strap to allow easily pulling the end through the loop. Bottom line, when you're at the store, try the poles WEARING GLOVES ! ...and the factory should recall these and put a larger plastic ring on the strap. Also, I'm wondering if having the strap hold the pole this way could contribute to wrist damage when falling (I'm new at this; no permanent damage!)

Comment on this review

Dec

2009

(1 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Soft aluminum

By Sedro

from Skagit County

About Me Advanced

See all my reviews

Pros

Ergonomic Grip
Lightweight

Cons

Soft aluminum shaft

Best Uses

Cross-Country

Comments about Alpina ASC Backcountry Ski Poles - Pair:

One trip in very sticky snow conditions ruined these poles. What ruined them was lifting my metal edge skis and using the poles repeatedly to bang the side of the ski to knock the sticky snow off. Granted, this is probably considered "abuse." But I've got an older pair of aluminum shaft poles that I've had for over 20 years and this has never been a problem for them, other than putting some scratches on the shaft. With these poles, the ski's metal edges gouged out grooves on the shaft. The aluminum of these poles is much softer than that on my old poles. Probably lighter in weight, sure. As I said, this is probably abuse, but it never hurt my old ones, and what else are you going to do when you are in conditions where you have snow sticking to your skis with virtually every step? Take them off? In a driving wet snow storm? I don't know what the answer is, maybe some kind of removable protective sleeve over the pole shaft? In any case, these poles were ruined on that one trip to the top of Nason Ridge last year and I returned them.

Comment on this review

Feb

2009

5.0

Great for X-country

By wolf

from Snowbelt of Ohio

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Ergonomic Grip

Cons

Best Uses

Cross-Country

Comments about Alpina ASC Backcountry Ski Poles - Pair:

I bought these stricktly for x-country. The poles are average, but the grips cradle your hand and make it so much more comfy than the typical strap. You can buy similar straps from SWIX or Leiki, but they cost more than this pole/strap combo does. Really can't beat the price!

Comment on this review

Feb

2009

3.0

Good Poles, Impossible Straps

By ken2116

from Palo Alto, CA

About Me Advanced

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Good Stiffness
Lightweight

Cons

Straps

Best Uses

Cross-Country
Snowshoeing

Comments about Alpina ASC Backcountry Ski Poles - Pair:

The straps are impossible to get on or off with cold weather gloves or mitts, and too small to fit over bulkier mitt cuffs. They must be replaced for the poles to be useful for sub-freezing use, which is most of the time - fortunately this is easy. [...]

Comment on this review

Feb

2009

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Poorly designed wrist straps

By dGrif

from Markleeville, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Good Stiffness
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Cross-Country
Telemarking

Comments about Alpina ASC Backcountry Ski Poles - Pair:

The wrist straps are very comfortable and work well once your hands are strapped in. However it is almost impossible to strap your hands in while wearing heavy gloves or mittens. Consequently it is a real pain every time you need to stop to add or remove a layer, grab a drink of water etc. When it is cold slipping one's hands out of the gloves and leaving them in the straps is not an acceptable alternative.

A simple design change would make these usable. In the meantime I have to replace these wrist straps with simpler ones that I will scavenge from an old set of poles.