Black Diamond  Distance Z Trekking Poles - Pair

I just bought my first Black Diamond trekking poles. Very pleased with one exception. Once I mastered the z-poles technology, so fast and secure, would never go back to telescoping designs. It appears that to make $100 price point and to keep lightweight, tip design chosen which does not allow snow basket attachment. When I re-read information that is clearly stated, my over site. To get 4 season use I had to buy $10 replacement tip ends, use boiling water to heat and exchange tips, and now have the perfect 4 season z-poles.

Did the Tahoe Rim Trail, all around Yosimite, and hundreds of miles along PCT this summer with these distance z's. Compared with not having poles they increased my speed, they over doubled my mileage (went from 5 to 11), and they took the majority of the weight and strain off of my trashed knees and shins. Was able to get into this cool mental zone and just cruise for several hours along the trail each day enjoying my surroundings. Also fantastic for extreme slopes. Without upgrading to these (and adding my 2 liter platy) was considering throwing in the towel by the end of the first month.

Good: Light weight, easily stowed into small size. Not so good: wrist straps very minimal and despite a velcro closure, cannot be adjusted. Not very confident on how much stress they can take. I ordered online using the sizing chart but poles were too large for me. The Black Diamond package had its own sizing chart which was different from both the REI and BD web page size guides. I do not recommend buying fixed-length poles online: either fit them to your self at a store or buy adjustable length poles. I ultimately returned mine for a adjustable length poles and am now quite pleased.

Black diamond carries a 1 yr warranty on this type of equipment. I wonder why... Pics speak for themselves; but either this is due to poor craftsmanship, engineering, or quality control; but gear that's not made to last, is ultimately trash and not worth the $ spent.

Wonderful poles that collapse and extend easily. They are not adjustable and have no locking mechanism so I think many people who gave it negative comments are commenting on a different pole. Once you put the sections together, you need to pull on the handle until it clicks in place and then go go go. The straps do fray a bit but are not cutting into my skin. The poles fit easily within luggage or a backpack and are extremely light weight. I have bad arthritis in my hips and knees and put a lot of weight on these poles when going up and down stairs, curbs, etc. They take it like a pro and I feel very safe relying on them to help me.

I generally only write reviews when I need to vent, but there's a first time for everything. I've eyed tracking poles for years but never wanted to shell out the $. But REI gave me a $20 card so I finally bought these for icy and otherwise treacherous paths, and am very pleased with them...lightweight, sturdy, easy to assemble and break down. It took me a minute to figure out the locking mechanism, but that was just me being impatient with an energetic dog in tow. I"m not getting any younger (age 58) and feel like I bought another 20-30 years of hiking my favorite trails without compromise.

I bought these on a whim on my way to hike Rim to Rim at the Grand Canyon. I had never used poles before so I can't compare them to anything but I was very happy with them and would highly recommend them. Light but very sturdy-Easy to retract and store in my camelback when not in use.

I am a barefoot/ sandal runner with a high elevation 50K in August. I purchased these for my training. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! The plastic tips are safe but I found they slipped quite often. I switched to the carbide tips before my weekend run, where it ended up snowing! These were a literally a lifesaver on the edge cliffs (see photos). Cannot recommend enough!

Love the compactness of the z design - I didn't know they were there after leaving a snowfield to climb a cliff, stowing them in my pack. I suspect they will be equally unnoticeable on the airplane. The poles and the zee connections are impressively sturdy and served well coming down a steady 2000 ft grade descent over rocky terrain. The attachment of the strap to the stick seems to be a weak point however. There is a small cord which secures on each end with a plastic insert which seems to work it's way loose allowing the strap to come out of that connection and while repairable I am wondering if this will occur again. Other than that I'm really impressed and glad I didn't spend the extra money on carbon as light as these are.

I just took these poles on a 9-day trek through the Dolomites, using them for several hours each day to hike up and down some serious mountains. They performed exceptionally well on lots of different terrain (including snow, creeks, gravel trails, dirt paths...) and folded up easily and very compactly when I didn't need them. Best part - I was able to pack them in my pack as carry-on luggage with no issues getting them through TSA or the British and Italian equivalents. A truly great purchase. (For sizing purposes, I bought the 110cm version and it was perfect for my 5'2" frame.)