How to Choose Ski Poles

Made with recycled 7075 aluminum, the mountainFLOW eco-wax CORKpro ski poles boast the same strength and weight as virgin aluminum with fewer emissions. Try them out on your next all-mountain jaunt.
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Imported.
View all mountainFLOW eco-wax Men's Ski PolesBest Use | Downhill Skiing |
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Adjustable | No |
Shaft Construction | Recycled 7075 aluminum |
Basket Type | Powder |
Weight (Pair) | 15 ounces |
Gender | Unisex |
Sustainability | Contains recycled materials |
32 in./80cm | 34 in./85cm | 36 in./90cm | 38 in./95cm | 40 in./100cm | 42 in./105cm | 44 in./110cm | 46 in./115cm | 48 in./120cm | 49 in./125cm | 52 in./130 cm | 54 in./135cm | 56 in./140cm | 57 in./145cm | 59 in./150cm | 61 in./155cm | 63 in./160cm | 65 in./165cm | 67 in./170cm | 69 in./175cm | 71 in./180cm | |
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Height Range (Downhill Skiing) | < 3'4" | 3'5" - 3'8" | 3'9" - 4'0" | 4'1" - 4'4" | 4'5" - 4'8" | 4'9" - 5'0" | 5'1" - 5'3" | 5'4" - 5'6" | 5'7" - 5'9" | 5'10" - 6'0" | 6'1" - 6'3" | 6'4" - 6'6" | 6'7" + | ||||||||
Height Range (XC Skiing) | <4'7" | 4'8"-4'9" | 4'10"-4'11" | 5' - 5'1" | 5'2" - 5'3" | 5'4" - 5'5" | 5'6" - 5'7" | 5'8" - 5'9" | 5'10" - 5'11" | 6' - 6'1" | 6'2" - 6'3" | 6'4"-6'5" | 6'6"+ | ||||||||
Height Range (Skate Skiing) | <4'7" | 4'8"-4'9" | 4'10-4'11" | 5'-5'1" | 5'2" - 5'3" | 5'4" - 5'5" | 5'6" - 5'7" | 5'8" - 5'9" | 5'10" - 5'11" | 6'-6'1" | 6'2"- 6'3" | 6'4" - 6'5" | 6'6"+ |
Please note, this sizing chart is meant to serve only as a guideline.
Sizing downhill poles: Stand in your ski boots on a level floor. With your poles upside down—grips touching the floor—grab the pole beneath the basket so that the top of your thumb touches the basket. Your elbow should now be at a 90-degree angle. If the angle is less than 90 degrees, get a shorter pole. If the angle is greater, get a longer pole.
Sizing XC poles: Stand in your XC ski boots on a level floor. Place the pole tips on the floor next to your feet. The top of the grips should reach your arm pits.
Sizing skate poles: Stand in your skate boots on a level floor. Place pole tips on the ground with the pole shafts perpendicular to the floor. The poles should reach from the ground up to a point somewhere between your chin and your lips.
For more information, please see REI Expert Advice.
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I usually don't get too excited about poles, but I am really pleased with the Mountain Flow Cork Pro 135 poles. First of all, I am always pleased to be able to purchase sustainable products so that is a plus, but the product still needs to work. And these do. I am impressed with the poles being lightweight but also very sturdy. I am 6' 5"" so I have the 135cm poles. Even with the longer poles, they are solid. The are very solid planting with no vibration. These are the first cork-grip poles, I have had, and I really like the feel. Even through mittens, but finger ridges were noticeable and comfortable to grip. I haven't yet used them on a really cold day, but I expect that the cork will feel better than plastic when the temps drop. The easily adjustable pole straps are great. I have larger hands, so being able to easily expand the strap loop was a nice plus. I found the 135cm poles to be plenty long for me. If anything, maybe a little long, but I have also found that I have likely been skiing with poles that are too short. I like th longer length.
The production tested are the Mountain Flow Cork Pro 125 ski pole. On the surface it’s not unlike any other ski pole. The pole itself is quite sturdy. Certainly strong enough for the hardest skier in the toughest of conditions. The cork grip is nice, but seemingly not perfect. You’ll see in the one photo of my grip that the cork doesn’t quite feel “long” enough. Personal preference would be be spaces for my index, middle and ring fingers and let the pinky be able to float up and down. I wear gloves so this tends to exasberate the issue, but I can feel the misalignment and it’s not all that comfortable. Performance wise, no issues whatsoever. Good looking pole all together, even got a few compliments from friends on my new poles.
I used these poles during the first snow of the year, Santa Fe NM. I received them and put them together in second, I particularly liked that they are made out of 100 percent recycled aluminum. The combination of aluminum and cork make them super light weight and they look quite nice. I’m 5´ 2’’ so with the rise from my skies the 115c poles fit perfectly. They seem like they would hold up to intense mogul skier to someone who prefers a meandering easy way to the bottom. I do highly recommend them and don’t think you will be disappointed.
These strike a fantastic balance between structure and weight--they're not too heavy but still an absolutely SOLID performer! Completely transparent performance on carving, soft moguls, and hop-turns. They accomodate solid pole-plants with no noticeable wobble or vibration.--sturdy (but skinny!) I really enjoy the clever simplicity of the wrist straps which are easily adjustable and do not rely on a plastic buckle, but rather a cam/stopper. They are easily adjustable and they didn't wander even when I would get lazy and lean/push on the strap rather than properly grip the pole while skating. I was concerned (but pleasantly surprised) about the shape of the grips --with widely set and deep ridges, I thought they would be annoying as they seemed quite a bit larger than my bare hands-- but in gloves it was un-noticeable...plus my grip never slipped! :) The cork grip looks rather nice, performs well, and could easily be sanded down if I decided to make a more customized shape. They have a good sharp ice tip, the basket is removable/replaceable and the 4" size works great in Utah's ultra-light powder (tested in 28" of Utah's finest) --and did I mention it still feels light? These have become my "Daily Drivers" for inbounds skiing and gentle sidecountry forays!
These poles are actually great! I thought the recycled aluminum was just going to be a gimic, but they are light and comfortable. First, the cork grips. Although they don't make much of a difference with winter gloves on, they are uber comfortable when using them in lift lines or even for hiking (without the baskets). The baskets are a nice size. My Salomon baskets are very small and struggle in deeper powdery conditions. These provide a nice base from which to push off from. Lastly, love the adjustable straps. If you are using the straps correctly (see picture), you may need to adjust the length of the strap so that your hand fits ergonomically in the grips when you have downward pressure on the straps. These provided a good amount of adjust ability. Once I get them dialed, I may trim the excess material and re-finish the edge to make it a bit cleaner. Overall, great poles for the value.
I love these poles. I've used them for the last month, and they have become my go-to pole for both resort and backcountry skiing. They are a balance of feel-good style, recycled material, lightweight performance, cork grip comfort (recycled wine corks to boot), and shock absorption, I feel good using them not just because of the rock-solid performance, but also the sustainable sourcing of recycled materials!
The snow season started late so I haven't had a chance to use these yet but I love the weight, look and feel of these poles so far. Replaceable baskets, cork handles, good straps, and a great feel overall make these some great poles.
After an extremely delayed start to the ski season, some would argue that it really hasn’t even started yet at all, myself included, I finally got up into the mountains to test out these rad minty poles. I’m short, so the 110 are just the right size for my 5’2 frame. I was a little disappointed that even on the 110 size, the preformed cork grips are much too large. Once you slap some big ski gloves on that whole thing goes away, but if you were to use them for touring without gloves or just in little liners on the uphill, the grips would feel very swimmy. Don’t know if making the grips smaller on shorter poles is a thing but maybe it should be. The baskets are large enough that I think you could use these for the backcountry if you are the sort that doesn’t mind a pole that is the same height on the downhill as it is on the uphill seeing that they aren’t adjustable. They are light enough that you could carry them on a long tour. Now onto the fashion. The color is great. I do love a non-traditional color on things. “Mint” might not be my first choice, but it’s growing on me. Anything is better than a white pole on white snow. I used these poles inbounds on a wet day and they performed exactly how you would want a pole to act! As in, they didn’t break, they didn’t bend, and they helped on the skate when it got flat. I have yet to take a hard fall on them (that seems to be the culprit when I’ve bent poles in the past) but they look and feel like they could take a beating and still keep on being arrow straight. All in all, a great pole. Love the fact that they are recycled aluminum and up-cycled wine corks! A conversation starter if ever I heard one.
The size is as expected. These are super lightweight, and I love the cork handles. I thought they might be a bit flimsy, but they are not! They feel really durable, and look great. The straps are nice and easy to adjust, with a smart design that doesn't allow for the strap to slip out. My favorite part is that these are made of almost all recycled materials! Great product
Wowza! These things are rad. I was really sold on the sustainability story and then they showed up and they are really good looking poles. I haven't skied with them yet but they feel super nice!