The clever bit on this pole is where Komperdell stopped using carbon. The top two sections are carbon for lightness and stiffness; the bottom section - the one that gets wedged in rock cracks and dragged over scree - is Titanal.HF alloy. Carbon where it helps, alloy where it takes the hits The lower section of a trekking pole leads a hard life. It goes into gaps between rocks, gets levered when you misjudge a step, and takes the scrapes. Putting a high-strength alloy there and keeping carbon up top gives you most of the weight saving with a lot more peace of mind on rough ground. A short, tuckable band 90 to 120 cm suits shorter walkers and steep terrain, and packs to 57 cm so the poles ride neatly on a daypack rather than waving above your shoulders. Trek Pro 280 foam grip Light, soft foam with an extended grip zone running down the shaft, so on a sharp climb you slide your hand down instead of stopping to re-set the clamps. Weight 402 g the pair (201 g per pole). Key features Carbon upper (18 mm) and middle (16 mm) sections Titanal.HF lower section (14 mm) for impact resistance Powerlock 3.0 forged aluminium external clamps Trek Pro 280 foam grip with extended grip zone Vario basket system - quick swap between summer and winter baskets
