A year or so ago I was certified as a poling instructor under the auspices of the company called Urban Poling. This is a Canadian company who specializes in a line of strapless poles with a unique handle-grip. They have targeted a wider market than the usual hiking and skiing crowd. They have positioned themselves more closely with the recreational walking community with a special emphasis on seniors and people with less comfort with poles than your usual hiker. Their designs seemed a bit clunky at first and they seem a bit pretentious suggesting they invented Nordic poling.
Back to the pole handles. For the most part Urban poles aren’t a whole lot different from any body else. They have stressed the alleged risks of straps and have put their eggs in the basket of a sculpted grip with a sort-of hour-glass shape which supports a hand-supported grip rather than the wrist-strap ones many of us are familiar with.
At first I really didn’t like them. However, after several months of intensive testing, I give them a definite “A”. I have come to enjoy the handle shape and, even with my arthritic wrists, I find they are more comfortable than my strapped ones. My only complaint is that they limit their length to what they call a “6 foot-2 inch” model. As someone with exactly those measurements, I still find the length a tad short. Iw ill be adding a tip extender so I can get just a bit more drive.
Urban poles has an assortment of models and are very easy to order and competitively priced.
They are at: http://urbanpoling.com/
Yours , on the journey,
Ray
Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet
Thich Nhat Hahn
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