The Black Diamond Company, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, manufactures outdoor gear, with a special emphasis on backcountry pursuits. The company's diverse ski pole line includes a diverse selection of multi-purpose poles, which are usable at the resort, in the backcountry, for telemark skiing and for ski mountaineering. The Black Diamond website offers detailed advice about the ski pole selection process.
Ski Gear Lexicon
Skiing has its own lingo, which often changes every few decades. Learning this inner circle language is important, because manufacturers use it to describe the conditions which best suit their specific products. Backcountry, also called the BC, or off-piste, describes the unpatrolled, ungroomed area outside of the resort boundaries. Front-side, in contrast, is the area inside the resort's roped off boundaries. Some resort managers recently added lift-serviced backcountry terrain, called side-country. While backcountry skiers may need adjustable poles, with bells and whistles such as avalanche probes, the fixed length carbon pole is best for front side and side-country skiers
Collapsible Poles
Backcountry snowboarders may use poles to hike the mountain, but most riders do not want to be seen carrying ski poles. Unlike other ski pole that simply shorten, Black Diamond Expedition ski poles are completely collapsible, so snowboarders can throw them in their backpack as they ride down the hill.
Side Country And Terrain Park
The adjustable, lightweight Boundary poles work well for anyone occasionally ventures into the side-country or into the terrain park. Shorten the poles for terrain park tricks and catching air, and lengthen them when you ski the rest of the mountain.
Avalanche Safety
Backcountry skiers face two potentially dangerous situations. They can fall on ultra-steep terrain, and they can be buried in an avalanche. The Alpinist.com website praised Black Diamond's Whippet Self-Arrest Pole, which helps a skier break her fall, and potentially save her life. This pole also doubles as an ice pick. The adjustable Carbon Probe ski poles lengthens to 182 cm, and doubles as an avalanche probe.
Ski Pole Materials
Black Diamond advises that their carbon poles are lighter and stiffer than their aluminum counterparts. They also have enhanced vibration dampening features, which may be helpful if ski ski in crud conditions. Carbon poles are therefore more efficient, albeit more expensive. They do have a significant issue. They break easily during falls, and during close encounters with trees and lift towers. Black Diamond's aluminum poles are heavier, but less expensive and less likely to break under stress. Their weight may become cumbersome during uphill treks. The Black Diamond razor carbon offers a compromise. Their upper portion is made form aluminum, whereas their lower portion is carbon-based. These poles are less expensive than the pure carbon models.
Four Season Poles
If you ski the winter and trek throughout the summer, Black Diamond recommends its trekking pole, part of its Mountain Series. These adjustable poles lengthen for climbing up the slopes and lengthen for mountain descents. Remove the powder basket for summer trekking.
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