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[pct-l] Re: Poles



>From: "Bob Moulder" <cmoulder@nyc.rr.com>

>What poles do (duh) is bring our arms into the equation, both from the =
>propulsion standpoint and, as you note, from the stability standpoint. =
>This reduces the stress on the muscles and joints of the legs and hips, =
>especially at times of peak stress when making large, awkward steps up =
>or down. Of course, that stress is transferred to the arms where the =
>triceps and latissimus muscles contribute to the effort. So energy is =
>not "saved" but rather expended by other muscles.

Bob,

All my hiking and climbing partners swear by them. Last February I was
climbing up along the ice flow on the west side of Fritz Roy
(Argentina) and all the guides I came across were using poles instead
of ice axes. I always carry one pole during the winter and spring but
rarely use it. I personally find that I hyper-extend my knees going
downhill using two pole. Obviously taking shorter steps would cause
less problems on the knees, but my natural walking behavior is to
stride (long legs). Without poles I typically take longer steps and
always keep my knees slightly bent; never fully extending my leg
(which includes any downhill giant stair steps like the northwest side
of Donohue Pass..ugh!).

The second problem I have, especially while snowshoeing using poles
for a long period of time, is tendonitus in my right elbow. This
originally has nothing to do with the poles, but rather throwing too
many curve balls as a youth; unfortunately hiking poles exacerbates
the problem.

I'm certainly not trying to dissuade anyone from trying poles, but I
don't think they're for every body; at least not mine.

Dave
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