So, you've chosen your poles, adjusted them correctly, and you're ready for your first outing — but want a quick briefing first to make sure you know exactly how to walk with your hiking poles? That's what we're here for!
Have the many benefits of walking convinced you to give it a go? Are the advantages of walking poles hard to ignore? You've finally chosen the poles best suited to your activity and you're all set to try them out? To make the most of their many benefits, it's important to use them correctly — for comfort and stability (and therefore safety), as well as performance and endurance.
Walking with poles is straightforward enough, but it's important to develop the right habits from the start! When heading out on a hike with poles for the first time, it's perfectly natural to wonder whether there's a particular technique for walking with hiking poles, whether some ways of using them are better than others, and whether there are mistakes to avoid. And yes — there are! There are indeed different techniques and methods depending on personal preference, but above all on the type of terrain you're crossing. Ascents, descents, traverses or obstacles: in this article, we share all our practical tips for using your hiking poles correctly, wherever you are.
Walking with poles on flat terrain
The first thing to do before setting off is to adjust your pole length correctly. Once you're ready to go — pole perpendicular to the ground, back straight — check that your arm forms a right angle at the elbow. Good? Then slip on your wrist straps and off you go!
There are different techniques for walking with poles. You can move both poles together in a mirrored, simultaneous movement, or use them in an alternating pattern.
Personally, we recommend using your poles in an alternating pattern, especially on flat terrain. This way you'll maintain a good rhythm — and it's also the most natural method. You step right arm / left leg, then left arm / right leg, exactly as you would walk normally. The poles become an extension of your arms; after a while, you'll forget they're even there.
In both cases — simultaneous or alternating — we prefer to plant our poles slightly behind us, so as to gain propulsion. If you genuinely find it more comfortable to plant your poles in front of your body to "pull" yourself forward, make sure you never plant them directly in front of you, but to the sides, so they don't get in your way. Otherwise you risk knocking against your poles, injuring yourself, or even falling — but above all, you'll be slowed down and hindered by them. Which is the exact opposite of the point.
A valuable aid when walking uphill
If the ascent is gentle and short, don't touch your pole length. If you start adjusting them for every minor change in terrain, you'll never make progress. Bear in mind that compromises are necessary — the height won't always be ideal, and if your arm doesn't form a perfect 90° right angle every time, that's fine. If the climb is steep over a long distance, then it's worth adjusting the length by shortening it.
If the climb is steep over a short distance, you can release your wrist straps and grip your poles below the handle, at the shaft, if your poles are fitted with one. This isn't ideal, as you won't have the support of the strap to take the strain off your hand and wrist — but for a short stretch, it's an excellent alternative. Here too, you can choose to use your poles in an alternating or simultaneous pattern, especially on steep ground, to double your pushing power.
Protecting your knees on the descent
On the descent, poles are mainly used to hold the hiker back and provide crucial balance. They allow for more controlled movement and a greater sense of security, especially when the slope is steep, uneven or littered with obstacles. They are also highly effective at reducing the strain of the descent on your joints (especially the knees) and thigh muscles (quadriceps), which is not to be underestimated.
Watch out — the first thing to do before heading into a descent is to release your wrist straps to avoid being caught in the event of a fall, and risking injury. Once the straps are off, change your grip by holding the handles directly, or better still, by resting the palm of your hands on top of the poles.
On the descent too, you can choose whether or not to adjust your pole length according to the gradient and duration of the slope, then decide whether to use your poles one at a time in an alternating pattern, or both together. What's more, if the slope is very gentle, over a long distance, and the terrain is not rough, you can just as easily stow your poles in your pack or clip them to your hip belt.
Moving across a traverse
On a traverse, as on a descent, you should release your wrist straps to minimise any risk of entanglement or injury. You can grip the lower pole at the handle or rest your palm on top of the grip (whichever feels more comfortable), and grip the upper pole below the handle, at the shaft.
For greater comfort on a longer traverse, you have the option of adjusting just one of the two poles — that is, shortening the upper one by a few centimetres. Then proceed carefully.
Using walking poles to cross an obstacle
Another situation you may encounter is crossing an obstacle: a river, a fallen tree or a large boulder, for example. In this case, poles are extremely useful for gaining balance and they give the hiker a real confidence boost. They also reduce the risk of slipping or falling. To cross an obstacle, you have two options:
- You can position your poles over the obstacle and pull yourself across. But as mentioned above, we prefer the pole to drive propulsion, so it's better to go with the second option.
- Plant your poles at the base of the obstacle, then cross it. If the obstacle leads into a descent, you can lengthen your poles — and in that case, release your wrist straps and change your grip, exactly as you would for a downhill section.
