■ G E A R GUIDELINE S
DID YOU KNOW?
Your oxygen uptake (VO2), heart rate (HR), and blood lactate concentration are all higher when walking with poles than without them.
How to Properly Use Your Hiking Poles
w
hether you call them walking, hiking or trekking poles, they all serve a similar purpose — stability. Here’s what Maurice would like you to know about using them:
1
Choose quality poles. Consider this an investment in your safety. Go to a proper outdoor store and get good ‘sticks.’
2
Learning to use walking poles is like learning to ride a bike — it takes practice. Watch some wellsourced videos on the correct way to use them.
3
Start off with only one pole. That’s enough to help you balance and could save you from falling. Then, when you’re comfortable, take on a second pole. Two poles help reduce pressure on your joints.
6 | ROAD SCHOLAR ALUMNI MAGAZINE WINTER 2023
4
Your poles are useless unless you know how to adjust them properly for effectiveness. For example, the poles should be at a different height on downhill terrain than they are on flat or uphill paths. If you’re using them correctly and the poles are adjusted right, you can take 30% of the pressure off your joints coming down steep slopes.
5
On level ground, it’s okay to use your pole’s straps. But if you’re on rocky, uneven paths where there’s a risk of stumbling, or if you’re on steep terrain when climbing a mountain, you need to put the poles away — and not loop them through your wrist — which could actually trip you up.
6
The safest way to navigate a challenging trail involves keeping your hands free. Maurice calls it having ‘three points of contact,’ — two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand, in the event that scrambling becomes necessary.
