In this guide
If you have knees, ankles, or a backpack heavier than 20 pounds, hiking poles are not optional gear. They redistribute up to 25% of your weight away from your joints over thousands of footstrikes per mile. The catch: very few people use them correctly. Most hikers carry expensive carbon poles and barely benefit from them.
Key takeaway
Pole height should bring your forearm parallel to the ground. Slip your hand up through the strap, not down into the loop. Plant the pole opposite your striding foot, never with it.
1. Why use poles in the first place?
Three reasons:
- Joint protection. Studies on descent loads show poles reduce knee compressive force by 12–25% per step. Over a 10-mile day, that's hundreds of fewer pounds of impact through the joint.
- Stability on terrain. Loose scree, slick roots, river crossings, snow patches — a third and fourth contact point catches you before you fall.
- Pacing. Poles enforce rhythm. Once you find the cadence, you climb faster and tire less.
2. Fitting them to your height
Stand upright on flat ground. Grip the pole and let it hang vertical with the tip on the ground beside your foot. Your elbow should make a 90° angle, forearm parallel to the ground. Adjust pole length up or down until you get there.
Two important adjustments:
- On steep climbs: shorten poles 4–6 cm.
- On steep descents: lengthen poles 4–8 cm.
3. The strap technique — most people get this wrong
The straps are not just for keeping the pole attached to you. They are a force-transfer system. Slip your hand up through the bottom of the strap loop, then let the strap rest under the heel of your palm before grasping the grip. This way your downward weight transfers through the strap into the pole — you do not need to grip the pole tightly at all.
4. Uphill technique
On a climb, plant the pole opposite your striding foot (right foot forward → left pole plants). Push down and slightly back as you step up. Your arm acts like a piston. Resist the urge to plant the pole way out in front — that just wastes energy. Keep it close to your body.
5. Downhill technique
This is where poles save your knees. Lengthen the pole, plant it firmly below your foot before each step, and let your weight settle onto the pole as you descend. The downward force you would have absorbed in your knee goes through the pole instead. Take small, controlled steps.
6. Flat ground & rhythm
On flat terrain, swing your poles in a relaxed, opposite-arm rhythm — left pole plants with right foot, right pole plants with left foot. The pole tip should land roughly under your knee. The motion should feel like the gentle assist of cross-country skiing, not a workout.
7. Common mistakes
- Death-gripping the handle. Your hand is sitting in the strap. The pole almost dangles. Relax.
- Same-side striding. Right foot, right pole. This wastes the gait completely.
- Planting too far ahead. Keep tips near your boots.
- Carrying them when you don't need them. On easy flat trail with a light pack, collapse and strap them to your pack. Don't waste energy.
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