Trekking
pole cleaning kits are
mandatory to maintain your poles. During
our trekking portions of a race we always use Trekking
poles. Since Adventure Racing typically has extreme
conditions you must properly care for your trekking poles.
We have found LEKI poles to be the best. LEKI also has a
cleaning kit. First unscrew the 3 sections of each
pole. Then attach the black barrel to the end of the
smallest section and then screw the brush onto the other end of
the barrel. You will use the small pole section with brush
to clean the inside of the middle and top sections of your
poles. The aluminum pole insides get corroded during
use. Simply push the brush in and pull it out. Then
tap the pole on a hard surface to shake all the corrosion
out. By cleaning the pole insides it allows the expander to
properly grip when adjusting the lengths of the poles. After
every single outing we always disassemble our poles completely to
let the insides air dry. This helps reduce corrosion
buildup. Every couple of uses we use the brush pole
cleaners. These simple steps will help increase the lifespan
of your poles and make sure the expanders grip properly when you
lose your footing and have to put all your body weight on the pole
to prevent your fall.
Trekking
poles are made by many manufacturers. We
have tried numerous kinds of trekking poles and always return to
LEKI. LEKI is a world leader in pole technology. When
properly maintained the adjustable telescoping poles work great
when you need to cushion your fall. The wrist straps are
adjustable. The grips are ergonomically fantastic.
Each pole has an internal spring style shock absorber. While
trekking you can adjust the amount of spring. Usually we
have lots of spring for descending and little spring for
uphill sections. The trekking poles work great to relieve
lower back stress during long trekking sections with your
pack. They also provide exceptional stability when the
terrain gets ugly. The poles compact nicely and can be
stored on the sides of our packs when doing disciplines other than
trekking. We totally agree with LEKI motto "4 legs are
better than 2".
