Keep Moving! Hiking Poles & Tips for Success

How to Properly Use Your Hiking Poles

Choose quality poles. Consider it an investment in your safety. Go to a proper outdoor store and get good ones!

• Learning to use walking poles is like learning to ride a bike — it takes practice. Watch some well-sourced videos on the correct way to use them.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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. 

Bottom line? Trekking poles are there to help you walk a variety of terrains with confidence — if you're feeling inspired, explore Road Scholar's collection of walking and hiking programs!

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