Snow Skills

Black Diamond has a great reputation for climbing and trekking gear and have a wide range of trekking poles for your needs. They’ve added a new model to their stock for trekking, hiking, and backpacking; the Black Diamond CF Enduro Trekking Poles.

We’re very impressed with the Black Diamond CF Enduro Trekking Poles; they’re much more than just a couple poles to hang onto. The Enduros use aluminum upper shafts and a carbon fiber lower shaft, which results in a softer feel and lower vibration with each touch. The carbon fiber lower shaft is part of the reason the Enduros are Black Diamond’s lightest trekking poles at a svelt 1 pound, 2 ounces. They feel light in your hands and save about 4 ounces over most over poles when you’ve got them strapped to your pack.
The Enduros have Black Diamond’s “Zero Slip” Flicklocks to allow for adjustment of the pole length. We feel this system is way superior to friction twist systems that most poles utilize. Snowskills.net staff were recently on a winter hike where a friction twist joint failed and forced a hiker to deal with one pole shorter than the other for several miles. There’s no such concern with the Flicklock system. The Enduros are born for 4 season use as the Flicklocks are easier to use in winter conditions while wearing gloves or mittens.
The grips have a soft foam material, which is superior to the cork grips that are common in less expensive poles. The grips also have a foam handle that extends down the upper shaft and provides insulation and an alternate grip on uneven winter surfaces. The strap is soft and has a low profile, which makes it more unlikely to catch on something.

The Enduros list for about $110, at many web retailers including Gearbuyer.com and BackCountrygear.com. The Enduro CF Compact model is designed for people under 5′-8″ tall and features smaller grips for small-handed hikers. In summary, the CF Enduro trekking poles are a performance product and well worth the investment.