Hiking poles are no longer just for the elderly—nowadays, many young people also use them during outdoor activities.
The biggest advantage of using hiking poles is that they distribute some of the weight your feet bear to your arms. This not only enhances your ability to climb slopes but also reduces the strain on your knees, improving overall endurance and allowing you to walk farther in the same amount of time.
When crossing rocky slopes or streams, hiking poles provide greater stability. According to calculations, if used effectively, each step can reduce the pressure on your arms by 7 to 11 kilograms. Accumulatively, this can lessen the load on your feet, legs, and back by up to 8,877 kilograms per kilometer.
If used properly, they can reduce knee impact by 22% and leg muscle strain by 21% when going downhill.
However, there are downsides to using hiking poles—the most obvious being that they leave your hands occupied. For example, it’s harder to hold a map or navigate. They can also hinder movement when walking through dense bamboo or low shrubs.
Another fact is that using hiking poles increases your body’s total energy expenditure. So, if you’re pushing your cardiovascular and respiratory limits, poles may act as a hindrance rather than a help. But if you’re struggling with leg strength or knee discomfort, they can be a huge advantage.
Despite these drawbacks, hiking poles remain a very useful tool overall.
How to use them?
1. On flat ground or gentle slopes
The method is similar to normal walking—swing your arms and legs rhythmically. The left pole lands as the right foot does, and the right pole as the left foot does. The pole should touch the ground slightly behind your foot, with the exact distance depending on the slope; steeper slopes require the pole to be closer to your foot. Keep your arms straight (using the full strength of your arm), and let the natural swing of your arms move them backward to propel your body forward.
2. On steep slopes
The coordination of arms and legs is the same as on gentle slopes, but on steep inclines, bend your arms first to place the poles, then push downward and backward as you lean slightly forward. As your body moves upward, your arms will naturally straighten. Once fully extended, push forward for extra momentum—this part is the easiest and most powerful because you're using your bones' strength (similar to the rest step technique).
3. Climbing with large elevation gains
When facing a big step-up, place both poles on the ground simultaneously. Lean slightly forward and push both poles downward and backward until you’re stable.
4. Going downhill
The coordination of arms and legs is the same as going uphill—left pole with right foot, right pole with left foot. The difference is that the pole contact point moves to the front of your foot, closer the steeper the slope. Arm movement is the reverse of uphill: start straight and gradually bend to absorb the downhill impact.
5. Steep downhill sections:
On steep descents, place both poles on the ground and keep your arms straight. As your body absorbs the weight, slowly bend your arms to share the load.
6. When you have an injured foot
If you have an ankle sprain, cramp, or other issue limiting mobility, place the pole next to the injured foot to help support your weight.
Note: The methods above are not absolute or the only way to use poles. If you have your own preferred technique—as long as it allows efficient use of the poles—it’s perfectly fine.
How long should they be?
Ideally, pole length should differ for uphill and downhill, but mountain terrain often switches between the two. Constantly adjusting length can be tedious, so for sections with frequent elevation changes, a fixed length is recommended.
Start with your arms hanging naturally, then raise your forearm to form a right angle (90 degrees) with your upper arm—and add 10 centimeters for a fixed height.
For sustained uphill or downhill hiking, you can adjust to more suitable lengths. I prefer setting mine to my height minus 50 cm for uphill and height minus 30 cm for downhill.
How to hold them?
1. Insert your hand from underneath the wrist strap.
2. Reach forward to grip the handle and press the wrist strap against the palm of your hand.
3. Adjust the wrist strap and hold the handle so that the strap helps support your body weight.
After threading your hand up through the wrist strap, gently lower it so the strap sits naturally against your palm—this increases contact area between hand and strap, distributing pressure more evenly. Once your hand is on the strap, shape it into a U or O shape; your fingers should rest lightly on the handle without exerting force, only helping to steer the trekking pole.
Note: There’s more than one way to adjust the length of a trekking pole or how to use it. After actual use, adjust the length based on your own experience.
How to maintain them?
After each use, disassemble all sections of the trekking pole for storage and let it dry naturally—usually, no other maintenance is needed.
If you find the trekking pole difficult to lock securely, apply a small amount of WD-40 lubricant to the locking mechanism, but not too much as excessive lubricant may prevent proper locking. If the pole doesn’t extend or retract smoothly, gently sand off any metal shavings on the surface using fine-grit sandpaper.