Mike Hardaker Using the Union Touring Splitboard Poles While Checking Snowpack Stability in the Tetons | Photo Connor Burkesmith Mountain Weekly News
Best Splitboard Poles 2022
by Mike Hardaker
Rossignol Touring Pro Foldable XV Poles
European style foldable splitboard poles. The Rossignol Touring Pro Foldable XV Poles are the most unique looking poles on this list. Some of you will love the lack of handle while others will think this is nuts. I am a huge fan. Basically this style of splitboard poles is meant to be used by gripping down on the pole vs using a handle at the top of the pole.
The only downside to this aluminum pole comes in it’s fixed length sizes ( 115, 125, 135 ) which may or not be the right splitboard pole sizing for your needs. I opted for the 125 version of the Men’s Freeride Poles which was about the right size in most conditions. However, there is no way to adjust the height of this pole when the snow gets deep or terrain changes underfoot hiking or splitboarding.
Price: $139.99
MSR DynaLock Explore Backcountry Poles
For the second year in a row comes a great set of touring poles from MSR. The MSR DynaLock Explore Poles and Ascent Poles listed below are designed for heavy use in the backcountry. With a tool free adjustment, you can easily adjust the height of these poles on the fly via a flick dial. Turn the dial system the poles easy to use, quick and reliable.
MSR Expedition Poles work great attached to the outside of your pack for the ride downhill. And can fit inside some larger capacity backpacks. The MSR Explore Poles are a 3 piece aluminum pole which makes them more durable than the other poles on this list making them one of the most collapsible snowboard poles if durability is an issue with your gear. Plus these work as great hiking sticks for year round exploring.
Weight: 1 lb 4 oz.
Price: $109.95
LEKI Tourstick Vario Carbon Poles
The poles I most often find myself grabbing before heading out the door are the LEKI Tourstick Vario Carbon Poles. I had mentioned them last year in our splitboard pole roundup and they just keep getting better year after year.
Out of the box, these poles come with some burly looking straps from LEKI. The Trigger S straps which are easily removable and specifically made to release upon impact which was taken from LEKI’s ski racing background. Personally, I cut or remove all the straps from all my backcountry poles as it’s a safer way to travel through the mountains.
Weighing in at .55 lbs (253 grams) the LEKI Tour Stick Vario Carbon Pole is easy to swing around and offers up a ton of places to grip the pole on the way up. With these poles I often find myself holding the grip toward the lowest part on the pole. These poles offer up a ton of power on the up.
Thee LEKI Tour Stick Poles break down to 15 inches (39 cm) for the descent.
The only downside to the Tourstick Vario Carbon and the others in the LEKI line is the Speedlock 2 locking mechanism can be wonky with a lot of moving parts. Be sure to figure out how to tighten and loosen these poles indoors before you head into the field. Once everything is in place this is a fine set of folding ski poles.
Price: $199.95
MSR DynaLock Ascent Carbon Backcountry Poles
Similar to the Explore Poles the MSR Dynalock Ascent Carbon Backcountry Poles are great splitboarding poles, and incredibly lightweight. Extended grips down the pole allow for a ton of options for placing your hands depending on the terrain or side-hiling you might be doing. Incredible comfortable grips, great for long days.
This is also another carbon pole, so be careful if you’re smashing it against trees on the way up. For the down these poles pack small and can also be tossed inside your backpack.
Weight: 1 lb 2 oz.
Price: $169.95
G3 Pivot Trek Poles
G3’s Pivot Trek Poles are rad for splitboarding, they have a clean simple design are durable and pack down super small. Basically everything you need in a set of backcountry snowboard poles. The grips are on these poles is incredibly comfortable, think wetsuit material foam.
These poles can easily be tossed inside your backpack taking up very little space.
Weight: 10.8 oz.
Price: $161.00
BCA Scepter 4S Poles
The BCA Scepter 4S Poles are very similar in design to the G3 Pivot’s shown above. The Scepter was built for 4 season use. A nice strong reliable pole without much fuss. These poles come with summer and winter baskets and really work well in any mountain environment.
What’s nice about these poles is lack of a metal button to realease which has a tendency to freeze up like some of the other splitboarding poles on the market.
Weight: 12 oz.
Price: $89.95
Black Diamond Carbon Compactor Pole
The Black Diamond Carbon Compactor Poles plays off the success of the Z-pole compactibility, Black Diamond brings you the sleek and lightweight Black Diamond Carbon Compactor Poles. Utilizing a tension-lock system, the assembly is completed in mere seconds helping to speed up your transitions.
The weight and speed of transition make these poles ideal companions for any days splitboarding, though they are likely not best for the demands of a day skiing. While these poles feel very solid even on the most demanding of slippery ascents, a potential weak point is the top of the shaft where the metal pin holding the pole’s tension rests on the pole handle.
Price: $199.95
Black Diamond Expedition 3 Ski Pole
Your skier friends may try and steal these poles from you as they are actually designed for skiing but again work amazing for a day of splitboarding. The Black Diamond Expedition 3 Ski Poles are simple in design with very few moving pieces. This is a pole you can trust in the backcountry thanks to Black Diamond’s tried and true Flicklocks.
The Black Diamond Expedition 3 as the name implies is a 3 piece pole made of 100% Aluminum that comes in 2 sizes, 125cm and 140cm. Black Diamond uses rubber grips that extended about a foot down the pole for more contact points. This is one of the most popular foldable ski poles on the market.
Price: $134.95
Komperdell Carbon Expedition Vario Compact
These Komperdell poles have some serious tech going including rotating baskets, a magnetic style locking system that essentially snaps the poles into place to extended. To close them up a push button system brings everything back into place, small enough to fit inside your pack.
The only downside to these folding trekking poles is the carbon isn’t the strongest if you plan on breaking tree branches on the way uphill look for a stronger pole. For everything else the Komperdell Carbon Expedition Vario Compact Poles are a solid buy.
Weight: 8.4 oz.
Price: $199.95
Atomic BCT Pole
The Atomic BCT Pole is made of Aluminum Alloy which makes it one of the lightest poles on the market. This pole may look simple, because it is, and that’s exactly why we like it. Atomic’s BTC pole also happens to packs down the smallest of any of the collapsible poles we tested.
Atomic’s BCT Mountaineering SQS Pole offers extra grip thanks to foam wrapped around the handle. The top of the pole is made of hard plastic which starts to be noticeable against your palm on longer tours.
The standout part of this pole is Atomic’s locking mechanism. It’s simple, clean and so far fail-proof. One of the best poles for splitboarding on the market.
Price: $169.95
MSR DynaLock Explore Poles
The fanciest pole on this list comes from MSR. The MSR Dynalock Explore Pole weights .65 lbs (294 grams) per pole. What’s nice about this pole is the DynaLock closures, which can be easily adjusted on the fly thanks to a little spin wheel. As with the LEKI poles mentioned above be sure to figure out how to open and close this system in the comfort of your home. Once it’s dialed in you can rely on Mountain Safety Research to keep everything in place. Collapsed splitboard pole length of 24 inches (62cm)
The Dynalock Explore handle grip is made of rubber and there is foam that runs down about a foot from the top of the pole that allows for various positions to hold. The adjustable straps are not removable.
The only thing I would change if you plan to use these poles is the baskets. They do not really like to be in powder snow with there big circular design and can easily tip over. So either place these grip side down into the snow or just replace the baskets with something more BC friendly.
Price: $109.95
K2 Swift Stick Poles
K2 is making some darn fine gear for splitboarding as of late. The K2 Swift Stick Splitboard Poles are adjustable in length from 110cm to 130 cm covering just about everyone’s heights. K2 uses its SpeedLink Locking Mechanism which is simple and easy to use. You can even open and close this system with snowboard gloves on.
These adjustable ski poles collapse down small enough they can be tossed on the outside of your backpack, or even stuffed inside if you have the room with its small 13″ footprint. If you notice this pole like the Rossignol one has additional padding going down the shaft of the pole to allow you to grip even lower down on the pole for additional torque.
Price: $124.95
Gabel FR 5 F.L. LITE XTL
You most likely have never heard of Gabel until now. This brand based in Italy and the poles will be hard to find in North America. Sorry about that… The Gabel FR 5 F.L. LITE XTL Pole is another foldable ski pole that works great for splitboarding and year-round trecking.
This model of Gabel foldable poles are a little bit longer when folded up at 18″ in length so they are best attached to the outside of your backpack on the decent. Gabel uses a anti-sweat and anti-slip foam on the top of the pole grip. This material feels nice in hand, even after long tours.
The ski and snowboard industry is finally starting to design gear specifically for splitboarding. We wanted to find out how these splitboard poles held up in various temperatures, snowpacks and other variabilities including the length of the tour.
Are there any poles missing from the list? Possibly, however, we are very selective of the gear we test, especially gear we take into the backcountry and then stand behind with our reviews.
Price: $99.99
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I tried the Voile Camlock poles last year, and I will never use another pole. Powder baskets stay on no matter what (looking at you black diamond) and the little hook thing on the handle is SO HANDY for lifting your risers and snagging stuff.
It’s hard to believe the komperdell poles are 8.4oz for the pair. It must be for a single pole. Can you clarify that? I’ve broken a pair of the 3pc Voile poles in the past, but am going to try the BD Expedition 3 poles next. At 19oz they’re only an ounce or two more than the carbon ones and I’ve heard they’re bomber…
Mike-
Did you try the Jones Talons or Talons Pro? Curious how you think they stack up.
Sam,
I have not had access to the Jones Poles yet. I will reach out to those guys and thanks for the heads up on Talons, will do the same there. What are you using?
What length are the rossignol poles when collapsed?
The ones I have are 15.5″
Hi Mike,
So all of these carbon poles withstood the durability test? I had a carbon pole snap last year and have since switched to the BD expedition 3s. They’re pretty heavy but smooth and bombproof, so i’m sticking with them for now. That being said, it’d be interesting to know which carbon poles you’ve had luck with. Thanks!
Jake,
Thanks for the comment, the only ones we had issues with in the past were the old Black Diamond Carbon Compactors. They tended to freeze up. What poles were you using? The Leki stuff has yet to let me down but comes with a higher price point.
I will be updating this article in the next couple of weeks. I think theres another 7+ poles I tested… Check back for more.
Mike
any thought on the Komperdell Carbon Tour 4? I am still undecided among these, the Leki Tour Stick Vario Carbon V and the MSR Dynalock Ascent Carbon
Lorcar, I have yet to try the Komperdell poles, however if you wait till Fall we will have another 10+ poles in the roundup. The MSR are going to be more durable.
BD EXpedition 3: “The only downside is the straps are not removable.”
You can remove the straps of the BD Expedition 3 by pushing / hammering out the silver pin.
Mark,
Got any documents showing how?
Hi Mike, – any info on the actual weight of the ATOMIC poles? THANKS!
Tobi,
I do not, however they have been freezing up a bit on my current trip to BC. So most likely I will switch back over the Lekis
Hi Mike – have you had a chance to try out the Jones Explorer carbons? Thx.
Chris,
Jones Poles were not available in time for last years test, hoping they have some for the next go around.
Avoid the Jones poles, the way the baskets connect to the poles is flawed. You’ll lose the baskets eventually, especially when there’s a crust on the top of the snow.
David,
Thanks for the user driven feedback. I have yet to try the Jones ones, I will be sure to test this out though.
Hi Mike,
I just wanted to let you know that the link for the Atomic BCT Mountaineering SQS Poles goes to the BCT “Touring” SQS Poles (wrong item) which is not collapsible. The “Mountaineering” Poles (collapsible) are $169.95 not $139.
Aside from this mistake, great information. I just ordered the BCT Mountaineering Poles.
Eric,
Thanks for the feedback and catching the link. Got it fixed. PS those are my “favorite” poles on the list. Or atleast the ones I grab when I know it’s going to be a big day.
Mike,
One of things I am most curious about which you didn’t address in any of your reviews about the poles is the sturdiness. I am 6’3″ 240 lbs and in need of a sturdy pole for touring. I had the compactor z poles which are now broken and bent up in many places. Sturdiness is most important to me. Can you help me out with some recommendations?
Ryan,
We ran into the same thing with the Carbons a few years back they seem a lot more durable now. That being said they are carbon… The strongest ones on the list so far are the Black Diamond Expedition 3 Atomic, MSR. I sent a few broken poles back if those brands step up there game this year we will consider including them to the list for the following season.
I’m 5’11 145lb