Stopping to adjust your trekking or backcountry ski pole isn’t the biggest hassle, but it’s certainly a pain, especially when both hands are occupied, or when moving in dicey terrain. Komperdell’s new system allows you to lengthen the pole with the push of a button on the top of the handle—which provides a great perk at the beginning of tricky descents, and ensures that compressing the pole for climbing is just as easy. As the German company’s engineers assert, “Secure stand always and everywhere – 100% of concentration,” which, while something may have been lost in translation, sounds pretty darn good to us.
