Ski Pole Review: Åsnes Ingstad

[lilcliffy]

For many, many years I have used adjustable poles in the backcountry.

Last winter I decided to try something different and bought a pair of Åsnes Ingstad poles. I chose these not only because they match my beloved Ingstad BC skis-

They are very light, have superb backcountry snow baskets, and have three features that I was particularly drawn to:
1) An extended seamless grip- that is enlarged at the base so as not to lose your grip. (Being able to raise or lower your grip is FANTASTIC for Nordic ski touring in steep and hilly terrain.)
2) They have a Nordic touring handle top for kick and glide skiing.
3) They have a brilliant adjustable hand strap- easily and quickly customized on the move (see the video on the Åsnes site).

Length.
(Pole length recommendations on the Åsnes site.)
I spent days and days trying to decide on what length to get.
These poles have replaced my Komperdell BC Trail poles- which are adjustable to 155cm.
I am 5’10” (178cm).
My local/regional BC ski touring involves skiing on trails and through the forest in rugged hilly terrain.
I have to admit that for my local BC ski touring I keep my adjustable poles at a short length- otherwise I am CONSTANTLY stopping to shorten them on hills.
My adjustable ski poles don’t have an extended grip nor do they have those nifty adjustable and extendable hand straps…

I finally chose the 135cm- deciding that if they were just too short they would be perfect for a shorter skier in our clan.

As it turns out the 135cm has been PERFECT for my height and the highly variable terrain I tour on. I do not miss the extension to 155cm- at all!

In fact, I have found that I use the lower section of the grip so much on these 135cm poles that I now leave the hand straps in the lowest position so that I can slide to the lower position without adjustment.

These are superbly designed poles for backcountry Nordic ski touring in hilly-mountainous terrain. HIGHLY recommended.
………………..
A nerdy note-
Two of my regular tur partners also bought this pole last winter (one the Ingstad and the other the equivalent Cecile model)-
On our first tour I noticed they had their baskets mounted “upside down”- or at least from my perspective they were upside down-

I mounted my baskets so that the rivets heads were down and the rivet bucktail and basket strap ends are up- see photos:

Rivet heads down- basket straps are not exposed.

Topside of the basket showing the rivet bucktails and the strap ends.

My tur partners had their baskets mounted the other way:

Rivet bucktails and strap ends down and exposed.

Top view of the basket mounted so that the rivet heads are up.

Notice that the fit between the pole shaft and the basket bushing lip is a little “cleaner” and the Åsnes symbol is visible. Also, there is a small groove in the basket bushing on this end that makes the fit a little tighter. I understand why my tur partners mounted theirs baskets this way- it at least appears that this is the intended mount.

I think that the exposed rivet bucktails and strap ends will wear and eventually break down if they are on the bottom of the basket.
Thoughts?

I have recently contacted Åsnes with this nerdy question-
For now, I am leaving my baskets with the rivet heads down!


Wishing you a Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and a fantastic ski season from the Central Hill New Brunswick Hills!

December 19th, 2020
Gareth Davies
Snow Glade Farm
Stanley, New Brunswick
Canada

[Nick BC]

Thanks for the review Garth. I too decided to upgrade my poles this year after a long period with adjustable poles for xcd. I ended up buying the Dynafit Touring poles from SkiUphill in Canmore. They are very similar to the Asnes poles with the long grip pattern (dare I say they came out of the same factory), but the Dynafit baskets are a bit different, somewhat smaller and all plastic. I too agonized about length and went for the 130 cms. Due to age shrinkage, I'm now down to 167 cms, and they work great.

Season's Greetings to all and here's to a somewhat less stressful and Happier 2021 .

[lilcliffy]

Just checked out the Dynafit Tour pole- very nice- and very good value.

Yeah- I thought I would really miss the adjustable pole- I haven't.

Thank you Nick and same to you!

[Woodserson]

I see your logic with turning the basket upside down.

The Swix poles have rivets that are less substantial than the Asnes poles. The Swix rivets are smaller and not really rivets, and don't have the plastic backing. It will be interesting to see how long they last on my pair of Mountains.

I wish Asnes poles were made up to 160 or 165cm. All the adjustables at least stop at 155.

(BTW that's a great looking pair of Fischer's you got there! The best color scheme, full of panache and savoir faire )

[lilcliffy]

I received a response saying that the baskets should be mounted with the tapered end up "Showing the Asnes symbol."

I get it- and the basket bushing is clearly designed to be mounted that way- and cosmetically they look cleaner to the eye looking down on the basket.

BUT- I still think that the durability of the basket webbing is seriously compromised by using them with the rivet bucktails and strap ends down...

I think I will continue to use them "upside-down"- or maybe I will use one one-way, and the other the opposite- so I can test the durability?

[fisheater]

Gareth, being from the construction industry I immediately believed your baskets to be installed upside down. However after much consideration I see you logic, the basket is not a roof that needs to drain. Your method eliminates large areas of edge surface that can only wear faster than your clean wearing surface. My only caveat would be that the basket should have the free rotation as Åsnes designed.

[lilcliffy]

Thanks for the input Bob,

The basket bushing is threaded and screws onto the pole shaft- this works with the basket mounted in either orientation.

Once screwed on the basket turns smoothly and snugly on the pole shaft- same in both oreintations.

The only difference is that in the "correct" position (i.e. with the Asnes symbol pointing up) the basket has a groove that seats that pole shaft- it creates overlap between the pole shaft and the basket bushing.

I don't know- I still don't like those rivet bucktails and basket strap ends exposed to wear and tear in the backcountry...

A story-
When I bought my Komperdell BC Trail poles- they came with a similar style deep snow basket- the basket straps were stitched and "properly" installed, the stitching was faced downwards and exposed to wear.
On my first outing with these poles I skied some 15-20ks out into the hills only to have the basket straps on BOTH pole baskets completely come apart. I ended p having to ski back through about 40cm of deep soft snow with no pole baskets.
The baskets were quickly replaced by MEC- the second set was just as easily destroyed...
I ended up replacing them with a plastic Alpine Touring basket.

The baskets on my BC ski touring poles take a lot of abuse here in the Northwoods-
I think I am going to follow my gut and keep those rivet ends and strap ends "upside-down"!

[Stephen]

Hi Gareth, Happy Season’s greetings to you — love your positive energy.
While we’re on poles, I’m wondering if you have looked at the Swix Mountain Explorer adjustable poles? I realize you’re moving away from adjustable, but still ...
One appeal for me, at 6’3”+ is that they extend to 165, which gets me to the recommended 160cm. It’s the only adjustable that goes past 155 that I have seen.
I now am using BD Traverse Pro poles that go to 155, and they seem ok.
One feature I like about the BD is the safety release for the straps — any excessive strain causes one end of the strap to release, and they easily snap back together.
However, strap length adjustment is a bare-handed affair — not so user-friendly.
I was wondering if the baskets on the Swix poles would be more effective in deep snow than the 4” plastic star baskets on the BD poles?
Any input appreciated.
https://www.swixsport.com/us/poles/nord ... 5952396729

PS
I have been enjoying my Ingstad 205cm more than I thought I would. Still not a lot of time on them and figuring out best use for the MR48, E99, Ingstad, and soon to arrive FT62 188cm.
Snow is still in short supply in this part of Western Wyoming. Enough to ski, but way behind “normal.”

[bgregoire]

Those Asnes, BD Traverse Pro and Swix MTN EX are all awesome poles. Just a few years back we did not have that many great options.

The larger nordic basket are so much better than the non flexing ones. I own an old pair of Traverse on which I placed the Swix nordic baskets. Its a must for me.

I really like the safety feature on the Traverse Pro. The once size pole works fine, but If I got myself a good pair of those, I would always keep a small quiver of poles that includes a good pair of ajustable ones. They are great for long (especially multiday) tours and complicated descents.

Gareth, those baskets of yours are upside down. No other way to put it.

My 20 year old pair of Swix leather baskets are built like that and the rivets have not failed (God knows how much trail they have seen). I've had to replace the leather since though so good synthetic straps like those on the Asnes does seem superior. Even if a rivet would pop, its a super easy fix. There is no problem to fix here IMO.

[Woodserson]

Still not a lot of time on them and figuring out best use for the MR48, E99, Ingstad, and soon to arrive FT62 188cm.

You put them all in your car.
You ski one for a few miles.
You ski back to the car.
You swap and ski the next one.
You compare, meditate while looking at trees, and swap again.
You do this ad nauseum.

No one will ski with you. Everyone thinks you're insane.

You send long emails to your two friends on TTalk about said skis.
You ponder, over the summer, all the decisions you arrived at so confidently the previous winter.
Repeat in the new season, maybe with another ski in the quiver.
You have the bug.