Everything old is new again: Soul Poles has gone back to one of the original materials used to make ski poles, bamboo, and there are compelling arguments in its favor, aside from the fact that the poles look bitchin’. The fledgling brand, launched by World Cup skiers Erik Schlopy and Bryon Friedman, makes the sticks by hand in Utah from sustainable bamboo and mostly recycled materials, including a recycled polypro strap, recycled plastic in the basket, and 80 percent recycled aluminum in the tip. SP is also a member of One Percent for the Planet and Protect Our Winters and good on ‘em for it.
More important than their parts or sustainability story is their performance, and Soul says they have the tensile strength of steel and swing weight of carbon fiber. To be more than a boutique accessory or complement to a Bogner one-piece, they’ll have to be. I’m testing a pair in a couple weeks and will let you know.
$99-$295 LINK
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
nit picky comment…
Tensile strength (stretching) doesn’t matter with ski poles as they are often not loaded this way. The most important aspect for a ski pole is its bending strength. Bending strength of bamboo is not quite as strong as steel with the same diameter.
@David… agreed about bending strength being much more relevant than tensile strength. But how to bamboo compare to aluminum, the material used in most conventional ski poles (as opposed to steel)?