Pole straps have come a long way, and the devil is in the details.
Over the past few years, the pole strap is one area where the almost all the manufacturers have improved. There is a lot of research going into choosing materials for the strap, such as moldable foams that adapt to the shape of the hand, webbing that doesn’t chafe and varieties of Velcro closures.
New straps are more comfortable, lets skiers aim and plant the pole more accurately, and allow the pole to return to the hand in the right position. New straps are more flexible, more adjustable and frequently offer features to improve performance, such non-slip materials on the inside of the strap to hold the grip securely.
Getting the most out of the strap requires paying attention to adjusting the strap properly.
“Its not just a matter of tightening the Velcro on the top of the wrist to a comfortable level of tightness,” says Jon Fewster, who is the Global Category Manager for Poles and Boots at Madshus.
The webbing that goes into the handle at the top of the strap should be adjusted for length both on the inside/palm side of the strap, as well as the webbing that controls the length of the strap on the back/top of the hand. Also, whether you tighten the Velcro vertically or more horizontally across the back of your hand affects how the strap fits. (Article continues below)
“Most straps come in sizes. Some people have bear paws and should look at the large strap size, while others have small hands and wont be able to correctly adjust a standard, medium strap. Play around with different sizes,” Fewster recommends, adding that the Madshus web site has a video showing how to adjust the various features on the pole strap.
Some of the strap adjustment are one-time adjustments, or adjustments that doesn’t have to be made each time, but paying attention to the fit definitely affects pole performance.
“Just think about how much time you spend waxing your skis. Spend a little bit of time on your poles too,” he says.