My hiking poles snapped in the middle of the Tahoe Rim Trail last month

I was about 8 miles into a 14 mile day on the Tahoe Rim Trail near the Barker Pass junction when my left pole just folded right at the middle joint. The locking mechanism gave out completely, no warning at all. I had to finish the last 6 miles using a random branch I found on the ground and it was miserable, especially on the rocky downhill sections. Anyone else had a pole failure at a bad time and found a way to prevent it?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex_wilson7926d ago

Random branch" is honestly wild. I would've lost my mind out there.

milacraig26d ago

You say "random branch" like its some crazy thing, but honestly that kind of stuff is part of the deal. I've seen people handle way worse, like a tree limb the size of your arm smacking them right in the helmet and they just keep pedaling. The whole point of trail riding is expecting the unexpected. If you're riding a smooth path with no branches or rocks then you're on a sidewalk, not a trail.

wendyprice25d ago

Oh man, @alex_wilson79, I heard someone say trail riding is basically just controlled chaos...