Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Poles > Test Report by Kurt Papke

Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles

Test Series by Kurt Papke

Initial Report - June 19, 2016

Field Report - August 13, 2016

Long Term Report - October, 2016

Tester Information

Initial Report

The Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork are lightweight telescoping trekking poles with a cork handle for comfort.  Length is adjusted without tools using the "Flicklock" mechanism, a cam-driven tightening lock.  They are designed for four season use, with the provided snow baskets.

Note that I have previously tested a different model of Black Diamond poles.  See the BackpackGearTest.org website for my review of the Black Diamond Trail Shock poles.

Product Information

• Replaceable carbide tips.  This is important to me as I've had to replace tips in the past due to wear.  The key is availability of the replacement units.
• Cork grip.  A dual-density top is listed, but what that actually means is not clear to me.
• Non-slip EVA foam grip extension.  This is a useful feature for me as I often choke up on the handles on steep climbs.
• Dual FlickLock adjustability which means there are two adjustment points for the length, and these can be released or locked without tools.
  

Initial Inspection

Summary

Things I Like So Far:

• Lightweight
• Length is easy to adjust
  

Things That Concern Me Upfront:

• Durability of carbon fiber shafts.  I occasionally use my trekking poles to break a fall on steep descents, and have bent and broken a few pairs.  I look forward to seeing how the carbon fiber shafts do under such stressful situations, though I am not looking forward to falling!
• I have had issues with adjustable length poles with the tension mechanism loosening up.  The set screw can be difficult to adjust in the field without a screwdriver.  I look forward to seeing how well these poles hold their set.

Field Report

Test Conditions

Yosemite - Tuolumne Meadows

This was a 6-day, 5-night backpack trip done in conjunction with the Tucson backpacking Meetup group.  I used the poles for 100% of the hiking miles.  They even carried me up Cloud's Rest as shown in the photo at left, with Half Dome in the background to the right.

The poles took a lot of abuse this week: hiking over granite surfaces, through streams, and getting bashed on trail rocks.  They worked reliably, comfortably, and with no issues.

I did have to tighten the set screws on the FlickLocks twice.  I was seeing a bit of slippage from time-to-time, so I incrementally tightened them down until they refused to budge.  This is an inherent downside of the FlickLock mechanism: it takes a few tweaks to get the tension in the set screws dialed in where they are still easy to use, yet do not slip.  I suspect that they will need no further adjustment from here on out though.

I was really pleased with the lightness of the poles.  They are *so* much lighter than my aluminum poles.  The cork is also very comfortable on my hands for all-day use - my palms did not feel sweaty against the surface.

I did adjust the length of the poles a few times when we were doing some extended climbing/descents.  I am a big fan of adjustable poles, as I like to lengthen them substantially on steep downhills.

Highline Trail

This was an exploratory trip to a new area for me, so I was not aggressive with the mileage.  Also, this was a high-altitude Alpine hike with a high pass I had to cross twice, so I huffed and puffed a lot.  I really appreciated the light weight of the poles when doing the climbs, and they saved my knees on the descents.  The trails were very rocky in places, but the pole tips dug in nicely and I had no traction issues.  I did not need to adjust the FlickLock set screw during this week-long trip; I think I now have the tension spot-on. In the following photo the poles are leaning up against a monster cairn - these are to be found along the higher altitudes of the trail, most likely to be visible in the snow:

Four Pass Loop

After a one-day break from the Highline trail, I headed up into the Rockies for a week-long trip around the Maroon Bells.  Altitude was about the same as the Highline.

The poles are shown along the trail at left, propped up against a trail sign.  As can be seen, this is rugged terrain.  The trails became very steep right near the summit of the passes, and I really appreciated the toughness of these poles to power me up the final stretch.  I also had to rely on them to support much of my weight as I began my descent on the far side, picking my way down the slopes.

Overall, the poles performed flawlessly on this trip.  Once again I did not have to adjust the FlickLock set screw.

Goat Rocks Loop

This was a one-night jaunt located several hours drive from my daughter's home in Portland, Oregon.  I've been wanting to visit this for a while, and had my Jeep on this trip so got the chance to make the excursion.

The trail was fairly foot-friendly, so I didn't utilize the poles as extensively on this trip as on some of the prior outings.

Summary

During this test period I hiked over three weeks with the poles, so I feel like I've given them a pretty good workout.  My main concern that I had upfront about the durability so far has been unfounded - the poles are holding up perfectly.

Good Things:

1. Lightweight
2. Comfortable grip
3. Extension locks did not slip
4. Reliable - no bends or breaks
5. Tips "bit" the trail well - didn't have a problem with slipping
   

Areas for improvement:

1. I never quite figured out the Left/Right pole labeling.  Half the time I probably used the wrong hand.  Perhaps they need to upgrade their labeling to explain what the difference is so I have a motivation to use them correctly.

Long Term Report

Test Conditions

Summary

Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Black Diamond for the opportunity to contribute to this test.

Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Poles > Test Report by Kurt Papke