Cross-country, on the choice and use of walking sticks

Whether it is in hiking, mountain climbing, cross-country running, the role of the cane has been fully verified. The reasonable use of the cane can reduce the burden on the knees and legs, reduce sports injuries, extend exercise time ... and other benefits.

Below, we will talk about the functions and choices of walking sticks in sports. Of course, the focus is on walking sticks.

1. Classification of Canes

At present, the more common cane products in China can be roughly listed in function: walking poles, trekking poles, ski poles, mountaineering ski poles, and cross-country running poles.

Walking stick:

It is mainly used for "Nordic Nordic" hiking (originating from "Nordic Nordic Skiing", also called "Cross-country Skiing"), mainly in flat environment, with less uphill and downhill slopes, generally less exercise intensity, and the role of the stick is to move forward, Therefore, the stick itself is long, generally of fixed length or two pieces, and the tip of the stick has a semi-curved plastic protective sleeve.

Trekking pole:

It is mainly used for hiking and mountaineering activities at more and more altitudes. It is the most common type of walking stick at present. It has a wide range of use and has many subdivided product types (such as functions with a simple gimbal, and materials from aluminum and Carbon, etc., are divided into external buckle type and rotating type from the fastening method, generally three sections can be adjusted in length, in order to fight hard roads, the tip of the stick is currently made of hard alloy material.

Ski poles:

It is used for skiing, because it needs to withstand the short and strong vertical impact, so it is basically a single section. According to the needs of each person (height, sliding method, etc.), different but fixed lengths are selected, and the skiing method is different. There are also straight and curved differences. For example, the large swing stick has a deliberate curvature and is long, while the cat jump stick needs to be very short. In addition, the size of ski poles and snow wheels (mud holders similar to trekking poles) is more important, and the tip of the pole is not so critical (after all, it is used in snow).

Mountaineering ski poles:

Mainly used in mountaineering and skiing, the design takes into account the two needs of mountaineering and skiing. The former needs to be adjustable (short uphill and long downhill), the latter needs impact resistance, and generally two mountaineering ski poles are common (reduced as much as possible) Connection point), the fixing method is also stronger.

Cross country running stick:

Mainly used for mountain cross-country running, based on its environment and carrying restrictions, the core demand of general cross-country running sticks is "lightness". The original use of walking sticks was to reduce the burden. If it is heavy, it will be cumbersome; secondly, it can be fast For adjustment, different lengths are required to go up and down the mountain, and it is easy to operate during the run, saving time; there is also a section that does not require a cane, which can be easily stored.

Before the rise of running in recent years, we hardly saw any walking sticks for running. Occasionally, running friends with walking sticks were mostly hiking sticks. Instead, I remember the earliest I saw BlackDiamond ’s Z-Poles folding stick. In the mountaineering environment, I was surprised by its light weight after the trial. 4-5 years ago, I started to try trail running and participated in some competitions. Later, I was deficient in physical ability and wanted to use the stick top. So I started a pair of Z-Poles decisively. In addition to mountaineering + skiing in recent years, my family also accumulated Many canes, mainly to compare trekking poles and cross-country running sticks:

Second, the cane function (light, fast, save)

light--

At present, the common cross-country running sticks on the market are mostly carbon in material, and the diameter of the pipe is also significantly smaller than the trekking pole. This result is that the weight of the special running stick is almost half of the trekking pole. Compared with cross-country running, mountaineering routes are much more "complex", such as gravel trees, river ditches, etc., so the design of trekking poles should be more durable, from the tip of the pole to the body of the pole. I use a cane for cross-country running. I personally feel that it is positioned as auxiliary equipment (the main equipment is the legs of the runner), which is light in weight and does not increase the burden.

fast--

When climbing, the up and down changes are usually not too frequent, and the hiking speed is relatively slow, so it is easy to adjust, and when running, especially in competitions, many adjustments need to be done in more "fast" sports, I In the actual game, the state of using the stick can be divided into four types, namely: running with the stick-running with the stick-holding the hand with the stick-running with the stick in the back, the most ideal adjustments in these four stages are all It is done during running, so most of the common running sticks are fixed with a pull type and a folding type, and there is almost no rotation fixing common to trekking poles.

province--

Cross-country running routes change a lot. Generally, there are long and gentle sections. In addition, during the starting stage or when the physical strength is good, many runners are also accustomed to put their canes away and reserve them. Generally, the size and volume are limited. Whether it is tied outside the package or inside the income package, the shorter storage length is welcome. This four-section cane is more advantageous.

Third, the use of cross-country running sticks

Wristband use--

It is more labor-saving to use the wrist strap. If the grip is exerted directly, the hand will be miserable; the correct method is to pass the wrist strap loop from the bottom to the top to adjust the length of the wrist strap. Just press the wristband forward, make a fist with your fingers, hold the wristband and the grip together, and press down on the wristband when you force it. You don't need to use your palm to directly exert pressure on the grip.

Use of grip--

In normal use, you do n’t need to exert too much force on the grip, you can gently hold it; many grips have an extended area under the sponge material. This is a temporary use area, such as cross-cutting hillsides or zigzags on short distances The length needs to be adjusted repeatedly, but one side is high and the other side is low, and the low side is normally used. The high side wrist presses the wristband, and the hand grasps the lower area.

Uphill and downhill skills--

The uphill stick can be adjusted shorter, the downhill length is longer, generally 10-20 cm; the uphill is usually slower, the cane is mainly used to reduce the consumption of the legs, the downhill speed is faster, the cane is mainly used to reduce the impact of the knee, And maintain the balance of the body in rapid movement; also need to pay attention to downhill, the position of the cane should be stable, for safety reasons, try not to put all the body weight on the stick.