I’m hardly a hard-core backcountry skier. In fact, my tours barely qualify as backcountry lite, but the el-cheapo adjustable poles I was using for such outings turned out to be even wussier than I am.

View post: 2026 Spring Skiing Essentials: The Gear Worth Packing This Season Black Diamond’s new Helio on the left, and the Black Crows Furtis. PHOTOS: Erme Catino For 13 years I’ve only used ...

Most skiers use poles. These handy spears are key to a successful turn, and make balancing while skiing—and navigating flat areas—much easier. Like any part of the mountainous kit needed to go skiing, ...

Ignorance may be bliss, but once you’ve been educated, you can never go back—as I was reminded after first picking up Indigo’s Epic Adjustable ski pole. In my foolishly uninformed universe, I thought ...

Let’s take a moment to admire the unassuming hero of our powder days: the ski pole. Ski poles are the uncelebrated champion of skiing. They aren’t as critical as ski boots or bindings and nowhere near ...