Komperdell Carbon Pro Zero Compact Trekking Poles

The clever bit on this pole is where Komperdell stopped using carbon. The top two sections are carbon for lightness and stiffness; the bottom section - the one that gets wedged in rock cracks and dragged over scree - is Titanal.HF alloy.

Carbon where it helps, alloy where it takes the hits

The lower section of a trekking pole leads a hard life. It goes into gaps between rocks, gets levered when you misjudge a step, and takes the scrapes. Putting a high-strength alloy there and keeping carbon up top gives you most of the weight saving with a lot more peace of mind on rough ground.

A short, tuckable band

90 to 120 cm suits shorter walkers and steep terrain, and packs to 57 cm so the poles ride neatly on a daypack rather than waving above your shoulders.

Trek Pro 280 foam grip

Light, soft foam with an extended grip zone running down the shaft, so on a sharp climb you slide your hand down instead of stopping to re-set the clamps.

Weight

402 g the pair (201 g per pole).

Key features

• Carbon upper (18 mm) and middle (16 mm) sections
• Titanal.HF lower section (14 mm) for impact resistance
• Powerlock 3.0 forged aluminium external clamps
• Trek Pro 280 foam grip with extended grip zone
• Vario basket system - quick swap between summer and winter baskets