MSR £130

DynaLock Ascent Carbon Backcountry Poles

+ Excellent design, lightweight, portable, durable, extended handgrip - Expensive, perhaps a little heavy for the price This premium-standard pole has the features and design quality to rival the top-end Leki Black Series Micro Vario. Like the Leki, it has a Z-shaped design with a quick-deploy system. Simply pull the pole’s lower section and it clips into shape with a reassuring click. To reverse the process, just press a button and the pole collapses into thirds, with a tiny 44cm length for hassle-free storage. An excellent DynaLock clamp lever enables 20cm of length adjustability and the ability to tighten the clamp on the go via a small wheel dial. The latter ensures no-slip integrity. Made from Kevlar-reinforced carbon fibre, the pole feels tough enough for gnarly mountainous terrain, but is fairly light at 250g per pole. The EVA foam grip is amply comfortable and features a gently-ribbed lower grip, which is ideal for marching uphill (use lower grip in both hands) or traversing steep terrain (use lower grip on higher altitude side, in one hand only). Winter and summer baskets are included for 4-season functionality and the carbide tips grip excellently. A small version (100-120cm long, 36cm when folded) is 15g lighter per pole. Overall it’s not quite as good as the Leki option, but it’s a close second.

LENGTH (folded-unfolded) 44-140cm (L) WEIGHT (per pole) 250g (L)