The 5 Best Backcountry Ski Poles of 2024

Best Overall Backcountry Ski Poles

Dynafit Speed Vario 2.0

Shaft Material: Carbon | Measured Weight (pair): 15.5 oz

The Dynafit Speed Vario 2.0 is a fully-featured carbon ski pole that excels on long days in the backcountry chasing powder or steep descents, emerging from the pack as our favorite overall backcountry ski pole. It weighs an incredible 15.5 ounces per pair, without sacrificing features like a large powder basket, a durable metal lever lock, and a hooked handle for locking tech bindings. The grip is nicely contoured, and the wrist straps are easily adjustable. Everything about this pole is sleek and well-designed.

One major downside to carbon poles is a lack of long-term durability since carbon shafts have the potential to snap more easily than aluminum ones. We recommend carbon poles to sleek and fast backcountry skiers who don't spend a lot of time bushwhacking or mountaineering. These poles are so light that we barely notice them on the uphill, but we wouldn't recommend using them to whack at branches or cornices. The secondary grip is also short but tolerable. Overall, we feel the Dynafit Speed Vario are the best backcountry ski poles on the market. But if you want more longevity from your investment, the aluminum Black Diamond Traverse offers top-notch durability.

Best Overall Backcountry Poles for Splitboarders

MSR DynaLock Ascent Carbon

Shaft Material: Carbon | Measured Weight (pair): 18 oz

The MSR DynaLock Ascent Carbon is a lightweight and compact carbon-fiber pole that folds down to a small size to fit easily into a backpack, earning our recommendation for the best splitboarding pole. These poles have 20 centimeters of length adjustment, which is plenty for the uphill, as well as excellent secondary grips and padded wrist straps. They also have large powder baskets, which help when touring on those deep powder days. An incredibly low swing weight helps save energy, and at the top of the skin track, they disappear into a pack for the ride down with a collapsed length of just 14.25 inches—the smallest packed size we have ever tested. These poles are the total package for splitboarding: comfortable on the way up and nonexistent on the ride back down. As a bonus, these are also some of the least expensive, high-quality collapsible poles on the market.

Unfortunately, the Dynalock Ascent Carbon is not the most durable option in our lineup. These poles feature carbon shafts, which are light but not as strong as aluminum. They stand up to uphill skinning, but they won't take a beating on the way down if used by skiers. They are also somewhat unwieldy when folded up and rely on a small velcro strap to hold them together. Lastly, the MSR pole basket has an awkward shape, but it still does the job. Overall, these poles are everything we look for in a splitboarding pole, just don't treat them carelessly. If you are rough on your gear, a more durable contender like the Black Diamond John J Compactor is probably a safer bet.

Best Bang for Your Buck

Leki Helicon Lite

Shaft Material: Aluminum | Measured Weight (pair): 19 oz

The Leki Helicon Lite delivers excellent performance in a durable yet affordable aluminum ski pole, earning our award for the best value. The grip is well-contoured and comfortable to hold, with tacky rubber that makes it easy to grasp. The wrist straps adjust easily; the handle can be used to flip tech bindings between ski and walk mode, and the secondary grip is great as well. This pole features 35 centimeters of length adjustment, which is plenty for switching from extended lengths for uphill travel to short poles for steep downhill turns to nordic lengths for skating out lengthy exits. In every way, this pole is awesome, and it's more affordable than pretty much any other pole on the market.

We only have a few small gripes about this pole. First, the lower shaft could be a little stiffer, and the pole could be lighter overall. Second, the colors are a bit loud. But these are only minor criticisms compared to our major complaint, which is that the baskets have cracked on every pair of this pole that we have seen. We simply replace them with a more durable powder basket, but be prepared to deal with this annoyance if you buy these otherwise excellent poles. In our opinion, these poles are a great value, but if you want to spend a little more money on a pole that seems to last forever, the Black Diamond Traverse is a good option.

Best Ski Pole/Ice Axe Hybrid

Black Diamond Whippet

Shaft Material: Aluminum | Measured Weight (single): 17.6 oz (single pole)

Some backcountry skiers and ski mountaineers want a tool with the potential to replace an ice axe for steep snow climbing and that can add to their ability to arrest a fall in steep terrain while skiing down. For these users, the Black Diamond Whippet is a classic standby in the steep skiing world. The most recent iteration builds upon the product's past successes, adding a removable pick design. In short, it functions as a standard three-section telescoping backcountry ski pole while skinning up or skiing down, with the option to attach the pick to the top of the grip when you want. The result is a high-performance pole and the best of the ski pole/ice axe hybrids on the market.

The primary disadvantage of the Whippet is its weight. With the pick attached, the pole weighs about twice as much as other models. The higher swing weight is not particularly noticeable, especially in steep terrain, where our minds are generally on other things. It is available in a carbon version, but it will set you back a few more bucks. We were also a little bit dismayed to discover that this model only comes as a single, individual pole. If it came in a set, it would be the only pair of backcountry poles you'd ever need. If you don't require the utility of a hybrid, you can shed some ounces with the lightweight and collapsible MSR DynaLock Ascent Carbon.

Best Baton Pole

Folkrm Pahto

Shaft Material: Aluminum | Measured Weight: 18.5 oz

The Folkrm Pahto is our favorite of the increasingly popular baton-style poles. It features a long grip with ergonomic ribs that allow the user to grip up and down the length of the pole without sacrificing purchase. The handle has a curved lip that easily manipulates risers or toe-locking mechanisms on touring bindings. The handle is also comfortable to push down against while skinning. Most batons on the market don't have a length adjustment mechanism, but we like that these poles include this feature.

On the skin track, the pole can be held in a variety of positions depending on the angle of the traverse or skin track, allowing plenty of space for choking up with the uphill hand. On the downhill, where skiers tend to shorten their poles in steeper terrain, the pole can be grasped lower, creating a fulcrum that allows for better ski technique in consequential terrain, as the arms don't have to swing as much to bring the hands forward. When climbing steep snow, the poles can be plunged grip-first into the snow like the shaft of an ice axe, and when making steep descents, the plunged poles can be used as an anchor. If you spend a lot of time ski mountaineering on big peaks, these poles can be a useful tool.

Compare Products

Compare select up to 5 products to compare

	Score	Product	Price
	81	Dynafit Speed Vario 2.0 Best Overall Backcountry Ski Poles	$170
	79	Folkrm Pahto Best Baton Pole	$150
	76	Black Diamond Traverse	$115
	74	G3 Via Carbon	$166
	73	Leki Helicon Lite Best Bang for Your Buck	$100
	73	Black Diamond Expedition 3	$135
	73	Salomon MTN Carbon S3	$200
	72	Backcountry Access Scepter Carbon	$130
	72	Black Diamond Vapor Carbon 2	$200
	68	Black Diamond Whippet Best Ski Pole/Ice Axe Hybrid	$150
	67	MSR DynaLock Ascent Carbon Best Overall Backcountry Poles for Splitboarders	$190
	66	Black Crows Big Mountain Oxus	$130
	64	Jones Talon Pro	$190
	64	Black Diamond John J Compactor	$200
	59	Black Crows Duos Freebird	$165
	59	Black Diamond Razor Carbon Pro	$180
	52	MSR DynaLock Trail	$90

Why Trust GearLab

Finding the best backcountry ski poles began with hours of market research, which involved weeding through all the poles on the market to find the best of the best. We read reviews, asked our friends, sent emails, and asked random people on the skin track about their poles. This research piled atop our combined 30+ years of experience, resulted in our choosing the 13 models assessed here. Then, we took them out on backcountry tours of all shapes and sizes, from the firm, steep skin tracks of the Wasatch to the deep and powdery woods of Jackson Hole to icy spring couloirs in the Sierra Nevada. We also skied resort laps with the poles to test downhill performance. Throughout the testing process, we paid attention to important metrics like comfort, length adjustment, durability, features, and weight.

Our testing of backcountry ski poles is divided across five different metrics:

• Comfort (25% of total score weighting)

• Length Adjustment (20% weighting)

• Durability (20% weighting)

• Features (20% weighting)

• Weight (15% weighting)

Our test team is led by IFMGA Mountain Guide Jeff Dobronyi. From the cold and deep winters of Jackson Hole, Alaskan steeps, and the depths of Patagonia, Jeff leads backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering trips worldwide. He puts the world's best backcountry skiing gear through the wringer for over 100 days a year and knows what gear is good enough to pass the test and what gear won't get the job done. From slamming bumps in Telluride to skiing the steep couloirs of the Central Tetons, Jeff put a lot of stress on the test poles during this review.

Jeff is joined by Ross Patton for consultation on splitboarding poles. Ross's passion and enthusiasm for splitboarding are well-known in his local backcountry community. From building kickers in the backcountry to slaying steep pillow lines, Ross knows the ins and outs of what makes a great pole for splitboarders.

Analysis and Test Results

As backcountry skiers, we demand a lot from our ski poles. We need them to be durable enough to stand up to the abuse of hard pole plants and possible crashes. We require a comfortable grip, as well as excellent locking mechanisms and adjustability. And yet, we need them to do all of this at a minimum weight because every extra ounce that we have to carry can lead to less skiing over the course of a day. In our review, we analyzed how well these ski poles performed these tasks and scored them appropriately.

What's the Best Value?

The poles in our test vary greatly in price. In general, carbon poles are more expensive than aluminum poles, and you'll generally pay a lot more to get the lightest poles. That said, many ski guides and patrollers put a lot of stress on their poles and prefer more affordable and durable aluminum poles for whacking the snow off of trees and for chopping out couloir entrances. With the exception of weight, most inexpensive aluminum poles perform just as well as their carbon counterparts. And a slightly heavier pole won't ruin your day, but a broken pole might.

It doesn't cost much to find a backcountry ski pole with a comfortable grip, a decent amount of length adjustment, a durable aluminum construction, and some useful features like secondary grips and handle tips that can manipulate bindings and risers. The Leki Helicon Lite provides all of these features at an incredibly low price, making them the best value on the market. They have a comfortable grip, 35 centimeters of length adjustment, decent durability, a handle that easily manipulates a tech binding, and relatively low weight. They swing forward with ease and make skiing powder even more fun than it already is. They do all this at a reasonable price and cost a fraction of the most expensive models in our test.

Splitboard-specific poles are more expensive than the best backcountry skiing poles since they have to incorporate more parts to allow for a collapsible design. Since splitboarders only need a pole for the way up and would prefer not to feel the weight of their poles in their packs on the descent, the best splitboard poles are constructed with carbon. This boosts the price tag considerably. Of the splitboard-specific poles, the Jones Talon Pro is the best value, but it comes with some major performance deficiencies compared to the best splitboard poles.

It is worth noting that most resort poles can be used for backcountry skiing. The only dealbreaker is powder baskets. If you bring a pair of poles into the backcountry with small baskets designed for groomers, they will sink deeply into the snow when you push them down while skinning, making them mostly useless.

Comfort

The most important attribute of a backcountry ski pole is that it's comfortable to hold. We push down on our poles over and over, all season long, on the skin track, so the grip needs to be ergonomic and easy to grasp. The top of the handle should be comfortable to push down upon since we often use our poles like canes on steep skin tracks. The straps should be nice to wear as well, making days at the resort and long skates across flats more bearable. Finally, the pole's swing weight should be light, not impeding our ability to snap our pole forward for the next turn.

The G3 Via Carbon has the most comfortable grip in our review. It is perfectly contoured to the curves of the hand. The Dynafit Speed Vario 2.0 and Leki Helicon also have nicely contoured grips. The Black Diamond grips have been a long-time favorite, with their slight curves and generic fit, but these grips lack refinement and have been surpassed over time. Still, we like the top of the handle on the BD poles the best. The Folkrm Pahto has both a comfortable grip and a well-designed handle, making it another comfortable choice.

Secondary grips sit below the main/upper grip and are typically used whenever the skin track starts to switchback uphill, as it is more comfortable for the uphill hand to be positioned lower on the pole rather than reaching up to remain on the grip. We like the Leki Helicon Lite's secondary grip the most, with its slightly grippy surface and smooth connection to the primary grip.

The baton-style poles like the Black Diamond Vapor Carbon 2, Black Crows Oxus, Black Crows Duos Freebird, and Salomon Mtn Carbon S3 have long grips that also include plenty of room for secondary grip positions. The Folkrm Pahto is our favorite out of these poles, with ergonomic curves from the primary grip position all the way down the shaft, so that you have a comfortable grip no matter how much you choke up.

Among the splitboard-specific poles, we prefer the contoured grips and secondary handles of the MSR Dynalock Ascent Carbon and Black Diamond John J Compactor.

Length Adjustment

A good backcountry ski pole allows for some length adjustment to match the activity at hand. For mellow powder touring, some users might ski with their poles at the same length that they used for the ascent. Many serious skiers, however, will shorten their poles in steep terrain in an effort to keep their hands forward to maintain an aggressive and controlled body position. When the powder gets deep, shorter poles make skiing a lot more fun because the powder baskets don't get stuck behind you in the deep snow. On the flip side, whenever the out-tracks are long and flat, and double-poling or skating is required, a long Nordic-style pole can save you a lot of energy.

In general, telescoping poles allow more length adjustment than foldable poles. This is fine because backcountry skiers tend to use telescoping poles, and these are the users who need lots of length adjustment. Splitboarders need poles that can adjust to their exact preferred length for the ascent, and that's about it, with some extended length preferred for double-poling when the luge track at the bottom of a run has some short uphills. Collapsible folding poles typically offer less adjustment — 20 cm in the case of the MSR Dynalock Ascent Carbon.

The Black Diamond Expedition 3 and Black Diamond Traverse feature the most length adjustment in our review. They can telescope a whopping 50 centimeters, allowing for as much length variability as you could ever need. The majority of the other telescoping poles we tested offer between 30 and 40 centimeters of adjustment, which should be adequate for most users.

The Black Crows Oxus doesn't have a telescoping length adjustment mechanism, but rather, it features a 38-centimeter long grip that allows the user to grasp the pole at various heights, depending on their needs. It also allows the user to choke up with the uphill hand when side-hilling and to have a sticky secondary grip wherever they decide their uphill hand is most comfortable. The Black Crows Duos, BD Vapor Carbon 2, Folkrm Pahto, and Salomon MTN S3 offer both two-section telescoping length adjustment and long baton-style secondary grips to eliminate the need to resize the poles at transitions.

Durability

Ski poles take a beating, from being thrown into pickup trucks, car trunks, and ski boxes, to whacking snow off of trees on the skin track, to bearing the brunt of yardsale wipeouts. They need to be strong to last a full season or more of use and abuse, and we generally expect our poles to last at least this long. Furthermore, when a pole breaks, it can seriously impact your day, making further ascent more difficult or the descent more dangerous.

The most durable poles in our test are made from aluminum, which is a lightweight metal that bends under stress and rarely snaps completely. This characteristic makes aluminum especially beneficial for ski pole design because any trauma that the pole endures might not break it completely, leaving some usefulness after the bend occurs. This might help us continue with our day, and it may even allow the poles to continue to live out their expected lifespan. Our testers have used and loved the Black Diamond Traverse pole for years because it can take a beating and come back for more, day after day. Their only weak spot is the plastic buckle in the wrist strap.

We also like the durability of the fixed-length Oxus because it uses a thick aluminum shaft with no moving parts to break. The Black Diamond Whippet and Leki Helicon Lite also perform well in the durability metric. All of these poles use aluminum shafts, and there is little surprise that these poles also fill out the podium of our testers' favorite backcountry ski poles.

Locking mechanisms keep the pole's sections fixed into place once you've decided how long of a pole you need for a given ascent or descent. In general, skiers use shorter poles for skiing down, medium-length poles for skinning uphill, and long, Nordic-style pole lengths for crossing flat terrain on long approaches or slogs. We prefer the durable, sturdy metal lever locks found on the BD Razor Carbon Pro, G3 Via Carbon, BD Whippet, and Folkrm Pahto. We also like the Black Diamond Traverse's lever locks, which can be adjusted for tightness in the field with a small screwdriver or credit card.

During our testing period, we broke three poles: the MSR DynaLock Trail, Black Crows Duos Freebird, and G3 Via Carbon. The MSR broke from hard pole plants while skiing downhill at high speed; the Duos broke both while pole planting and also lost a shaft cap when adjusting the pole, and the G3 broke when tapping the edge of a ski to remove glopped snow. All three poles broke mid-shaft on the lower segment. The Duos and Via are carbon fiber poles and some of the most expensive in our test. We were rough on these poles but still feel like they should have held up to more abuse. That said, no pole is safe from excessive use, bending, and smashing in firm conditions.

Features

Modern backcountry ski poles come with a variety of features that make life on the skin track a lot easier. Broad, rounded handle tops with acute lips allow users to flick their heel risers up and down and adjust their tech binding toepieces without bending over. Wrist straps are a nice touch for extra power when skinning uphill or skating, and they come in handy on downhill runs in the resort or when skiing above the treeline. Some poles also feature ice scrapers on the baskets or handles to clear snow off of top sheets or to de-ice skins on spring days. Despite the proliferation of useful features in the backcountry ski pole market, these don't make or break a ski pole's performance. Our testers only care that the pole's handles can flip risers easily and that the powder baskets provide adequate floatation.

Our favorite overall pole, the Dynafit Speed Vario 2.0, has great features from head to toe. The top of the handle is rounded for comfort when the user is pushing down from above, and the hooked lip has a positive edge that can grab most tech toe pieces to save the user from bending over at transitions. The wrist straps are easily adjustable (but not easily removable), and the strong lever lock can be tightened in the field with any flat-nosed object.

One feature that we hope to see more of is the releasable wrist strap design of the Black Diamond Razor Carbon Pro, Salomon MTN Carbon S3, and BCA Scepter Carbon. These poles have a wrist strap that releases from one end when pulled with a moderate amount of force. This allows users to wear their wrist straps when backcountry skiing without risking shoulder dislocation if a pole gets caught on an obstacle or obstructing evasive maneuvers if the user is caught in an avalanche. With the flick of a small plastic tab, the Razor Carbon's strap can be made non-releasable for pushing hard when skinning uphill and skating.

Powder baskets are another important feature of backcountry ski poles that can make or break the experience. Ask anyone who has ever tried to go backcountry skiing with small resort baskets, and they'll tell you that their poles plunged deep into the snow whenever weighted forcefully. A good powder basket provides floatation that allows the user to push hard on their poles on the ascent, utilizing more upper-body strength to make uphill travel more efficient. The Dynafit Speed Vario 2.0, MSR Dynalock Ascent Carbon, Black Diamond Traverse, and Black Crows Oxus all have large powder baskets that provide adequate floatation without being so big that they get in the way. Unfortunately, Black Diamond's Razor Carbon Pro and Vapor Carbon 2 have smaller powder baskets that don't provide as much floatation in deep powder. The Leki Helicon Lite's powder baskets have a long, straight edge that can be used as a ski scraper, which is a feature that our testers appreciated, but this basket seems to break after a few days of use.

A subset of backcountry ski poles is designed specifically for use while ski mountaineering. The Black Diamond Whippet and Black Crows Oxus each have specific features that help them provide additional security in steep, wild terrain. The Whippet is well-known for attaching an ice pick to the tip of a ski pole, which can be used to grip firm snow/ice on the ascent and (in theory) for self-arrest in the case of a sliding fall. The idea is that the handle-mounted pick works similarly to an ice axe, saving the user the weight of carrying a complete ice axe. The Oxus omits a typical grip/handle, allowing the extra-long grip to be plunged deep into the snow, creating a snow anchor similar to a vertically placed picket. Skiers can use this feature on the way up or plunge their poles into the snow while skiing in exposed terrain. They can also clip a tether to their pole anchor, attaching themselves to the mountain. In our experience, the baton-style Oxus and other poles that use this design are more useful in truly dangerous terrain than ski pole/ice axe hybrids like the Whippet.

The Black Crows Duos Freebird, Black Diamond Vapor Carbon 2, and Salomon MTN Carbon S3 emulate the baton design, but they are made of carbon and have two telescoping shafts, which makes them less suitable for makeshift anchors in steep and exposed terrain. The Folkrm Pahto is made of aluminum, but the ribbed handle makes the shafts harder to plunge into snow.

When it comes to splitboarding, poles that break down into a size that is small enough to fit in a backpack are ideal. Because most snowboarders don't use poles during a descent, being able to fit poles completely inside a backpack is the ideal approach. That way, any risk of being jabbed by a sharp point while mid-Tomahawk is alleviated, and we always feel that the fewer objects that are strapped to the outside of your pack, the better. All of the splitboard-geared poles in our review are three-piece, but some break down much smaller than others. If you decide to go with the Jones Talon Pro, there's a good chance you're going to need to strap them to the outside of your backpack because they are 24.5 inches when collapsed to their shortest size. With a collapsed length of 15.5 inches, the MSR Dynalock Ascent Carbon fits inside most backcountry backpacks with room to spare. The Black Diamond John J Compactor is not much longer at a total collapsed length of 17.5 inches, and they are compatible with Black Diamond's Whippet ice axe attachment, making it a great choice for splitboard mountaineers who want a lightweight alternative to carrying an ice axe in certain terrain.

Weight

The poles in our test varied greatly in terms of weight. Some backcountry travelers care a lot about weight, while some could care less. If you are new to backcountry skiing or generally go on short tours, weight is probably less of a concern. If you regularly skin more than 4,000 vertical feet per day, we recommend a lightweight pole. While skinning, we have to move our poles upwards with each step. Over the course of a long day in the big mountains, that can add up to some tired shoulders.

In general, poles featuring carbon construction are lighter but less durable. Carbon is an expensive material compared to aluminum, and as such, carbon poles cost more than their aluminum counterparts. Carbon poles require more care and generally shouldn't be used to bang snow off your skis or to whack cornices. They require more careful handling to increase longevity.

The lightest poles in the test are the Dynafit Speed Vario 2.0 and Black Diamond Vapor Carbon 2, each weighing in at 15.5 ounces per pair. Both feature carbon shaft sections and foam grips to reduce weight. The Vapor Carbon 2 has a lighter swing weight and is barely noticeable on the skin track, making it a good choice for big-vert powder days. The Black Crows Duos and Oxus weigh in at 16 ounces, and both are much more durable with a single aluminum shaft. Most poles weighed 2-3 ounces more, like the Leki Helicon Lite, MSR DynaLock Ascent Carbon, BD Razor Carbon Pro, and G3 Via Carbon. The ski pole/ice axe hybrid Whippet is the heaviest pole in the test, but this is due to the addition of the steel pick for climbing and skiing steep terrain.

Conclusion

After thoroughly testing the best backcountry ski poles on the market, we ranked the competitors in several key metrics. We looked at overall performance to select the best models for different backcountry skiing uses and budgets. In general, most poles we tested performed well, but a select few rose above the rest. The good news for backcountry skiers and splitboarders is that there are plenty of high-performance poles that also offer great value. We hope we've been helpful as you search for some poles to fill out your backcountry kit. We'll see you on the skin track.