Aluminum vs Composite poles

Aluminum bends, composite breaks.

i have had the same pair of Goode composite poles for i think 5 years now. theyre great. cant be bent out of shape, light, and are thin. i think an investment in a pair of composite poles is a great idea. im not sure what the prices are cuz i got mine for dirt cheap through a ski patrol sponsorship deal, but i love them. they are also nice to lean against cuz theyll bend haha, and they hurt a shit ton more when you hit/get hit by them, which in my mind is a plus. the only real negative of composites is the price i would say

Chances are, if a pole is going to break, i want it to. If you jam the grip into your stomach in a fall, i want it to break. Go with a nice scott pole.

royal shaft makes the best poles in the entire world....they are composite poles which are the only type i use..i have broken countless pairs of aluminum poles becasue for me they just snap...where as in my experience poles by goode and royal shaft will bend a great bit before shatering

ok poles break for example i broke one already this season but wait there is the mecca of all pole just around the corner in the patrol hut!!! oh what do you do? you go in there and say my pole broke and they let you pick out a pole its like magic its free and only the length of the pole affects how you ski not the color or weight and btw go with aluminum they bend and depending you can bend them back. composite is more expenive and when the break they break but realy go get poles for free

Just get whatever is cheapest. Thrift stores often have real cheap poles.

pretty much this. I've wrecked the shit out of a pair of composite poles for like the last 6 or 7 years and they're in great shape

I cant stand skiing with composite poles. they flex so much, makes pushing really annoying. Ive broken more composite poles than I have aluminum ones too. they like to shatter, while an aliuminum pole will just bend. its alot easier to ski the rest of the day with a slightly bent pole than one thats split apart. They arent even much (if any lighter). Im interested in the bamboo poles that are poppin up. My guess is they are better than both

Not all aluminums are the same, and definitely not all composites are the same.

Cheaper aluminums (5000 series) are less durable but more bendable. Higher end aluminums (6000 and 7000 series) are way lighter, more durable, but less bendable. A good 7000 series pole is tough to beat.

Composites are arranged in terms of their carbon content and construction method. The Swix Mach CT-1 (which Jon, even though he has a different pro model, and tons of other pros ride with) is one of the (if not the) strongest poles available. It is super light and there is absolutely no flex to it. If you drop the $250 for it, you will have it for a long time.

Cheaper composites have less carbon in their construction and more fiberglass- these are the flexy poles. K2's 3-Speed is mostly fiberglass (probably 80% glass, 20% carbon) and is super flexible on purpose.

So, ask what series aluminum the pole uses and ask what the carbon/fiberglass content is of composite poles. It will tell you a lot about its durability and stiffness characteristics.