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Pole size...I’m 5’2

Grapefruit19

Diva in Training
I know this question has been asked a lot and I’ve read through all the posts and am still stumped. I posted recently that I just got the Leki Trigger S system poles. Well the truth is I actually have three different pairs of Leki poles sitting in my den! All different lengths - 105, 110, 115. I cannot figure out what size to keep. My current poles that I’ve used for a good 15 years are Goode and somewhere between 110 and 115. From reading the threads here, I know I shouldn’t go longer so I’m going to rule out the 115s.

That leaves the 105s and 110s. The issue is that the 105s are the women’s specific poles and the 110s aren’t. The grip definitely feels more comfortable on the women’s, and so really my question is do you think 105s are way too short? And will it be a huge difference coming from my old poles which are, let’s say, around 112cm? I’m 5’2”, mostly ski groomers and some bumps, very rarely, if any, powder.

For what it worth, I did the upside down test. With my boots on and flexed, my arm is a little greater then 90 degrees with the 105s.

Driving myself (and my husband) crazy!!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Hmm, 105 seems on the short side. I say that because I'm 5'0" and my poles these days are 105. I cut down old poles that I bought in the 1980s twice in the last 15 years, making them about 2 inches shorter from what used to be the correct length with straight skis. Was using 110 for several years. But after experimenting with adjustable poles over a few years, have settled on 105 partially because that I'm skiing more off-piste terrain after taking lessons pretty regularly.

Maybe @liquidfeet can comment. I can't remember where she recently wrote a post about pole length. She's an instructor in the northeast.
 

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm 5'1" and keep my adjustable poles set around 110. But I'm also mostly legs and arms and not a lot of torso so I'm not sure if those dimensions play into it other than just strictly height?
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I'm 5'1" and had my poles cut down when I got them (they're Leki Trigger poles). I'm honestly happy with the result. They measure 42", which is between 106 and 107.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
OK, the new precise PSIA advice on pole length, this from National Team members at Pro Jam, is 66% of your height. They laugh, but they mean it.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I just bought new ones at 110. 5'4....And using LF formula - 107 should be my target..
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
OK, the new precise PSIA advice on pole length, this from National Team members at Pro Jam, is 66% of your height. They laugh, but they mean it.
Well then the recommendation for me would be about 100cm. That means @ski diva is at a good length, which she has already found to be true.

I'll have to play with my adjustable poles again. Although the shortest marking is at 105cm. But they will probably hold a few cm shorter. I still haven't bought custom length bamboo poles because I wasn't sure what length to order.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Think my custom bamboo poles are maybe a tad short at around 103 cm as had them cut twice.
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@bunnyslopelover my advice is to buy the boots first and then the skis. If you fall in love with the sport, you'll probably be motivated to do it more often, take lessons, etc. This would mean your ski skills might quickly outstrip a pair of beginner skis. But your boots will still be good.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
As long as we are asking about poles...are women-specific poles really a Thing?
 

Grapefruit19

Diva in Training
The only difference I’ve noticed for me are the grips on the women’s poles don’t have distinct finger grooves like the unisex. The finger grooves are slightly too far apart so the women’s are more comfortable for me.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I learned something today.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
As long as we are asking about poles...are women-specific poles really a Thing?
For my small hands, women's pole grips fit much better. I tried junior poles, which can be a good length and much cheaper, but those grips are too thin and don't feel comfortable.

The difference in grips was quite noticeable when I was checking out adjustable poles. Since one reason to get them was to do very short in-bounds hikes, I was paying more attention to how they would feel when really using them as support.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
In my pursuit of knowledge...do mountain bikes have women specific grips? I have large hands and never even thought of small grips. My kayak paddle is small shaft, but I have added comfort pads.

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread too much.
 

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
For my small hands, women's pole grips fit much better. I tried junior poles, which can be a good length and much cheaper, but those grips are too thin and don't feel comfortable.

The difference in grips was quite noticeable when I was checking out adjustable poles. Since one reason to get them was to do very short in-bounds hikes, I was paying more attention to how they would feel when really using them as support.

That's interesting. I don't use mine for hiking, but I haven't had any issues with my junior poles, and I don't have small hands. Or at least my fingers are long proportionally. I've never really given the grips much thought, tbh.
 

NewEnglandSkier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Another thing I found about junior poles is not only are the grips smaller in girth (sometimes) but the grips also tend to be shorter top to bottom so they don't fit in my hand comfortably.
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
If there are women's specific ergonomic bike grips, I'd check them out. Another thing would be a slightly narrower hand position on the handle bars. My BF says he can cut mine but it never seems to happen. I haven't ridden as much as I'd hoped to in the summer.

It's not so much a women's Thing but a smaller person Thing, in general.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
There are many modifications that can be done on a bike. My mountain bike (old Voodoo custom hardtail) had shorter stem, narrower handlebars , cranks, you name it. Also my Specialized Ruby rode bike is women's specific as well.
@contesstant would know for sure.
 

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