Article6 min read
Gear Review: Do You Need Trekking Poles on the Inca Trail?
Three thousand steps down and what our knees told us
The Inca Trail's descents are brutal on knees. We compared fixed, folding and telescopic poles over a season of departures, and the rubber tips matter more than you think.
The case for poles
The descent from Phuyupatamarca to Wiñay Wayna on day three of the Inca Trail drops about 1,000 m on stone steps, many of them knee height. Studies of hikers with poles show they reduce the load on the knees by up to a quarter on descents, and every guide on our team uses them.
Over four months we tested three types: fixed-length carbon poles, folding Z-poles, and classic telescopic aluminium poles with lever locks. The folding poles were the favourite for the Inca Trail, where you constantly stow them for scrambles and stone tunnels; they pack down to 40 cm and weigh under 400 g a pair. The telescopic poles won in Patagonia, where you lengthen them for traversing and shorten them for steep climbs, and where aluminium survives a fall better than carbon.
One rule matters more than the model: on the Inca Trail metal tips are forbidden, because they damage the original stonework. Fit rubber tips before you start and carry a spare pair.
Our verdict
- Inca Trail and Salkantay: folding poles with rubber tips
- Patagonia: telescopic aluminium with lever locks
- Fixed-length carbon: light, but awkward on technical ground
Park rule
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Mateo QuispeAuthor
Andes TrailsPublisher
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- Daniel Kim
We travelled with two teenagers and they loved it, which is saying something.
- Michael Thompson
Great guide. One small update: the ferry now leaves twenty minutes earlier.
- Sophie Laurent
Booked the place you mentioned for dinner and it was wonderful. Ask for the table by the window.
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