Trekking poles and hiking staffs are indispensable tools to casual walkers and serious hikers, backpackers, and mountaineers alike. Fully adjustable, shorten the poles on the fly using the simple twist lock to more easily make your uphill climbs. And for downhill? Just add some length to aid your descent. While they require more use of the arms, utilizing poles or a staff more evenly redistributes weight throughout the body and allows for increased hiking endurance. What's more, the shock-absorbing internal spring eases wear on weak or damaged ankles, knees and hips. A single lightweight pole weighs.75 lbs. and is 53" long when fully extended, and the telescoping design retracts all the way down to 23" to easily fit backpacks of many shapes and sizes. When used as a pair of trekking poles, the ergonomic plastic grip couldn't be more comfortable, but also features a flared top that allows each pole to also be used as a single hiking staff. Each pole also features a secondary soft foam grip, and can be secured with a sturdy, adjustable wrist strap. The black carbonite tip is ideal for rough, craggy terrain and can also function as an ice spike. Also included is a vulcanized rubber foot ideal for hard surfaces and asphalt. Finally, an optional snow tip can be screwed onto the tip to prevent the stick from sinking too deeply into soft surfaces.