Zandstra Ice Poles

165cm in stock. If you need a shorter length, we suggest Skyllermarks Skating Poles.

Ice poles are essential tools for testing ice and for keeping your momentum crossing a soft surface, or snow-covered ice, or into a headwind. You can use them to keep your balance while side-stepping across an open crack or a pressure ridge. And they work as crutches if you break a skate or lose a skate under the ice. Lastly, in a rescue operation you can use them to determine how closely you can approach a victim who has fallen into a hole in the ice.

Before you cross a boundary where the ice changes color or texture, stop and test the ice with your ice pole. Otherwise, you may find yourself on dangerously thin ice. An ice pole will typically pierce 2 inches (5cm) of ice in a single blow; this way you can quickly determine if the ice will hold you or not.

Zandstra ice poles have strong, lightweight aluminum shafts and tips of hardened steel, keeping their sharpness over time. Poles are sold only in pairs. Unlike some other brands, both ice poles in this pair are identical, so they can be easily used for double-poling or for stability on uneven ice. Handles are made of soft insulating foam to ensure a good grip.

Ice Pole Sizing Chart:
125cm for 5'4" and shorter
135cm for 5'5" to 5'8"
145cm for 5'9" to 6'0"
155cm for 6'1" to 6'4"
165cm for 6'5" and taller