Mountain King Poles - for Trail Running, Racing, Hiking and Expeditions.
When looking for a hiking or trail running pole, there are many options in different materials, weights, styles, brands and sizes.
We're having an in-depth look at all the poles we have from UK-based brand Mountain King - one of our favourites to recommend to people.
Mountain King poles are lightweight and durable and have a range of poles for different adventures. They have been making poles in their Newcastle factory for over 25 years and have held a standard of high quality through consistency and fine attention to detail. (Not to mention, they love a good adventure!)
✨Our Mountain King Poles Giveaway with The Kepler Challenge has now closed!✨
So which Mountain King Pole is the best for my adventure? I thought you'd never ask!
Let's start with Trail Running.
Trail running poles are great for helping on the up hills. They encourage you to use your arms so you take some strain from your legs and help with your stability. The Mountain King poles are easy to fold and store away in a running vest for when you want to run without them, and they are so light!
The Skyrunner Ultra is the latest addition to the Trail Running Poles at Mountain King. It's a four-piece pole with carbon fiber connecting joints and house made carbon fiber tubes. This is one of the lightest poles on the market. The Skyrunner Ultra comes in five sizes from 110 to 130cm and weighs from 103g to 111g per pole!
The Skyrunner pole is also made from that house made carbon fiber tubing but leaves out the 'carbon fiber connecting joints,' making it a tiny bit heavier but still extremely light. It's still a four-piece pole making it easy to get into your trail running pack. It comes in the same five sizes (110 to 130cm) as the Ultra, but the weights start at 110g and go up to 118g.
Light Hiking/Fast Packing and Trail Running.
The Trailblaze poles are super versatile and work for trail running and light hiking/fastpacking. This doesn't mean hiking with a huge, heavy pack, more a 25-40L lightweight pack with only the essentials! These are an alloy pole, so they are not as lightweight as the Skyrunner Carbon poles, but that extra weight means that carrying that lightweight pack is not going to put a strain on the poles and will keep you stable. They still break down into four sections, for that easy storage. Coming in the same five sizes as the Skyrunner poles (110 to 130cm) and weighs from 115g to 142g per pole. You can also get the Trail Blaze poles in 8 colours!
Hiking/Backpacking Poles.
Using hiking poles will help with your stability, can reduce pressure and strains on joints and, like with trail running, you can put some of the weight that would normally go through your feet into your arms. The SuperTrekker Speedlock Compact is made from a robust alloy with an EVA grip that goes further down the pole than a standard grip for versatility. These poles don't fold down into four sections like the previous lighter-weight poles but are fitted with a Speedlock Mechanism so you can adjust the poles to the height you need from 63cm to 120cm. These weigh in at 234g per pole but give you the added support you need for carrying heavier loads when out on the trail with three colours to choose from.
The Guide poles are made from the same alloy as the Supertrekker but instead of the Speedlock to adjust the height, they use a twist lock mechanism, which also means there is an inclusion of Antishock (which is created by adding a spring into the pole), to help absorb jarring, especially when going downhill. You can also turn the Antishock off when it's not needed, like when travelling uphill, when compressing this spring is using energy when it doesn't need to be. They can be adjusted from 65cm to 135cm and weigh 230g per pole.
Expedition Poles.
Mountain King has a range of Expedition poles fully anodized inside and out as an extra measure against corrosion so you can adventure worry-free. The Expedition Expert is a hardwearing alloy pole with an ergonomic hand grip to ease pressure on the wrists. It has the twist lock mechanism for changing the height from 78cm to 135cm and comes with the Antishock system for those jarring downhills - using a dual spring system that can be turned off. With a weight of 250g per pole, this is a sturdy pole that is going to keep you stable on the most epic of adventures.
The Expedition EVA Speedlock poles are very similar to the Guide poles in both weight and function. They have the bonus of that anodization inside and out that the Guide poles don't have, and they come with the Speedlock adjustment mechanism instead, which also means no Antishock. They range in size from 66cm to 135cm and weigh 235g per pole.
Here's a handy chart with all the Mountain King Poles we have and what they're good for!
All the poles mentioned here feature a Tungsten Carbide Wear Tip for extra durability. You can get rubber ferrule to cover this tip if you need stability on slick surfaces or you can get a replacement tip if you need so you can keep your pole going (we love a repair not replace situation!). You can also get different basket attachments for the poles for use in environments such as boggy areas or snow, so your pole doesn't sink with you in tow! The Expedition, Guide and SuperTrekker Poles come with both Snow and Trekking Baskets, The Skyrunner and Trailblaze come with Trekking Baskets and the Skyrunner Ultra with Race Baskets.
How do I know what size pole to get?
A top tip for figuring out what size pole you need is to put on the shoes you'll be wearing when using the poles, hold your hand in a fist like you're holding a pole, make sure your elbow is at 90 degrees and measure from the top of your thumb to the ground. (If in doubt, go to a physical shop and try it out).
And that's a roundup of Mountain King Poles! They are the perfect addition to your race kit for epic events like The Kepler Challenge, or your standard hiking kit!
And don't forget to enter our giveaway...
Be in to win a pair of Mountain King Poles of your choice!* Just fill in your details in the form at the start of this blog to go in the draw!
*Subject to instore availability. Prize not Redeemable for cash. Entries close at 11.59 pm on the 21st of August 2024, with one entry per person available to New Zealand residents aged 18+. The winners will be drawn randomly on the 23rd of August 2024 and will be notified by email. If the winner fails to reply within 5 working days, another winner will be drawn at random. By entering this competition, you are giving permission for Further Faster and The Kepler Challenge to send you marketing communications.
If you liked this blog, how about checking out this one: 5 Top Tips on how to pack your compulsory gear for an Adventure Race.
5 Top Tips for Buying/Using Hiking or Trail Running Poles:
- Use the pole for what it has been designed to do - don't go hiking with a heavy pack with a super light trail running pole.
- Get the size right by measuring from your thumb to the ground with your elbow in a 90-degree position like you're holding a pole.
- Check if you can replace the tips on your poles so you can keep using them over time and not have to replace the whole pole (You can do this with Mountain King Poles!)
- If you're in snow or a muddy or boggy area, pick up an appropriate basket for your pole so you don't sink into the ground!
- Do you need to store your poles easily? Will the pole fold into different sections or extend and retract?
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