The MSR Carbon Ascent Poles are a Z Folding trekking pole which can be fine adjusted be 20cm to tailor for your height. They have summer and winter baskets for snow or mud and weigh less than a lb. They are lightweight, come with handle straps and a carbide tip for grip in all conditions. These are one of the best poles if you are looking for weight saving, adjustability and small packed down size.
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In Depth Review
The new MSR Ascent Trekking poles combine lightweight design from the carbon fiber construction, a variable height of 20cms so you can tailor the poles perfectly for your height and use and the usual MSR bomb proof build quality. They also come in 2 size options.
Trekking Poles
So why use trekking poles at all? A lot of trail runners in the USA in particular see to feel there is a stigma associated with using ‘cheat sticks’ but I can assure you than in Europe they are used far more by every type of trail runner from ‘back of the pack plodder’ to elite.
Trekking poles give you a number of advantages, used early on in a race or adventure they will decrease the fatigue on your legs from the trail. You can use trekking poles on a long steep ascent to allow your arms to help power you up and hill and on technical descents they provide much needed support and stability and reduce the jarring on your knees. I also use trekking poles as supports for my tarps and mesh houses when I’m setting up camp on multi day adventures or Fastest Known Time trail records.
How Poley Should Your Pole Be ?
Poles tend to come in three sizes but with the MSR poles they are adjustable by up to 20cm meaning they are sold as a 100cm to 120cm size. As a rule of thumb I would say 5ft 4 would use a pole about 100cm, 110cm for about 5ft 8 and 120 cm for people around 6ft tall.
Poles That You Can’t Reach Are Useless
If you are looking to buy trekking poles It’s important that the poles are easy to get to and stow away or you simply wont use them as much. I recommend always looking at the 3 part folding Z Pole types of trekking poles as these can be easily folded and stowed within reach. When folder up the MSR poles have useful little velcro straps to hold the 3 pieces tidily together.
Gimme Shelter
As well as providing support for me on trail I also use the poles as supports for my mesh house and tarps when camping.
Leave a Good Tip
These poles come with a carbide tip that gives you good traction in most conditions, and there are two types of baskets for normal use and wider ones for snow.
Handles and Straps
The poles have a comfortable foam grip with a smoother top to be more comfortable in your palm. They also come with attached straps to pass your hands through although I’m not a fan of using straps on poles because I think there is a chance you can injure your arm if you fall and don’t get your hands out in time.
Closest Competitor
The closest competitor here is the Black Diamond Carbon Z, but although the MSR poles are slightly heavier they make up for it with the height adjustability that the Black Diamonds do not have.
Gripes
None. As usual MSR have delivered a top quality product with no compromise.
Verdict
The MSR Carbon Ascent Poles are a Z Folding trekking pole which can be fine adjusted be 20cm to tailor for your height. They have summer and winter baskets for snow or mud and weigh less than a lb. They are lightweight, come with handle straps and a carbide tip for grip in all conditions. These are one of the best poles if you are looking for weight saving, adjustability and small packed down size.
Specs
| Small 100-120cm | Large 120-140cm | |
|---|---|---|
| SKU | 10236 | 10237 |
| Color | Carbon | Carbon |
| Weight (Standard) | 1 lb | 1 lbs 1 oz |
| Weight (Metric) | 0.47 kg | 0.50 kg |
| Length, min (Standard) | 39 in | 47 in |
| Length, min (Metric) | 100 cm | 120 cm |
| Length, max (Standard) | 47 in | 55 in |
| Length, max (Metric) | 120 cm | 140 cm |
| Collapsed length (Standard) | 14.25 in | 17.5 in |
| Collapsed length (Metric) | 36.2 cm | 44.5 cm |
| Material(s) | Carbon | Carbon |
Features
- Ultralight Strength: Kevlar®-reinforced carbon fiber construction.
- Packable: Quick-deploy design folds small to stash easily in smaller packs.
- Secure Adjustment: 20 cm of easy, rock-solid DynaLock™ adjustability with tool-free tensioning; anodized aluminum lever provides lasting durability.
- Comfortable: EVA foam grip, plus lower grip for sidehilling or choking up on steep terrain.
- Versatile: Winter and summer baskets included for four-season functionality.
About MSR
In 1969, Seattle engineer and lifelong mountaineer Larry Penberthy formed Mountain Safety Research as a one-man crusade dedicated to improving the safety of climbing equipment. The fuel behind Larry’s passionate fire was a simple belief that still drives our team today.
From that notion evolved a pioneering outdoor company whose innovations have revolutionized the way people experience the outdoors worldwide. Today, we’re a close-knit team still obsessed with designing the most reliable, high-performance gear possible, using our knowledge of engineering and science to find better solutions to the challenges of the mountains.
At MSR, we are engineers, tinkerers and passionate outdoor users–each with strong perspectives on how a product should work based on our own experiences in the wild places we love. But collectively, we believe that innovative solutions are bred by challenging convention, and that functionality, simplicity and reliability are the governing elements of enduring design.
Today, many MSR products are still hand-built on manufacturing lines just a floor below where we concept them.
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