Bugger Humph... Bust Fibula???
Time to practice the grooves while it heals though!

As to poles.
I'm with Humph on the Ali v Carbon.

What I would say though, is Flik-Loks are sooooooo much better than twist locks.
No slip, no jam, no bovva!

Ooo, Humphrey, OUCH!!
Hope you heal soon and well.
As to poles, I love my Black Diamond CF poles, they've withstood quite a lot of punishment over the last six years and still going strong. They have Flik-Loks and are sooo much better and more reliable than the twist lock things, they were a disaster for me!

I have used a cheap pair of Karrimore "carbon" poles for three Challenges and many winter day walks over my local fells. How genuinely they are true Carbon fibre, at £30 a pair I am still doubtful, but they have proved very strong and stay adjusted . They don't jam like my previous Leki poles and don't need servicing every 6 months to keep them useable. I used to keep them in three separate sections to stop them jamming while in storage. I do agree with Hump3 that when cf goes it goes completely but then when alloy bends you can't do much to repair it either. At less than 1/3 of the price of cf Leki poles I think they are a worthwhile purchase.

My pennies worth...I use poles for tent support so relie on them. Therefore I don't use carbon as once they go they go. Also when the go they can be dangerous. My thinking is poles assist you when walking so the slight extra weight is negligible. I've had Leki poles and various other makes, some great poles I had before they eventually died were made by Alpkit. The best poles ive ever had are my current set which are a little odd but you soon benefit from their strange style are Pacer Poles. Their handles are set at a slight angle. They come in ali and carbon but I went for alloy.

Link here http://www.pacerpole.com/product/3-section-alloy-pacerpole

FWIW I've used my Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork walking poles for over 5 years.

Well hammered but never let me down.

Use them for supporting my shelter and the flicklocks, also, have never let me down.

Chris Townsend used CF Pacer Poles for his Pacific North West walk (1200Miles) and his Scotland Watershed hike. No issues and still fine. Some carbon poles it seems do much better.

My pick is still an alloy pole and flick locks are more easy to use.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Humph

Hi. I wish Humphrey a quick recovery.

Thanks for all of the advice on replacing my hiking poles. It seems that the majority are Metal fans. I had a close inspection and will hold on to them for another year. If it works leave it.

I will not enter the TGO 2017 as I have signed on for a hike in the Annapurna region around the same time. I am off to Argentina in a few weeks.

But I will be following the event and will return in 2018. It is about time I climbed a Munroe!

The years pass very quickly now, so it wont be that long!

Cheers to all and thanks again

William

Cheers William.
Very jealous of your journey to Annapurna.
Have a cracking trip, and hopefully see you in 2018 :-)