The Alpine CF trekking pole is the top of Black Diamond’s Mountain line of trekking poles. Touted as the quietest and lightest trekking pole that the company offers, it has a lot to live up to. Composed of carbon fiber with carbide tips and Black Diamond’s flicklock adjustment system, these trekking poles are certainly feature packed. These features do not come cheap with an MSRP of $129.95, but it is in line with comparable models from Leki and Komperdell.

Flicklock

For the past couple years, Black Diamond has been putting the flicklock system on its trekking poles. This system consists of what amounts to a plastic vise around a split in the tubing of the trekking pole. By shutting the flicklock, pressure is applied to the fork in the tube and the friction holds the trekking pole together. Black Diamond claims that flicklocks result in a stronger joint than the tubing itself.

This is my first pair of trekking poles with flicklocks, so it’s a bit of an adjustment over the standard trekking pole construction. The packaging says that the flicklocks don’t need any adjustment, but I found that mine wouldn’t close properly as they were originally adjusted. Adjustments to the flicklocks are acheived via a screw on the side of the lock that varies the tension the lock puts on the joint. While it’s possible to adjust the screw with a fingernail, it’s not something that I’d want to do out in the field. Once the flicklocks were properly adjusted they performed admirably. The flicklocks do result in a very stable joint and I could not see any slippage with my weight on the poles.

Grip

The grips on the Alpine CF trekking poles are surprisingly comfortable. While the material chosen to cover the grips tends to attract some dust, it is soft against the skin and results in a fairly comfortable hold on the poles. The straps that come with the Alpine CF are more padded than I would expect for a lightweight trekking pole and are a very welcome addition for long hikes. The top of the grip is covered with a plastic or rubber and is  rounded nicely. The top of the pole fits well in my hand for descents on steeper terrain.

My only complaint is the material black diamond put below the grip. This part of the pole is covered in grip tape that you would find on a skateboard or stadium steps. While not a giant problem, it is rough on ungloved hands and on backpacks that rub against it.

Tip

The Alpine CF has flex-tips designed to bend before breaking and includes an integrated trekking basket. In my experience, the tiny baskets built in to trekking poles are generally useless and are almost always not removable. The Alpine CF is no exception in this respect, but Black Diamond does include some fairly decent snow baskets that I haven’t had a chance to personally try, but appear to be plenty large for trekking through snow. On rock, the Alpine CF is very sure-footed and while there is the standard clicking sound of a trekking pole, it is not obtrusive.

Results

So how do these stack up against the competition? Weighing in at 17 ounces, the Alpine CF is a fairly lightweight set of trekking poles, but they are not the lightest weight poles on the market. Leki’s Carbonlite Aergon poles include antishock (not found on the Alpine CF) and are 3 ounces lighter. Komperdell’s Carbon Airshock are also 3 ounces lighter and include antishock. However, both of these poles are signficantly more expensive ($199.99 and $179.99) for a slight loss in weight.

In the end, I think these poles offer a decent balance between comfort and weight savings. The carbon fiber tubing and flicklocks give the Alpine CF a very stiff feeling with little bend in the pole when weight is applied. Additionally, the flicklocks seem much less susceptable to dirt and dust that can destroy the locking mechanism of a standard trekking pole. The annoyance of the sandpaper-like tape below the grip is the only detractor to these well designed poles.