Just got back from a weekend hiking in the Adirondacks. 19 of us went up Blue Mountain first and I was the only one with poles. Needless to say I got a lot of ribbing, "Girly-Man" comments from the young bucks hiking (I'm 51 and it was a youth retreat). By the end of the hike, everyone commented "Man, I wish I had had some poles too". They held up great, kept me from falling a few times on the way down and are ready for the next adventure.