Proper pole length for skating
This is a calculated valued. You can choose poles that differ by +3cm or -3cm.
You should / could take longer poles than the chart shows if you:
- have a lot of strength in your arms
- have a very flexible shoulder area
- tend to have your body rather straight while pushing off with the poles
- are experienced and use the poles very precisely
- plan to skate mostly on roads or easy off-road surfaces
- intend to have a very high intensive workout with higher a heart frequence
You should / could take smaller poles than the chart shows if you:
- lack strength in your arms
- lack flexibility in your shoulder area
- tend to bend down low when pushing off with the poles
- plan to go off-road cross skating often
Poles with variable length
Some Nordic Skating poles are variable in length (e.g LEKI BLADE VARIO). In general those poles are very good to find out about the pole size that you like best. But make sure you have good quality poles because some variable poles lack good fixation which might cause injuries.