Our week on Redondo Beach was a fun mix of Nordic Walking, Nordic Running, fishing (surf casting), wedding prep, airport runs and a spectacular wedding held at the Beach Club at the far end of Redondo Beach.
We seemed to be the only Nordic Walkers in town, but we were Trader Joe's #1 customers. On the pavement we used our rubber Nordic Walking Tips/Paws. On the beach we removed the rubber tips and used the durable carbide metal tips. When the pavement was sandy we simply adjusted our technique to help minimize the pole tips from slipping - by keeping the poles less angled back and a little more to perpendicular (the same technique of are forced to use when Nordic Walking in Shopping Malls when the floors are waxed and slippery).
Typically I travel with at least 6 big pole bags of REAL Nordic Walking Poles (about 16 pairs of one-piece poles per bag, not flimsy twist-lock or flip-lock poles), but this trip we packed lighter and had to make due with just one big pole bag (16 pairs) packed with quality one-piece poles.
The airlines treated us just like skiers and that is a good thing - one charge for the padded pole bag and our "boot bag" traveled for free. Skiers/Nordic Walkers are allowed to check their ski bag + a "boot bag" for the price of one - a nice bonus when travelling with luggage is more of a hassle and expense these days. It was crystal clear on this trip that most of today's carry on bags are so small even two-piece and three-piece collapsible poles wouldn't fit in them.
The myth out there and the big marketing scam/hype is that cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece poles are ideal for travel. Well, if they don't fit into your carry on bag, where is the travel benefit?
For travel I always recommend a padded travel bag packed with user-friendly one-piece poles that are sized correctly to your height. At the American Nordic Walking System and SKIWALKING.COM we offer a padded travel bag for Nordic Walking Poles that accommodates 1 or 2 pairs of poles. Our #1 selling Nordic Walking Poles are the SWIX Nordic Walking VIP's - retail price: $69.95 per pair and available in 16 different lengths. A padded bag and a pair of REAL Nordic Walking Poles for under $100.00 is a great option for all ages and all fitness levels.
Our SWIX and EXEL one-piece Nordic Walking Poles prove to be safer, lighter and much more durable than cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece twist-lock/flip-lock poles that tend to rattle, vibrate, freeze-up and/or collapse unexpectedly.
Nordic Walking Poles can help to turbo charge any walking campaign! And for those that desperately need to launch a walking campaign, Nordic Walking Poles will prove to make walking much more doable and effective.
Individuals with weight issues, balance issues, stability challenges and/or problems with their gait will find that the Perfect Length Poles and the correct technique will allow them to walk much more comfortably, with added confidence and with a much-improved gait? Sounds like a miracle, but it is just good physics and improved biomechanics.
Nordic Walking’s winning combination of improved posture, a unique 4-Wheel-Drive type action and shock absorbing benefits - helping many individuals to walk comfortably again. Nordic Walking Poles are helping individuals with balance issues, knee issues or new knees, hip issues or new hips, back issues (including those with rods in their back), weight issues, multiple sclerosis (MS), parkinson's (PD), neuropathy, arthritis, bursitis, scoliosis, lumbar stenosis, fibromyalgia, post polio, osteoporosis, stroke recovery, cancer recovery and other limitations to walking. Nordic Walking poles are helping thousands of Americans get off the couch, successfully get outside, start walking safely and effectively launch much needed walking campaigns.
We also donate free Nordic Walking Poles to the Wounded Warrior Programs at Walter Reed, Fort Lewis/Madigan/McChord, Fort Carson, Vicenza in Italy and Kaiserslautern Military Community in Germany. We request the height of each Wounded Warrior and select the Perfect Length one-piece poles for their height. We don't substitute cheap 2-piece or 3-piece poles.
I just got off the phone with a new customer from Canada that accidentally purchased some cheap twist-locking poles and found that they rattled, vibrated and the rubber tips didn’t even last an hour of Nordic Walking. The feedback is pretty consistent that the cheap twist-lock and flip-lock poles from China have poor straps or no straps, poor/wrong instructions, rubber tips that don’t last more than a few miles and a huge issue with rattle, vibration and/or collapsing unexpectedly.
One-piece poles are ideal for world class skiers and individuals with balance issues, plus everyone in between.
Walking with one-piece Nordic Walking Poles is the best!
