Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Review

A carbon trekking pole – that sounds like Ultralight! However, that does not really apply to the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork. These trekking poles stand out for their particularly high stability and great comfort rather than for an especially low weight. Besides the material of the pole itself, the pleasant, grippy cork handles are also a little out of the ordinary…

Carbon trekking pole with cork grips

The Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork is a three-section trekking pole made of carbon. It has no suspension or anti-shock system. This pole uses Black Diamond’s own FlickLock adjustment system. Unlike the usual twist-lock adjustment mechanisms, such as those used by Leki, the length of the pole is fixed with a lever system.

A special feature of the Alpine Carbon Cork – besides the use of carbon – is the cork grips instead of the more common plastic ones. The cork grip is angled slightly forward, and below the grip there is a grip extension made of black foam.

Technical specifications of the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork

Length: 62.5–130 cm
Packed length: 62.5 cm
Weight: 508 g (254 g per pole)
Material: carbon, the grip is made of cork
Design: 3-section telescopic pole
Locking system: 2 FlickLock adjustment systems
Extras: non-slip foam grip extension at the top of the shaft
Baskets: snow baskets and small trekking baskets

Field test and rating of the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork

When you first “get your hands on” the trekking pole, as with the aluminium model Black Diamond Trail Ergo Cork, the grips made of skin-friendly cork are of course the first thing you notice. Due to the nature of the material, these rather bulky grips are relatively firm and not as soft as some of the competition’s plastic grips.

Whether you find this pleasant or annoying depends largely on whether you can get used to the size of the grips. If you have rather small hands, the Black Diamond is probably not an option. As far as I know, Black Diamond does not offer a women’s model with smaller grips. Otherwise, though, the grips are very ergonomically shaped and convincing.

The cork grips of the carbon trekking pole are ergonomically shaped

The cork grips are angled slightly forward, though not as strongly as on the aluminium trekking pole Trail Ergo Cork, which we have already tested. The foam grip extension below the grips is ideal for choking down on the pole on short, steeper climbs. So you don’t have to shorten the pole specially, even though this can be done very quickly and easily with the FlickLock system.

Adjusting the length of trekking poles with the FlickLock system

Flipping a small lever – which is a little stiff – releases the lock on the trekking pole, and you can adjust the length of the section. When the lever is flipped back, the section is locked “rock solid”. This mechanism is quicker to operate than the twist locks of most competing products. Especially in winter, with thick gloves, this adjustment system is superior to twist locks. The very wide, soft wrist straps are also relatively easy to adjust and sit very comfortably on the wrist.

Carbon absorbs the oscillations and thus prevents vibration

What clearly distinguishes the carbon pole from aluminium models is the absence of oscillation when the pole is planted. Because carbon itself has a damping effect, even planting the pole hard on rocky ground doesn’t unsettle it – in other words, it doesn’t start to vibrate. That is very pleasant, and it is also why you don’t miss suspension on the Alpine Carbon Cork at all. Incidentally, because there is no suspension, planting the pole is very precise; in addition, the pole doesn’t twist either.

Verdict on the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork test:

Despite the use of carbon, the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork is unfortunately not a very light pole. But perhaps precisely for that reason you always have the feeling of holding an absolutely solid and reliable trekking pole that you can rely on in any situation. The lack of vibration also makes it a super comfortable comfort model!

Pros:

stability
no vibration when planting the pole
comfortable, soft wrist straps
pleasant grip made of skin-friendly cork
handy grip extension
quick length adjustment

Cons:

price
relatively high weight
grips not suited to small hands

UPDATE March 2010:

The Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork has now been in “long-term testing” for some time. It has had to prove itself in many situations – whether climbing Mount Katahdin in Maine, USA, in winter conditions or on snowshoe hikes in the Harz using the supplied snow basket – the trekking pole has always been a reliable companion. A few small pieces have broken off the cork grip due to unwanted contact with sharp rocks. But this is only a cosmetic flaw – it does not affect the function. The paint has also suffered by now, but otherwise the pole shows no noticeable “signs of ageing” so far that would affect its function. The easy adjustment of the Alpine Carbon Cork and its excellent comfort, even on long hikes, keep impressing me.

Update October 2012:

West Coast Trail in Canada

Unfortunately, one of the two Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork trekking poles was destroyed on a trek on the West Coast Trail in Canada.
The trekking poles remained stable to the very end and caused no problems at all despite heavy use on the trail. While using a cable car across one of the many rivers, one of the poles got caught between the platform and the car and broke. But no other trekking pole would have survived such an extremely high load either, so it is fair to say that the poles proved themselves absolutely over many years, right to the bitter end. On the West Coast Trail in particular, they had served very well up to that point!

How happy I was with the poles can also be seen from the fact that, despite an extensive search for alternatives, I bought a new pair of the Carbon Cork trekking poles.