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Looking for a new touring buddy
It was early February and a cold, wet Monday morning. A glance at the thermostat certainly did not promise any fresh snow, not even with the onset of precipitation. Somewhat sobered by the weekend’s weather, I headed back to the office with a fresh cup of coffee in hand. But what was it? Mail from Komperdell, in the form of the Carbon C.2 Ultralight touring poles and a nice greeting card from Mondsee? That’s right, there was something!
Briefly about me: Hello, my name is Robin Zimmermann, I’m 27 years old, Brand & Content Manager and thus part of the online editorial team at Sport-Conrad. I’ve felt at home in Werdenfelser Land for exactly a good year now, and since then I’ve been exploring the mountains and valleys from the Ammergau Alps to the Wetterstein Mountains and the Karwendel. And how? With the gravel or enduro bike and on skis of all kinds!
As part of our tests, we occasionally have the opportunity to test products from our partners, be it trail running shoes, clothing or, as here, touring ski poles. Don’t worry, you won’t get any advertising here, but an unfiltered and transparent evaluation of the items that you can find locally or online in our store.
Old but Gold
My previous aluminum touring poles celebrate their tenth anniversary this year, so it was all the more interesting to dare a change of material and a proper upgrade at the same time in this product test. But do a few grams really make the difference? Lightweight touring poles and then also made of carbon, does it have to be? How does the lower weight make itself felt uphill? Do you compromise on stability and stiffness?
To be honest, I would describe myself more as a ski touring endurist, somewhere between fast uphill and maximum fun downhill. Maybe that triggers a grin here and there when I add that I don’t have a touring ski under 94 millimeters in the basement. But as I said, “fun downhill”. With a light but stable pin binding , a touring boot with decent shaft rotation and a weight around 1300 grams I think I am “On-Point” in the field of all-round touring. For me, this was and is the ideal compromise between the fullspeed skimo world and free touring. The Carbon C.2 Ultralight touring poles therefore seem to integrate perfectly with their weight into my existing equipment. Here briefly the key data of the Komperdell Carbon C.2.
Overview: Komperdell Carbon C.2 Ultralight
| Technical data: • 98 cm packing size • 110 – 140 cm Range of adjustment • 189 g per piece • 2-piece carbon shaft, ∅ 16mm/14mm |
Austattung: • Touring Foam 280 Handle • Comfort Padded Strap • Powerlock 3.0 • Ice flank plate |
“Ultralight, length-adjustable touring poles made of high-quality carbon” is what Komperdell promises with the Carbon C.2 Ultralight from its freeride and touring range. But can this promise be kept?
Komperdell’s Carbon C.2 Ultralight under the magnifying glass
Already the first impression conveys a really solid workmanship. On the lower of the carbon shafts, in addition to the length markers, there is a fine clear coat finish, which gives deep insights into the arrangement of the fibers and gives the stick a striking appearance. The same applies to the upper carbon shaft, which is also wrapped in matte clear lacquer. The test poles came in the orange variant – while I’m not sure if that was a coincidence, the color combination on the grip and powerlock could have come from the Sport-Conrad graphics department. Cue powerlock closure: the outer clamp and lever are made of forged aluminum, powder-coated and ensure a tight fit with form closure.
Now it’s time to get down to business
Well, a lot can be said in advance about the color and production design. But so much for that – off into the details! As a test environment served the rear Tajatör, a classic and a beautiful 800 meter altitude tour in the Mieminger mountains. We started from the Ehrwalder Alm, climbed westward, past the Seebensee and Brendlsee and approached between the foothills of the rear Tajakopf and the Griesspitzen, the rear Tajatörl.
Watch out! In this mountain world, remains remind us of a sad chapter in world history. Near Lake Brendl today lie the last pieces of wreckage, preserved in rust, of a B24 “Liberator” bomber of the U.S. Airforce, which was shot down by German fighters in 1944 during World War II. Winter covers the memorial cross as well as the debris with a thick layer of snow. It is only in summer that the Brendlkar reveals its secret.
The tour leads into high alpine terrain, but is not extremely technically demanding, the same applies to the conditional requirement. However, the valley floors harbor a considerable avalanche risk. Occasional differences in inclination demand the use of the climbing aids. However, with the hook-shaped upper grips of the Komperdell Carbon C.2 Ultralight, this was not a problem. The mold can be precisely inserted between the climbing aids and unfold them as needed. With my previous poles, the plate had to serve for this, which had cost time and nerves. The reduced weight of the Carbon C.2 was already noticeable after the first half. But clearly, here it is, simply put, moving mass. That’s why weight differences in the double-digit gram range are already significant. Fatigue sets in correspondingly later and saves valuable energy. Carbon clearly shows its material properties in the field of poles! The bending behavior is enormously stiff, even in somewhat trickier hairpin turns without grip, the C.2 can be fully loaded without giving way even a little. Also the Powerlock closures keep what the name promises: length adjusted, locked and stays in place! The Powerlock system can be readjusted with a small Phillips screw, if this should no longer make a sufficient clamping.
The loops of the Carbon C.2 are designed in generous width, enclose and support the wrist comfortably. Unless I’m not on groomed slopes and want to prevent my poles in the event of a fall to unwanted projectiles, I otherwise almost always do without loops. Just in turns or long traverses I’m most of the time out of the loop and reach over more often. The loop adjustment is easy by hand. About the pull on the top loop part can be pulled out. About pulling the end piece, in turn, the entire deflection is released to reduce the loop.
The Touring Foam 280 grips of the C.2 are comfortable to grip, even without gloves. The foam is easy to compress and gives the grips a soft feel. The extended lower parts of the grips perform in the crossbars, these are connected in a foam with the upper grip and sit snugly on the shaft of the C.2 Ultralight. The main grip area is ergonomically shaped. Between the index and middle finger, as well as towards the extension, there are curvatures that support the natural grip. On my hand size (7/8) the Touring Foam grips are perfect.
In order to also provide some criticism and for the sake of perfection, interchangeable handles, with two different diameters would be desirable. On the one hand, a size adjustment could be realized and on the other hand, the handles could be renewed after a few years and corresponding wear. At the pole ends of the C.2, the change is somewhat more variable, the plates lock into the socket by means of three small lugs. The entire plate system sits like a joint over the tip and adapts to slopes up to 28°. During the tour, this was noticeable on the ascent in very compact snow. Here, the pole remained perpendicular to the slope and did not straighten downhill. In addition, the plates displace enough snow and provide reliable grip.
The tips of the C.2 picked like crampons even on occasional ice slabs. Should these lose their sharpness and material in the distant future, the complete units can be exchanged here. The guide for this can be found here:
Result
Throughout the tour and during the test, the Carbon C.2 Ultralight fulfilled all applied work without complaint. Handling, adjustment and weight were able to confirm across the board what makes the Carbon C.2 Ultralight the “most popular Komperdell touring poles”. Details such as the grip piece for adjusting the climbing aids round off the overall concept of the touring pole. The Powerlock system clamps the Vario shaft optimally and holds even under high loads. In addition, this can be readjusted. Wide plastic plates provide support and tilt flexibly to the slope. The Komperdell Carbon C.2 Ultralight can be classified in the upper class of lightweight yet stable touring and freetouring poles. With its weight, the C.2 fits perfectly into all-round equipment and promotes itself as a reliable companion for the next ten years.
Komperdell offers a three-year service warranty at purchase “No Questions Asked”. So to speak, an all-around care package. Of course, the availability of spare parts over even longer model cycles can not be guaranteed, but as already noted the replaceable handle unit would be an additional plus point in the portfolio of the Carbon C.2 Ultralight.
Looking for more inspiration? Then the following blog posts might be interesting for you:
→ Ski touring boots: Sole length and mondo point
→ How to choose the right Avalanche-Safety Equipment
→ Ski touring Guide: Find the best equipment for your next ski tour