Gear Review

Scott Team Issue Series 4 Poles

High Strength-to-Weight
Rigid
Series-4 Aluminum
1lb 2.4oz/pair

I am a big fan of using traditional aluminum ski poles both inbounds and out. Scott's Team Issue poles were obviously designed for Alpine use, but they're quite suitable for the backcountry as well.

Aluminum's combination of strength, rigidity, and reliability make it my material of choice for ski poles, and my favorite remains Scott's Series 4 aluminum shaft, which weigh a very respectable one pound, 2.4 ounces per pair (measured) in a 125cm length.

Heading Up

The Team issue is a freeskiing pole that uses the outstanding racing models' Series 4 shaft—basically crazy-strong 75,000 PSI aluminum.

Scott tweaks the model names, artwork, and design year after year. This year's model gets the features just right.

The basket is slightly larger than the racing disk on the World Cup models, making it appropriate for powder days, yet still small enough to not cause problems on super-steep slopes. The handle is comfortable in hand, with fully-openable soft straps. I confess I am a little vain when it comes to my ski poles' artwork. I especially like this year's green, and advise against the purple.

Many backcountry skiers (in fact, most) choose collapsible poles because they're easier to pack, and you can shorten them for climbing. I like a fixed-length pole primarily because it means I never have to worry about joint failure or unexpected collapse in dicey situations. For me this is primarily an issue in no-fall terrain. But even on more moderate slopes, it's nice to never have to worry about your pole plants.

Series 4 aluminum proves quite resistant to getting chopped to pieces by ski edges, even year after year. You'll probably retire these for a new set of colors rather than because they wear out. I've got a red pair that's well over ten years old now. One potential exception would be tip wear: Scott's poles use a hardened carbon tip that will get dulled if you trek on rock or gravel. Keep them on snow or ice, however, and they're do just fine (review sample courtesy Backcountry.com).

Bottom Line: my favorite ski pole, inbounds or out.

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