The purpose of this chart is to make it easier to compare poles side by side. The two most important performance factors in a pole are weight and stiffness. A lighter pole requires less effort to swing, while a stiffer pole transfers power more efficiently.
Most pole manufacturers publish their own data, but their measurement methods vary. Typically, companies report shaft weight (g/m) and shaft stiffness. While shaft weight is easy to replicate, it doesn’t reflect the true pole weight since no one skis with just a bare shaft. To provide a more accurate picture, we measure the full weight of a 150cm pole including tip, grip, and strap. With this approach, we’ve seen much wider differences than manufacturers suggest. For instance, One Way lists its Premio 40 at 52g/m and Rex lists the King at 50g/m, yet in our tests, the Premio 40 weighed 158g compared to just 132g for the King.
But overall pole weight isn’t the full story. When skiing, swing weight, or how heavy the pole feels as it moves through the air, is more important. We calculate swing weight with this formula:
Swing Weight = (((Pole Length - Distance to Fulcrum) - (Center of Gravity)) * (Pole Weight)) / 100
- Pole Length: tip to strap
- Distance to Fulcrum: pivot point below the strap (we use 8 cm consistently)
- Center of Gravity: point where the pole balances, measured from tip to balance point
- Pole Weight: total weight, including tip, grip, and strap
Using this method, the Rex King again comes out lighter, but by a smaller margin than raw weight alone suggests. The Premio 40 has a higher center of gravity (96.5cm vs. 94cm), which makes its swing weight 71.89g-m compared to the King’s 63.36g-m.
Ultimately, the best measurement of a poles weight is the combination of overall weight and swing weight. We created another value that represents this called the Weight Score calculated with the formula:
Weight Score = ((Overall Weight) * (Swing Weight)) / 100
Measuring stiffness is more difficult. Measuring shaft stiffness requires specialized equipment to measure deflection under load, something we don’t have in the shop. Since manufacturers use different methods, their numbers often don’t align. Instead, we group poles into a 1–5 stiffness scale based on feel:
- 1 = very stiff
- 2 = kinda stiff
- 3 = moderate
- 4 = kinda soft
- 5 = very soft
Most skiers won’t notice stiffness differences within the same category, but they will feel a difference between poles that fall into different categories. While this method is subjective, it gives a useful, realistic sense of performance.
Finally, beyond weight and stiffness, practical features also matter: Do you want quick-release straps? Interchangeable baskets? Comfortable grips? And of course, the most important question, do they match your outfit?
