Poles

Trekking poles are an individual choice. Some folk have no time for them, some find them very handy. For me, personally they are somewhat essential these days. Having Parkinson's has not yet seriously affected my backpacking activities. Yes, I did have a couple of alarming incidents, but that was more the exception rather than the rule. There are times though when I experience a tad of imbalance. Nothing of significance or serious concern. My poles do give me that bit of added security when backpacking. My current poles, some three years old, have been causing me problems for a few months now. They either lock off and are an absolute pain to free. Alternatively they loosen off, which happens on a regular basis.
leki used to be a good name in regard to poles and possibly I have a rogue pair? What annoys me though is that despite several attempts to contact them, directly and indirectly, there has been no response. There is an agent in this country who stocks all Leki spares. They offered to take the poles back and repair them, at cost! Annoying, I am perfectly capable of repairing them myself. A couple of locking thingies are in a not too great a condition. Worse, two sections have splits in them. The cost of spare parts is expensive.
Thus, for peace  of mind, I have had to dig deep and splash out a new pair of poles. These new ones are from a UK firm and I am actually able to speak to a person if any problems occur.
So, if anyone wants an assortment of poles and odds and sods to play with, give me a shout. They will only cost you something toward postage. Better for someone to have something to tinker with than binning them.

A few old photos.