Black Diamond Walking Sticks

Ready for the expedition

In Chadar I fell down on the frozen river and broke my wrist. Before I could realise I had broken my wrist, I realised I had broken my walking stick. It was an el cheapo unknown stick without a major brand name. It broke somewhere in the middle. Tashi fixed it but I realised that there is more to a walking stick than just being a stick.  

In Amsterdam I had run out of money to buy a pair of sticks. I had bought too many other things. Therefore when Mezda went to the US I got Gublai to buy this pair of Black Diamond sticks for me and used it first during my Stok Kangri trek.

After ten days of using it in the high Himalayan altitude I must say the stick is pretty sturdy. The twist locks could have been a little smoother. The sticks are marked L and R - meaning they are for specific hands. This is not so much about the stick but the wrist band or loop which you wrap around the wrist. One is meant for your left hand while the other for right. I do not really know if it will be a major issue if I didn't use it that way and reversed it. 

Another issue with the wrist band is it is a fixed size of a loop. So in a really cold place if you are using a fat gloves, as I was on the summit day, it might be difficult to slide your hand through it.

Another negative issue - the stick being affordable and commonly available in the west, many other travellers have the exact same thing. In Changma during a tea break another lady confused mine with her. I think I shall put my signature with a black marker pen on my sticks.