Quite a few years have passed since I started playing with the idea of making a pair of my own bamboo ski poles. It was back in 2012, and pretty soon I found three different manufacturers already on the market, which has grown to significantly more today. And hopefully, we will see further additions to this eco-friendly niche of the ski industry.
For my part, I purchased a pair of Soul Poles instead of making a pair for myself at that time. And, as the picture above shows, I had to cut and shorten them right away. Soul Poles, like most other ski pole manufacturers, only make their sticks in five centimeter (two inch) intervals, and I wanted mine in between. Their baskets broke and came off quite easily! Luckily, Soul Poles was kind enough to send me some extra baskets at no charge. But the baskets kept breaking and disappearing in the snow, so I ended up replacing them with a pair of Leki powder baskets.
My Soul Poles originals were also quite heavy; 350 grams per pole. Personally, I prefer a little lighter ski stick. When I checked my old Scott aluminum poles, my wife’s carbon fiber poles, and my new bamboo poles, they all weigh about 250 grams per pole. We all have slightly different preferences, so I list the bamboo stick brands I have looked into and followed over the years, plus some that quite recently have bubbled up to the surface. Maybe you’ll find some ski poles here that are closer to your own ideals and home than mine. This is the new wave of bamboo ski poles!
List of bamboo ski pole manufacturers
- Awka (Chile)
- Baboon poles (Slovenia)
- Booyah! (Idaho, USA)
- Borga (Sweden)*
- Bumbear (Bulgaria/Estonia)*
- Falck (Sweden)* imitation of Rimfors
- Funtastick (Belgium)
- Gnar Stix (Colorado, USA)
- Grass Sticks (Colorado, USA)
- Handcrafted by Blake (Canada)
- Kang (Sweden)
- Kustomaid (The Netherlands)*
- La Montagne (Spain)
- Les Bâtons (Switzerland)
- Laughing Stocks (Australia)*
- Meier (Colorado, USA, made by Grass Sticks)
- OGTOG (Utah, USA)
- Panache (France)
- Panda Poles (Idaho, USA)
- Pole Plant (France)
- Purenees (Spain)
- Rider of the bamboo storm (Switzerland)
- Rimfors (Sweden)*
- Sasa Sticks (Canada)
Soul Poles (Utah, USA)Sour Stix (New York, USA)- Tegsnäs (Sweden) made by Borga*
- Waist Deep Ski Company (Canada)
- ZorPoles (Slovakia)
A common denominator for many on this list is that they use Tehnomat’s grips, baskets and tips, just like I do. * All marked with asterisk are using my aluminum ferrule invention.
List updated May 14, 2024. Discontinued brands crossed out.
/Fabian Rimfors