Pole talk - Rimfors bamboo ski poles

5 November, 202317 November, 2023Pole talk

Grips, baskets, tips … Tehnomat has all pole parts!

Ski pole grips and baskets in all kinds of colors.

People sometimes ask me why I present my suppliers, why I share my tricks and trades, and why I reveal my innovations […]

17 September, 20238 October, 2023Pole talk

Sorting and preparing Calcutta bamboo for ski poles

Sorted Calcutta bamboo paired and lined up along a stone wall.

Good things come to those who wait! I just received a refill of my bamboo stock. Around Christmas last year I ordered […]

11 June, 202316 June, 2023Pole talk

Making ski touring poles out of old cross-country poles

Vintage cross country bamboo poles converted to ski touring poles, with orange and blue handlebar tape for grip extensions.

Creating and crafting things with your own hands gives a great sensation of fulfillment. I love to figure out how to refine […]

23 April, 202323 May, 2023Pole talk

Ski history and branded poles in Riksgränsen

Fabian Rimfors' fluorescent yellow bamboo ski poles and Salomon QST Blank at the peak of Nordalsfjället in Riksgränsen, Sweden.

Riksgränsen. Few places have the same mythical appeal to skiers as Riksgränsen. This magical mountain and powdery paradise right on the national […]

12 March, 202321 April, 2023Pole talk

Slalom racing with bamboo ski poles

Slalom skier Leo Rimfors train with SL poles made of Calcutta bamboo with punch guards/pole protectors.

Can you race and smash slalom gates with bamboo ski poles? Do they hold up for that? A hundred years ago, people […]

14 January, 202321 April, 2023Pole talk

Voilà! Les Bâtons d’Alain, but of bamboo

Robert skis cold powder in Kittelfjäll with his new Les Bâtons d'Alain-inspired bamboo poles.

When people started using ski poles thousands of years ago, there was no handle on the poles. There was no pole strap […]

23 December, 202224 December, 2022Pole talk

Durable ski touring poles for backcountry and hunting

Rimfors ski touring poles of bamboo with Åsnes' backcountry model Nansen.

Three years have passed since I built my first bamboo ski poles. During all this time, I have only promoted alpine ski […]

31 July, 202218 November, 2023Pole talk

DIY: How to make grip extensions for touring ski poles

Bamboo ski poles with extended grip from wound bark tanned reindeer hide.

Many skiers prefer poles with grip extensions. Especially when going backcountry ski touring. Extra grip area can sometimes be practical, uphill as […]

2 January, 202221 April, 2023Pole talk

Mr Swix and almost a million bamboo ski poles a year

Bamboo ski pole production at the Swix/Liljedahl's pole factory in Lillehammer, 1976. The following year, 900,000 pairs of ski poles were made from Tonkin bamboo. Here you can see how the bamboo was fed into the ovens from the back.

He is sometimes called “Mr Swix”. Harald Bjerke is the one who has worked the longest at the company, 50 years, and […]

23 October, 202118 November, 2023Pole talk

Old ski poles become like new—a DIY guide to restore bamboo poles

Snickarbänk med läderdelar, verktyg och skidstavar av bambu.

C like in century. Next year will be a hundred years since the polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace […]