People often ask me if they can buy my aluminum ski pole ferrules to make their own poles. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to sell pole parts. I have a regular full-time job and pole-making is just a leisure-time hobby of mine. It hurts my heart to decline each time. But now there’s a solution—from now on I can forward these inquiries to Tehnomat. And the DIY enthusiasts get what they want.
Ski pole ferrules with internal threads—the nut and bolt principle
Ever since I began making bamboo ski poles, Tehnomat has been my main supplier. They manufacture the grips, baskets, and carbide tips that I use, and for my first prototypes, I used their plastic ferrules too. In fact, many bamboo ski pole manufacturers rely on Tehnomat for all their parts. Early on, realized that the ferrule is the “Achilles’ heel” of bamboo ski poles—the crucial part that secures the tip to the pole and holds the basket. Therefore, I designed and developed my own ferrules, made from aluminum rods.
After a while, I upgraded my ferrules with an internal thread at the bottom. This meant I could glue and screw the ferrule onto the bamboo—like a nut on a bolt, with hot-melt glue “welding” them together. If I need to remove the ferrule, I just warm up the aluminum and unscrew it.
Tehnomat takes the ski pole ferrule to the next level
Over the last year, Tehnomat has been developing an aluminum ferrule of their own, using my ferrule as guidance. This summer, I had the opportunity to test a prototype version. A new feature is the “nut” slot on the tapered tip, enabling attachment and detachment with a 13 mm spanner. I love this! It’s a brilliant idea that makes it easier to mount the ferrule, as well as to remove it.
I’ve had a similar idea for a long time. Mine was to make a slot in the gap where the basket is mounted, so I could use a thin spanner, like a bicycle wrench, to hold the ferrule while I screw it onto the bamboo. However, Tehnomat’s solution is far better, since it is accessible at all times and never hidden under a basket.
I had a few tips and comments on the internal M14×1 mm threads in the bottom of the prototype ferrule; they were too big for easy mounting. But Tehnomat has now adjusted the internal threads, and their new ferrule is ready to conquer the world.
Making it accessible for DIY projects
I still have plenty of my own ferrules left, and I will use all of them before I re-stock with new ones. But for everyone else, especially DIY enthusiasts, Tehnomat’s new aluminum ferrule is a milestone that will change a big part of the bamboo ski pole industry. From now on, fewer skiers will lose their pole tips and baskets in the snow, since there will be more high-quality bamboo ski poles out there.
/Fabian Rimfors
Note! My ferrule has a Ø14 mm hole. Tehnomat’s, named FK1920, comes in Ø14, Ø16 and Ø18 mm.
