THE INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAINEERING AND CLIMBING FEDERATION
UNION INTERNATIONALE DES ASSOCIATIONS D’ALPINISME
Office: Monbijoustrasse 61 y Postfach
CH-3000 Berne 23 y SWITZERLAND
Tel.: +41 (0)31 3701828 y Fax: +41 (0)31 3701838
e-mail: office@uiaa.ch
Page: 1 / 5
CONSENSUS STATEMENT
OF THE
UIAA MEDICAL COMMISSION
VOL: 11
The Use of Hiking Sticks in the
Mountains
Intended for Physicians, Interested Non-medical
Persons and Trekking or Expedition Operators
A. Koukoutsi
2008
UIAA MedCom Consensus Statement No.11: Hiking Sticks in the Mountains
Page: 2 / 5
Introduction
Many hikers, mountaineers and climbers use telescopic sticks because they may aid
walking up/downhill and may also ease the strain on the spine and the lower
extremity joints particularly the knees. The reductions during downhill walking with
hiking poles are caused primarily by the forces applied to the hiking poles and by a
change in posture to a more forward leaning position of the upper body.
In order to have any benefits from telescopic sticks, they must be used with the
correct technique:
The sticks must be height-adjustable and have handles that are constructed in a way
that the user’s hands, when pressing down, firm support is provided (or gained).. It is
of utmost importance to use the sticks as close as possible to the body’s line of fall. It
has been shown that there is no significant difference in using one or two sticks when
walking without a load [1] , but when walking with a load, balance is significantly
enhanced by using two hiking sticks rather than one [2].
At high altitude or in cold environment the sticks should not be adjusted too long (the
hands should be lower than the elbow when using the stick), because otherwise the
circulation will be impaired and the user will get cold fingers in a very short time.
Advantages
1. When the sticks are used with the correct technique – especially when walking
downhill – the hiking stick can absorb several tonnes of weight fr