Cutting, Painting, and Gripping Your Poles...

K

keith_tuan

Member
Yah I'm a noob for putting this on Ski Gabber, sorry. But I figured more people comment on this rather than Gear Talk. So here's the deal...
I was just wondering if anyone has ever done this or has any tips. I've collected a ton of poles (probably about 7 pairs) from ski swaps, garage sales, and finding some old ones around the house.
I was first going to take the grips off and cut down the poles. (Any recommendations on the size of the poles for someone 5'9 without ski boots on?) I'll probably end up starting at 30 or 32cm and make my way up by 2 for each set and stop around 42 or 44 cm depending on what works and feels good.
Second I'll get some sand paper so I can then prime, paint, and clear coat it. Then I wanted to either get some bike grips and throw them on for grips or get some golf/tennis grip tape for a skinnier grip. I was also going to paint the baskets at the end of the poles and do some checkered or line patterns one the poles using some tape. Any suggestions or knowledge on the matter? Thanks.
 
seems like a lot of work for poles. I like them shorter from skiing moguls but whatever feels comfortable. Just keep cutting them down and trying them until you find the length you want and then make them all that length for quicker replacement.
 
I wouldn't recommend spending too much time on poles. You'll probably break them pretty soon and event he best paint job is no match for ski edges so they are gonna look like shit soon enough anyway. If you really don't want to rock whatever color they are I'd just hit em with some spray paint and call it a day.
 
it would probably make sense to start at 42 or 44 and work your way down, that way you can use one set to figure out what feels right, then duplicate them. and i hope you mean inches, not centimeters. and bike grips will be cool, but the opening diameter is going to be a bit larger than the pole, so you'll need to block it out, probably by putting a thick layer of electrical tape on the pole, and putting the grip over that.
 
I cut down my poles and made grips with bike tape and they are ok. It was cheap and I can replace them quickly when they break. I have never painted them but it could be cool. I usually just tape them or sticker them.
 
haha yah inches sorry wasnt thinking. but ive tried putting bike grips on a few months ago and it def seems like you need to put something underneath so its nice a snugg. and hopefully it wont chip, well i mean it eventually will so ill just hit it up with a nice clear coat so itl last longer. thanks for the replies guys!
 
To take off the grips, basically stick them in boiling water for like 15-20 seconds, so the plastic gets loosened up and then twist em off
 
i use hockey tape cuz its really fabric-like so it can deal with the taper of a pole and you can put it longways and it takes like 30 seconds. and its $2 a roll.
and i built up the tape at the top and but bmx grips over it and its super tight
 
for cutting them i would use a copper pipe cutter, like the one you just spin and tighten as you go it makes a really nice cut.
 
befor you pain'em sand them down so the paint will have something to stick. dont use sand paper lower then 400 grit or you will see sand scraches thorough the pain. and use light coats and wait the full time for the paint to cure befor the next coat. im antomobile painter so trust me..
 
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My custom made poles.
I used sand paper, primed, painted, and clear coated them… Pretty stoked on the result. You prolly can't see it on this picture but it's a super bright orange
I used Scott die cuts to add a little bit to them
They prolly won't last long but I don't really care I did that when I was bored this summer
 
for blocking it out go to a hardware store buy some flexible tubing inside diameter just smaller then the pole heat it up with a heat gun or microwave and slide it onto the pole did that for mine and works like a champ
 
If you sand and paint you poles, be prepared for and insanely shitty finish after the first day of skiing. I didn't clear coat, but i went to all possibly measures to make sure the paint stayed on but it ended up worse after the first day than the initial beat-up color. Not worth it to repaint imo, but i can't how much the clear coat would help.
 
Mine have lasted me two seasons now, paint definitely chips off but i used house paint with a clear coat on top

I cut strips of bike inner tube and glued to the pole then just glued the bike grip to it, I also but a small bot under the grip as they started to slide down a bit after about 10 days of use.

for the strap and bar end, buy a wooden rod that is the same internal diameter of the pole then glue that in to place. I used the bar end the came with the grips and cut the piece that sticks in to the handle bar off and drilled a hole in it then you screw both the strap and bar end to the rod in the pole. I used straps off rental poles which are easy to get at my resort

View attachment 571051

 
Alternatively, you can use jb weld putty and jam a soda bottle top on there, with a screw to hold the strap. Fill the shaft with the putty first, then when everything is done you can screw into it. Hasn't failed me yet. This is on top of bike grips. I used duct tape, then a few layers of blue masking tape in hopes that it would form a sloppy epoxy-tape matrix. The grips aren't coming off... Plus cream soda is classy.View attachment 598019
 
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