I’ve been talking about making some split bamboo ski poles for a long time, and now I finally have a few spare minutes where I’m not pressured to be doing… all of the other things that I would be doing. I’ve seen bamboo ski poles (I own some) and they’re great – they’re durable and lightweight. I’ve skied with them for a couple of seasons now with no complaints at all. But I’ve always felt like they look just a little too “tiki” or “banana republic,” and I have to assume that split bamboo construction will be markedly stronger, in addition to looking way cooler.
Not much to show here, yet, since the process is very much like making a fly rod, albeit a REALLY STOUT fly rod (which makes the bamboo difficult to work, as compared with the microscopic tips in a fly rod), but I’ll try to keep this post up to date as things progress. For grips and tips and baskets, the initial plan is just to cannibalize stuff from existing ski poles, but if the experiment works, I’ll design my own versions of those things and 3D print and machine them. Stand by. Pics below, not necessarily in order.
