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Gabel Quota 8800ai trekking poles
Reviewed by: Bill Ames
Where to buy: Any outdoors shop
Cost: $125
You may want to read Joe's review of the Leki (say "Lekkie") Makalu walking sticks, since much of the background information he gives is the same for these sticks.
The Gabel brand (I wasn't fond of buying Italian engineering, but this is all that was in stock at Appalachian Outdoors!) is very similar in construction to the Leki walking sticks. Like the Leki
Makalu, they have tungsten carbide tips that really grip the rocks and a basket to prevent the stick from entering the ground a bit too far . . .
Made of aircraft aluminum, and collapsible, they are VERY lightweight (8 ounces)and far superior to the ski poles I purchased for $7. How much superior? Not $100 superior--however--I was suffering from a lot of wrist stress and numbness after some aggressive hikes over rocky terrain. The Gabel 8800ai (anti-impact) poles did the trick. A combination of hi-tech anti-impact cushioning, pole flex, and ergo-grip seem to be effective in relieving my aching wrists.
I "broke in" the Gabels on a very aggressive 8 mile hike over a portion of the Iron Loop (Mid State Trail) and Jackson trails on/near Tussey Ridge in Pine Grove Mills, and was able to make the trek in under 4 hours. This included an ascent up the ridge at nearly 60 degrees off of horizontal which alone took over an hour. The poles held my
XXL bulk with ease and gripped where it didn't seem like they might. The ability to collapse and adjust the height of the stick is very helpful in extreme vertical situations, as a shorter stick allows a better angle and more use of the arms and shoulders.
If you intend to do any serious amount of hiking over rocky ridges--which seems to be the standard in Pennsylvania--you will want the cushioning of these poles. I'm told that the high end Leki walking sticks are very similar, too. Apparently, these two companies have the market pretty well wrapped up.
If you don't think you will need the cushioning, I would recommend that you try some regular ski poles ($7 used!), and if they don't destroy your wrists, go with the Leki
Makalus, since they are considerably cheaper than the anti-impact designs. They are much better than ski poles because of several factors: 1-ability to lengthen/shorten as needed. 2-very light weight. 3-tips and baskets are better suited to rocks and normal terrain--ski poles are designed for snow!
Addendum: I have grown quite fond of these sticks, and they have been very helpful because of their size and cushioning. I do wish, though, that I had two things. First, is more of a "cane" type handle, which is available on several models. When going down a very steep hill, this would be far preferable to the ski-pole design. The second is the angle of the grip. The only stick Gabel makes that is more expensive than the ones I bought have an ergonomically angled head . . . Sounds silly, but I wish I had it!
Gabel is actually kind of hard to find, so I've been recommending Leki,
lately. My brother has a set, and pretty much everything I've said about the
Gabel poles holds true. They definitely look better than the competition, like
the el cheapo poles you'll see at Target or WalMart, and it's easy to find
replacement parts. Click the links below to
buy Leki poles at REI: Leki Makalu Antishock 3 Trekking Poles - Pair
 Leki Super Makalu Cor-Tec Positive-Angle Trekking Poles - Pair
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