Which would you prefer when Nordic Walking when faced with a choice of boardwalk or paved surface? I currently prefer paved surface; but most of my friends prefer boardwalk. Where I live in the Beaches area of Toronto, I have a choice of both. (There aren't really any dirt trails.) In some places, the two run side by side, but in most places the paved path is … [Read more...]
How to hold a Nordic Walking Pole
The grip technique for holding Nordic walking sticks is designed to help work and stretch your arms more, and to increase rotation of spine and hips. If you hold the poles too tight, your hands will hurt after a while; If you hold the poles too loosely, they can flail about (and the last thing you want is to draw any more attention to yourself! Ha!) The thing … [Read more...]
Choosing a Nordic Walking Pole
Foreword There is no formal, legal definition of what exact characteristics constitute a Nordic walking pole, or stick. Established brands of Nordic walking poles in Europe include Exel (Finland), Gabel (Italy), Kompardell (Austria), Leki (Germany), and Swix (Norway). In Canada, an established brand is Nordixx. There are two points of contention around Nordic … [Read more...]
What is Nordic Walking
Nordic walking is a practice of walking with two mid-length, thin but sturdy poles. It is done as a sport for both exercise and enjoyment. It can be done at a variety of speeds and intensities, on any terrain (except water.) It is similar to other sports such as "trekking" which also involve walking with poles. Nordic walking, like walking itself, is … [Read more...]
Setting the correct height on an adjustable Nordic Walking Pole
Adjustable Nordic walking poles come in 2 or 3 sections; you adjust the length of each section to get the overall pole length just right for you. There are two ways of gauging what is right for you: Eye-ball it; or Precise method. 1. Eye-ball the length of your pole When you are holding the pole with the pole angled back so that the tip of the pole is by … [Read more...]
A brief history of Nordic Walking
A start in Finland Nordic walking is a modern sport that started in Finland. For decades in the 1900s, athletes in Finland had been training for winter cross-country skiing by walking in the summers with just the ski poles (they called it "ski-walking.") And, people had been walking and hiking in the outdoors with sticks. In 1966, a woman named Leena Jääskeläinen … [Read more...]
Difference Between Nordic Walking and Trekking Poles
Nordic walking poles and trekking poles are both walking poles but they are meant for two different types of walking activity. Here's a great video by Linda Lemke of Minnesota who discusses with you which one you might really want. This is the best and clearest explanation I have come across so far: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp6vMhcazis Here's a written summary … [Read more...]
Nordic Walking: Detached vs Attached Straps
Nordic walking poles with straps will fall into two sub-categories: those with straps permanently attached to the poles, or, those with detachable straps. Which you get is really just a matter of preference. Attached Straps These can be tightened either via some sort of clasp on the pole, or, via buckles at the end of the straps. I do not know how you … [Read more...]
Nordic Walking in the Winter
One of the jokes about Nordic walking is that people reputedly say, "hey, where's the skis?" They are just as likely to look at you and go, "hey, where's the snow?" because the ancestor of Nordic walking poles is cross-country ski poles. It was an interesting question for me, that of what would happen when a Nordic pole actually met snow. This was my first winter … [Read more...]
Norking
It's a bit of a mouthful to say casually, "I'm heading out Nordic walking for a bit." It just doesn't sound like something you'd ever say, well, casually. It just seems a bit, technical. A friend, Karen Wettlaufer -- from the town of Paris in the heart of south-western Ontario, home of words such as dork, deek, kewl, Molson Muscle and Double Double, eh? -- solved … [Read more...]
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