[iron]

i have both classic and skate skis. the classic poles that i have use straps like you have on hiking poles where you slide your hand in from the bottom, and then place the gap between your thumb/index finger on the top of the strap. my skate poles have the dedicated thumb hole and velcro strap that you see on nearly all skate poles. i vastly prefer the feel of the XC setup. i understand that classic and skate poles are the same, with the classic simply being shorter because of the skiing technique. has anyone tried using a classic grip setup while skating? is there anything that is obviously wrong about this? maybe my skate straps are setup incorrectly, but i never feel like my grip is even (heavier on the top, less on the bottom). plus, when it's cold out (which is 4 months of the season here in the canadian rockies), i wear thicker gloves that are difficult to fit into the velcro straps typical to skate poles.

[evergreen199]

When I first started skate skiing, the straps I had were like your classic poles. Those poles worked great for me for probably 15 years until I got new gear and it had the new style skate straps. I had a ton of fun skiing, got good exercise, and never had funny injuries or experienced anything obviously wrong with the classic style straps. I've been using the new style for about 10 years and I'm still having fun. For me it is easier to think less about the poles with the new style and treat them as just an extension of my body when I am in the groove on a long skate. If they were uncomfortable or distracting to me though I would be fine switching back, so I say give it a try!