Hiking poles for approaches?

[jetjackson]

I just finished a 5 day trek with quite a bit of elevation gain. It was the first time I had used hiking poles and I was quite surprised at how much they improved my ability to hike steep inclines without building a 'pump', or 'burn' in my legs. Additionally, it engaged my lats/back and arms and the whole hike felt a more whole body workout than hikes I have done without poles.

It has got me thinking that for some of the longer approaches that I do, they would come in super handy for a couple of reasons - that being, arrive to the crag a bit fresher in the legs, but also better warmed up across the whole body, rather than just in the legs. A bonus might be on the descent that they might reduce the risk of rolled ankles.

Curious if anyone here already uses, or has used, hiking poles for approaches? See any benefits? I can imagine that for some scrambling approaches, where you are climbing over boulders, they might be more trouble than they are worth, but for those uphill scree slopes and long approaches with heavy trad racks, could be beneficial.

[erick]

I love poles for any approach that is a bit more strenuous.

[MarkAnderson]

I prefer to save my arms and hands for climbing. I use them if I have to ford a river though.

[Charlie S]

I use them. Most of my approaches are steep with heavy loads (i.e. cams) and they are a total body saver. Not to mention I have a lack of coordination, and the poles help keep me from smashing in my face.

[mcd]

It depends on the route and the approach/descent. For Alpine rock I almost always use hiking poles, the Black Diamond FLZ is supper light. They are great on really uneven terrain with a heavy load. The plastic points on the poles I use really stick to surprising rock faces and allow me to move faster and with less effort through boulders and scree. I rarely use poles for sport climbing approaches, however most of my local approaches can be done in flip flops or a wheel chair.