Low impact on our knees and feet is one of the benefits of the cross country skiing that we appreciate the most.
There is one caveat though – from time to time, at least some of us develop a pain in the elbow due to the overuse of sticks, causing tendinitis, a minor inflammation.
Once upon a time the doctor’s verdict was simple: give it a rest and avoid training for a while.
Now, all that is coming to an end thanks to a Swedish innovation, the StaffanSTAVEN shock dampers.
StaffanSTAVEN (or “Staffan’s poles”) is the brainchild, of Staffan Larsson, the winner of the 1999 Vasaloppet, and Gunnar Winroth, an orthopedic surgeon.
Together, they figured out that inserting a specially calibrated spiral spring encased in a carbon-fibre tube into a pole handle would provide a very good dampening of the shocks your arms go through when you thrust the pole-tips into compact snow or asphalt.
The product is being marketed in two offerings. The first is a “do-it-yourself” damper insert – after all, isn’t that what we, the skiers enjoy the most – fiddling with our equipment?
For those unwilling or unable to cut and glue, StaffanSTAVEN is also offering factory-assembled carbon fiber poles with dampers.
The shock absorbers come in three different types, fitting the needs of elite sportsmen, recreational skiers and “something in-between”.
Since we here at The Daily Skier are too modest to call ourselves “elite” but too proud to be seen as mere Ski Weekend Warriors, we shall probably opt for “something in-between”
Will keep you posted on the impressions and the results – stay tuned!
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