Poles in Ultra-Trail: Why Curved Ones Really Change the Game
On a UTMB, a TCC, a Grand Raid or any mountain ultra, poles are not an accessory. They are survival allies. When the legs stop responding at kilometre 80, when night falls on a technical single track, when the final climb seems endless — that is when a pole reveals what it is really worth.
Why use poles in ultra-trail?
The answer fits in one word: economy. Over long distances, every joule counts. Poles make it possible to spread the effort across all four limbs instead of concentrating everything on the legs. On steep climbs, poles let you transfer part of the effort from the legs to the upper body, reinforcing the push forwards along the slope, not downwards. With the curve of the MØNARC® Arcs de Marche®, the push angle stays oriented in the direction of travel, which improves the efficiency of the movement over thousands of strides.
Downhill, they absorb shocks, protect the knees and stabilise the upper body on technical passages. On flat terrain, they maintain the rhythm and delay overall muscular fatigue.
Studies on ultra-endurance confirm that using poles uphill reduces perceived fatigue and the electromyographic activity of the lower limbs — which translates, at the end of a race, into less burnt-out legs and a more stable stride over the final kilometres.
The specificity of ultra terrain: what a straight pole doesn't see
An ultra-trail is not a flat, regular surface. It is 40,000 metres of positive and negative elevation, damp ground, technical trails, stretches of asphalt in between. With every change of terrain, the pole's support angle changes. With a classic straight pole, the push angle therefore varies constantly, creating irregularities in energy transmission.
This is where the geometry of the MØNARC® Arcs de Marche® comes in. As measured by the University of Grenoble Alpes, the curve maintains a push angle of 33° to the ground — against 46° for a straight pole — which naturally directs the force forwards at every support. Over 100 km, that is thousands of better-oriented pushes. The energy saving is not spectacular at each step: it is cumulative, and that is precisely where it changes everything.
Uphill: getting the most from the arms
On steep climbs, the technique evolves: the torso leans forwards, the poles are planted closer to the body, the supports become alternating or simultaneous depending on the slope. In double-push technique (both poles together), the arms and shoulders become true engines. The MØNARC® curve offers a natural attack angle in this configuration, without deliberately changing the movement.
On passages of 40-60% gradient — typical of the Vertical Kilometre events built into some ultras — the vertical push takes precedence over everything. Stiff, light, well-anchored poles then make all the difference. The MØNARC® in T700 carbon at 140 grams per pole answer exactly these demands.
Downhill: stability and joint protection
Downhill, the poles' role flips. They no longer propel, they stabilise and absorb. The recommended technique: poles planted alternately to keep permanent ground contact, knees bent, torso slightly leaning forwards, weight on the ball and front of the foot. The poles are planted slightly further ahead on steep descents to create a braking, reassuring support.
On the long, repeated descents that characterise Alpine ultras, this passive damping work by the poles preserves the quadriceps and the knees — delaying or avoiding the "concrete legs" descent that every trail runner dreads at the end of a race.
Weight and reliability: the two imperatives of the ultra
In ultra-trail, every gram carried through the night turns into fatigue. Poles at 300 g each mean 600 g of permanent load on the arms. Poles at 140 g — like the MØNARC® — mean 280 g. The difference seems minimal at the start. At the finish, it may have avoided shoulder tendinitis or preserved movement quality over the final kilometres.
Reliability is the other imperative: a pole that breaks at kilometre 70, at night, in the mountains, is a catastrophe. The MØNARC®'s T700 carbon is the same grade used in high-stress industrial applications. It shrugs off impacts on rocks, energetic plants on climbs, involuntary twists on technical ground.
The verdict of a tester over 93 km
Sergi Garcia i Gisbert, an experienced Spanish practitioner, tested the MØNARC® Arcs de Marche over a 93 km course mixing asphalt, trails and forest track. His verdict: poles "intended for experienced Nordic walkers, ideal for competition", with a perceptible sensation of propulsion from the very first hours.
👉 The MØNARC® Arcs de Marche® for ultra-trail — monarc-nordic.com