A close look at two trekking poles buyers cross-shop. They score within a hair of each other, so it comes down to the details below.
| Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork | Black Diamond Pursuit | |
|---|---|---|
| GearScore | 48✓ | 46 |
| Weight (pair) | 17.1 oz✓ | 17.3 oz |
| Packed length | 61 cm✓ | 63 cm |
| Max length | 130 cm | 140 cm✓ |
| Min length | 100 cm | 100 cm |
| Price | $230 | $170✓ |
| Material | Carbon | Aluminum |
| Fold style | Telescoping | Telescoping |
Highlighted cells mark the better spec: Alpine Carbon Cork in blue, Pursuit in amber. A blank spec is never counted as a win. Min length is shown for context and is not scored. GearScore is the overall rating (0 to 100); re-weight it on the full trekking-pole comparison. Prices are current MSRP.
Put the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork next to the Black Diamond Pursuit and the trade-offs are clear. They are close enough that this really is about which handful of specs you weight most.
The Alpine Carbon Cork is a little lighter and a little shorter packed. The Pursuit is a longer reach (140 vs 130 cm) and $60 cheaper. Their GearScores land within a couple of points (48 vs 46), so neither runs away with it.
Pick the Alpine Carbon Cork if you care most about low weight and packability, which makes it the better call for counting grams on long miles. Pick the Pursuit if reach and price matter more to you, or you are focused on your priorities.
The Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork. It is a little lighter than the Pursuit.
The Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork. It is a little shorter packed than the Pursuit.
They are nearly tied at 48 and 46 on the default algorithm, so re-weight the score to your own priorities to break the tie.
It depends on your priorities. Go with the Alpine Carbon Cork for low weight, or the Pursuit for reach. The spec table above shows exactly where each wins.