Antique Ski Pole, Push Stick

Antique Push Stick - Antique Ski Pole- Lurk

c. 1870’s, 19th Century
47” tall (broken) 4” basket diameter
© Vintage Winter

A wonderful example of an old single ski pole commonly referred to as push sticks or Lurk poles.  Some references refer to them as Alpenstocks but from our research an Alpenstock typically referred to a walking or mountaineering stick not typically used for skiing.  This push stick has been recently decommissioned from our museum collection and was found in Northern California.  The story that was passed to us was that of an old miner who crashed and broke this push stick in a race for gold.  It was common for miners to race on longboards in the late 1800’s with gold as their betting currency.  Races still happen to this day hosted by the Pulmus Ski Club!

Single poles were used until about 1910 and made of a hardwood (hickory, willow, oak, etc.) to be sturdy and strong “push sticks”. In the 1920’s, bamboo shafts became popular because they were lighter weight and still strong. Ski Poles were also made of cane, in fact many of the 1940s WWII US Military 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops had cane poles with leather hand grips, rattan ring baskets with leather straps. The tip was steel and most had aluminum ferrules protecting the “snow” end of the ski pole (dating 1920s – 1950s). Adaptations continued in the ski pole “baskets” – going from a sturdy round wooden discs – to rattan rings and leather lacing. The hand straps of the ski pole were once simple canvas straps. Leather hand grips and straps were “in” for ski fashion in the 20s and 30s. Ski poles evolved to rubberized hand grips, metal shafts and metal rings in the late 1940s and 1950s.