Pika wrote
Quote:
I wonder how many of them went to a gear store and just said "give me what I need to do the Canyon". I suspect a lot of them did and as part of the package were sold a set of high-profit poles that they did not know how to use. Are members of the backpacking community really being well served by salespeople in outdoor stores selling stuff this way?


I hear what you're saying, but as a general rule, I think it would be unfair to blame outdoor stores and salespeople for every act of idiocy you can witness daily on the main corridor trails of the Grand Canyon. We can blame them a little, I guess; there's plenty to spread around. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

For what it's worth, some friends of mine went to Summit Hut (here in Tucson) before a GC trip last year. They were going to look into renting some trekking poles, but the staff insisted they could try out a used pair for no charge--just return them and if they wanted to buy a pair in the future the store could help with that. They also took the three minutes necessary to explain the basics of how to use the poles.

az-"not-a-Summit-Hut-employee--really!"-canyon