Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Nordic Walking Scam And The Lip Stick On A Pig Thing

Unfortunately at the holidays thousands of well meaning Americans order walking poles for their spouse or parents not knowing that poles that they just ordered were nothing close to real Nordic Walking Poles. By total accident they ordered cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece collapsible poles that were marketed as "real Nordic Walking Poles" but were in reality just cheap/flimsy telescoping/collapsible/adjustable length poles mass produced in China. Sure these cheap/flimsy poles came with a lot marketing hype and many had "Nordic Walking" printed on them, but were they really the ideal choice for the targeted audience? NO - these cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece collapsible poles are not ideal for every day use or for seniors or for anyone with a balance issue. Only quality one-piece poles equipped with real Nordic Walking Straps are the real deal. In North America the only one-piece poles equipped with REAL Nordic Walking Straps are made by SWIX and EXEL - both are available from WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System.

Big Box Stores also stock those cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece poles from China. Many of the floor models at these big box stores are defective and just spin for infinity - never tightening and allowing them to be taken for a test drive. Quality one-piece poles don't have that problem. And the only source in North America for real Nordic Walking Poles in 16 different lengths is WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System.

Cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece poles vary in price from $20.00 per pair to $200.00 per pair. They all tend to rattle, vibrate, gradually collapse or fail unexpectedly. REAL Nordic Walking Poles are a one-piece design and are custom fit to your height. Companies that offer only 6 or less different lengths of poles are unable to provide the Perfect Length Poles to their customers. At WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System we offer 16 different standard lengths and also custom fit those in-between sizes and back it all up with  a Perfect Length Guarantee. Prices start at a reasonable $69.95 per pair for a complete package that includes the Perfect Length Poles, free Nordic Walking DVD, printed instructions, patented comfortable straps (patented by the Salomon Ski Company), durable metal tips (for snow, ice, trails, grass, the beach and the sand dunes), removable rubber tips/asphalt paws for pavement and hard surfaces, .......

Perfect length poles help us to automatically walk with a super straight back - better walking posture is biomechanically a good thing. This improved walking posture when combined with the unique 4-Wheel-Drive type action of walking with poles radically reduces the stress to the shins, knees, hips and back. Nordic Walking is low impact and yet provides a highly effective workout - burning more calories and working more muscle groups than regular walking.

At WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System we offer both SWIX Nordic Walking Poles from Norway and EXEL Nordic Walking Poles from Finland. These quality Nordic Walking Poles are the real thing and not cheap/flimsy crap from China.

Many of our customers accidentally purchased or were given as a well meaning gift 2-piece or 3-piece collapsible poles. Many of these poles came right from the store or online retailer with defective twist-locks or flip-locks and the poles couldn't be set at the proper length - they just kept spinning and twisting without catching and tightening as advertised. Luckily, many of these disgruntled individuals found us and our hassle free one-piece Nordic Walking Poles - Real Nordic Walking Poles.

The mass produced and inexpensive 2-piece and 3-piece poles are all made in the same factories in China and all have a typically short life span due to their cheap/flimsy design. Typically these imitation Nordic Walking Poles either come with no straps or old-fashion/cheap loop straps or velco slings that are no where near as effective and comfortable as real Nordic Walking Straps. All of the straps on our SWIX and EXEL Nordic Walking Poles are the comfortable patented fingerless glove type straps. These are REAL Nordic Walking Straps - patented by the Salomon Ski Company.

Cheap/flimsy mass produced poles are often identical the to "free" poles often included in SnowShoe packages. And these cheap/flimsy snowshoe poles have the worst reputation. This past week one of my new customers said that his new $140 Leki poles (made in China) vibrated even more than his cheap snowshoe poles. Clearly showing that 2-piece and 3-piece collapsible poles will NEVER come close to the quality and positive performance of one-piece poles that are sized correctly.

Skiers, Ski Shops and Ski Rental Shops all know that 2-piece and 3-piece collapsible poles wouldn't hold up for downhill or cross country skiing. These same cheap/flimsy poles should never be sold to seniors or anyone with a balance issues. Only quality one-piece poles can provide the added safety, strength and user-friendly advantages.

Don't get scammed by cheap/flimsy collapsible poles. If you did return them. And don't be embarrassed that you fell for all that lipstick and marketing hype put into those cheap/flimsy collapsible poles from China. Tons of lipstick on a pig doesn't make that pig something that it isn't. Real Nordic Walking Poles are a quality one-piece design and at WWW.SKIWALKING.COM and the American Nordic Walking System we sincerely feel that it is an ethical violation to sell seniors and those with balance issues cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece collapsible poles. We only recommend quality one-piece poles for walking, hiking, treking, downhill skiing (alpine), Nordic skiing (skate and classic cross country skiing), snowshoeing, roller skiing and Nordic blading (inline skating).