Black Diamond Pursuit Carbon Z hiking poles | Tested and reviewed

New for 2025 (launching on 1 March), Black Diamond says the Pursuit Carbon Z hiking poles feature “cutting-edge technology” for “performance-driven backpackers and hikers”.

These are certainly premium poles, with some excellent features and an impressive design – but they may split opinion. Find out why – and whether they're among the best walking poles around – in our full review below.

Design, locking mechanism, materials and durability

The Black Diamond Pursuit Carbon Z pole features a Z-shaped design, rather than a telescopic one. This means the pole folds down into thirds – shaped like a “Z” if laid out – with a wonderfully compact size.

Z-shaped poles don’t have any external hardware locking mechanisms (such as lever clamps) to open or close, or worry about at all. Instead they simply clip, click and snap together more automatically, remaining connected by an inner cord-like mechanism (which looks a bit like the shock-cord you get inside a tent pole).

All of this means you get a seamless, intuitive user experience – it’s quick, easy and hassle-free, and I love it. When you want to ‘erect’ the poles, you simply grab the hand grip and the upper shaft third, pull them away from each other, and (hey presto) the pole will snap into place and lock automatically.

A little click – as a small rivet-like metal tab is secured in place below the base of the hand grip – signifies everything is in order and the pole is good to go. When you want to fold down the poles, simply press in this rivet, the tension is lost and the pole collapses automatically.

How does all of this work? Well, there’s a whole lot of wizardry in the design, courtesy of Black Diamond’s design boffins (or should that be ‘pole professors’).

They've come up with the so-called 'Z-Pole Rapid Deployment System', which consists of three key components: a concealed inner cord (to hold everything together), a single push-button release (to collapse the pole) and a one-pull, speed cone deployment (for expanding the pole).

The speed cone bit is a little tricky to understand, but effectively it’s a cone-shaped internal component that guides each shaft segment into place, and then stiffens the joint when the pole is locked. This helps improve all-round strength and durability.

As the name suggests, the Black Diamond Pursuit Carbon Z is constructed from carbon. There’s no sensation of the pole being brittle or flimsy, and my impressions are that it should prove strong, robust and durable over a long period of time. Of course, more time is needed to judge this properly.

As with all carbon poles, it’s sensible to avoid putting the Pursuit Carbon Z under any horizontal pressure.

Length and adjustability

The Black Diamond Pursuit Carbon Z is not adjustable. It has a fixed-length design, which means there's no way to increase or decrease the pole length. Instead the length is set at a pre-determined value.

You can buy the Pursuit Carbon Z in 110cm, 115cm, 120cm, 125cm or 130cm length options, so there's a size to suit almost everyone.

What are the pros and cons of a fixed-length pole design? The positives are that there’s never any fiddling or faffing around with adjustment systems, the overall weight of the pole is reduced and you get a more minimalist, fuss-free design with less components that can break or go wrong.

The negatives are that you lose versatility, you can’t adjust the pole length for different gradients and you need to accurately predict the correct size for you at the point of purchasing.

Also, the size options are only available in increments of 5cm, so if you’re very pedantic and precise, and know that 123cm is the perfect length for you, there’s no way to fine-tune to your perfect length.

You can’t really share your fixed-length pole with a hiking partner either, unless they’re a very similar height to you, and fixed-length poles are not really suitable for use as props for tarps or trekking pole tents due to their non-adjustability.

Personally, however, I love fixed-length poles. I know exactly what length I prefer (120cm), I like the simplicity and hassle-free nature of a single length pole, and – over many years of using poles – I never tend to tinker with the pole length anyway, so adjustability is a redundant feature for my needs.

Plus, I find that simply moving my hand up or down the hand grip, particularly one with an extended design, enables me to micro-adjust the pole position adequately for any gradient or terrain.

Of course, you may feel differently and instead view adjustability as an absolutely essential function – it’s all down to personal preference. If you do favour an adjustable pole, Black Diamond has a huge range of options across its excellent trekking pole range.

Weight and portability

In terms of weight, folded length and portability, the Black Diamond Pursuit Carbon Z’s performance is a mixed bag. The folded length is superb. The pole collapses in a Z-shaped orientation to a tiny length of just 40cm.

This is very short and compact, with top-notch portability, and means the poles fit neatly into backpack side pockets or trekking pole straps. For carrying poles in your backpack, the Pursuit Carbon Zs are almost faultless.

There’s also a really clever design feature that we’ve not spotted before. A perforation in the pole basket means the second and third lower segments of the Z-shaped pole clip together to provide a more connected, all-as-one, folded-down package. This helps avoid that annoying tendency of Z-shaped poles to be dangly, loose and awkward when folded down.

Weight wise, the Pursuit Carbon Z performs less positively. On my scales, it clocks in at 208g per pole (120cm version), which is quite light, but far from ultralight – and for £170, I'd have expected a lower weight, to be honest.

For comparison, the Leki Skytera FX Carbon SL (182g) saves you 26g per pole compared to the Black Diamond offering, while the Fizan Compact is even lighter (169g), a saving of 39g per pole.

But many other poles are far heftier, such as the Highlander Tiree Pro (244g), Lomo Aluminium Walking Poles (248g) and Komperdell Carbon C3 Pro (227g).

Hand grips, leashes, baskets and pole tips

Everything about this Black Diamond pole leaves you with an impression of premium performance. The hand grips are excellent, with a dual design. The main hand grip is made from cork, with an ergonomically contoured shape. It holds in the hand nicely and delivers all-day comfort.

Black Diamond says the shape has been fine-tuned with a five-degree tilt to "reduce grip fatigue". It’s difficult to judge exactly how much difference this really makes, but all-round comfort levels are certainly high.

In terms of the benefits of a cork hand grip over a foam one, some hikers say cork is superior because it moulds to your hands over time and feels smoother to the touch. I'm happy with either foam or cork and don’t notice a huge difference between the two, but it’s worth considering what will work best for you.

The grip extension – the extra material which extends down the pole shaft – is made from EVA Bloom foam. This is an algae-infused foam, which sounds odd but works absolutely fine.

It also helps improve the eco credentials of the pole by replacing fossil fuel-based ingredients with a natural material (over-abundant algae) extracted from aquatic ecosystems and transformed into a renewable material.

The process "simultaneously helps to clean and re-oxygenate water systems while preventing carbon emissions associated with decomposition", according to the brand.

Again this grip is comfy and well-shaped, and it provides a good length for micro-adjustments to your hand position. Although at just 8cm, it’s not the longest grip extension we’ve ever seen, and arguably consistency in material (rather than this two-tiered design) might be preferable for some hillwalkers.

For clarity, the full grip is 23cm long, with the main cork hand grip 15cm long and the EVA Bloom extension 8cm long.

The leashes on the Black Diamond Pursuit Carbon Z are ultralight, made from a perforated mesh. Naturally, they feel airier and more breathable than others, and thus work well on sweaty hikes or days when you’re working hard. The leash size is easily adjustable and it feels comfy over the wrist.

Each pole features a four-season flex tip made from carbide, with both trekking and snow baskets included. The pole tips feel robust and deliver good traction, while the baskets are effective at preventing the pole from plugging in mud.

Verdict

A superb Z-shaped, carbon pole with some excellent features and a compact fold-away size – but it has a fixed-length and is completely non-adjustable.

Looking for more walking accessories? Take a look at our lists of the best hiking head torches and the best waterproof gloves.

About the author

James Forrest writes regular features and route guides for Trail and has been one of our main gear testers for the last few years. James is based on the edge of the Lake District so when he isn’t off on his latest crazy adventure or challenge, he’s walking in his local fells.

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