It doesn’t happen often now, but years ago people would sometimes arrive at one of my Nordic walking clinics with cross-country ski poles.

It’s understandable. After all, we do call Nordic walking “cross-country skiing without the skis.”

While I no longer see ski poles, I do occasionally have people arrive to a class with hiking poles.

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“Why can’t I use my cross-country ski poles for Nordic walking?”

• Cross-country ski poles are much longer than Nordic walking poles.

• Cross-country ski poles have very thin handles and simple wrist straps. Nordic walking poles (from Urban Poling) have thick strapless handles and a large Ledge on their base. (Exerting pressure on the Ledge is critical for creating forward propulsion.)

• Cross-country ski poles are a fixed length. Nordic walking poles telescope in length so they can be shared with friends of different heights and be easily transported.

• Cross -country ski poles are designed for landing on soft snow; they have no shock absorbing features. Nordic walking poles, which are often used on sidewalks and other hard surfaces, come with three shock-absorbing features.

• Cross-country ski poles lack angled rubber boot-shape tips that are requiredfor walking on sidewalks and other hard surfaces.

“Why can’t I use my hiking poles (also called trekking poles) for Nordic walking?”

• Hiking poles have simple loose wrist straps (to stop them from dropping to the ground if you release your grip). Exerting pressure on the straps isn’t very effective at propelling the body forward .

• Hiking poles tend to be extremely light (since their purpose is to minimize effort). Nordic walking poles are often slightly heavier (to help maximize the intensity of the workout).

• Some hiking poles have a “swing weight” integrated into the bottom of them and/or a spring-loaded feature, both of which make Nordic walking awkward.

• Hiking poles lack angled rubber boot-shape tips. (Some have round plastic tips, but these are often just to cover the sharp carbide tips while transporting them.)

If you’re not quite ready to commit to Nordic walking, borrow a pair of real Nordic walking poles from a friend or your instructor for your first few outings. Only with the proper equipment and technique can you get a true understanding of any new activity.