Poles or No Poles? A Hill Experiment
In pairs, students climb and descend a hill with and without poles and compare heart rate, perceived effort, and how their knees feel. It's a small controlled experiment to decide, based on data, whether to bring poles on a hike.
How to play
- Quick pole fitting (elbow at 90° on flat ground, shorter for climbing, longer for descending) and a review of the alternating plant (4 min).
- Trial 1: climb and descend the hill four times in a row with a light pack at a steady pace. Afterward, log heart rate, perceived effort from 0 to 10, and knee discomfort on the way down. Half the pairs start with poles and half without (8 min).
- Walking recovery until heart rate is close to baseline, then trial 2 with the opposite condition (10 min).
- Pair analysis: differences in each measure, why the order was switched between pairs, and how you'd improve the design (6 min).
- Class conclusion using everyone's data: when poles pay off and when they get in the way (2 min).
Rules
- Pole tips always point down, never backward when someone is behind you.
- Walk down; no running or jumping.
- Keep the same pace in both trials; your partner checks it.
- If you feel joint pain, stop and log it as data.
Variations
Easier
No pack and only two climbs per trial.
Standard
Four climbs per trial with a light pack and counterbalanced order.
Harder
Add a third condition with a single pole and calculate the class average for each.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: compares pushing up the ramp in a wheelchair with and without a partner's help, logging perceived effort.
- Knee problems: does the climb only and comes back down on a flat path.
- No heart rate monitor: take a wrist pulse for 15 seconds and multiply by four.
Learning goals
- Design and run a simple experiment with controlled order.
- Analyze how poles affect effort and descending.
- Make gear decisions based on one's own data.
Equipment for a class of 25
- trekking poles: 30
- backpacks: 15
- heart rate monitors: 15
- recording sheets: 30
Teacher tip
Use a hill, ramp, or grassy bank at least 15 to 20 m long; poles are awkward and unsafe on stairs. If you're short on poles, pairs can share; students' sports watches work as heart rate monitors. The usual mistake is doing the second trial faster.
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