Jeff
haha - I enjoyed your deserved putdown of my little comment. From your picture, you certainly don't look funny to me,
That's just because the picture's too small.
and if you were to see what I generally wear, you'd know I'm not very fashion-conscious.
For the techno-record, we have three black diamond trekking poles. A matched pair and a sinlgle one, which also has the little screw thingie on top, to use it as a camera monopod.
They are very good poles, and I can find no performance difference between the shock absorbing ones and the non-shock absorbing single.
I agree. Shock absorption is a marketing thing.
I still plan on only using one pole, and not two, at least for the foreseeable future.
Viva la difference. Know what works for you.
Jeff