LIFE-LINK Trekking and Ski Poles have long been known for their durability and incredibly low swing weight, but like a Ferrari which needs an occasional tune up, your LIFE-LINK poles need to be cleaned from time to time to keep the Patented Ovalized Locking System working at peak performance. The secrets to having your LIFE-LINK poles perform like new are divulged below. Please read. Your poles will thank you…and you’ll thank your poles for years of reliable service and feathery swing weight. Ovalized Locking System, Field/Home Repair and Maintenance This is the finest locking system there is for a ski or trekking pole. It allows for a low profile design that WILL NOT slip during use, but this system does rely on fairly clean brake shoes and a clean surface inside the upper shafts. Mineral deposits and dirt accumulate in the uppers making the poles difficult to adjust. You’ll need to heat the grips in hot water to get them off and clean the upper shafts and brake shoes to achieve a like-new performance. The procedure is as simple as doing the following: 1. Remove the straps from grips. You’ll need lift up on the strap and pull. 2. Unscrew the lower shafts from uppers and remove. 3. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. 4. Place the grip-end of the uppers in the boiling water and leave for a few minutes. 5. Remove the grips by pushing them off with your feet. 6. Try not to lose any parts between the stove and the fridge as you push the brake shoes and expanders out the top of the uppers with a lower shaft. Notice how the brake shoes fit around the expanders and that there are male and female expanders. 7. Clean any scale or muck off of the brake shoes with a Scotchbrite pad or fine sandpaper. 8. Using a lower shaft, swab the inside of the upper shaft with a small piece of cotton soaked in isopropyl alcohol. NRA members can use a shotgun cleaner and, if you’re camping, soap and water works well instead of rubbing alcohol. DO NOT lube or grease the inside of the upper shaft. We DO recommend using a VERY tiny amount of anti-seize on the expander threads. The threads are _-28’s if you need to chase them. 9. Put the expanders and clean brake shoes back in their respective upper shafts and check the function of the Ovalized Locking System with the corresponding lower shaft. NOTE: You have a male and female pole. The male pole upper has a black nose cone, uses the black expander, and has a lower shaft with male threads. The female pole upper has a grey nose cone, uses the white expander, and has a lower shaft with female threads. The reason for having two types is- ALL LOWER SECTIONS OF LIFE-LINK SKI POLES WITH OVALIZED UPPERS, UNSCREW TO SCREW TOGETHER AND FORM AN EMERGENCY AVALANCHE PROBE. 10. Reheat the grips in hot water, dump the excess water out, and press them back onto the upper shafts. Do not use glue. 11. Re-install the lower shafts into their respective uppers. 12. Put the straps back in the grips by pushing the break-away clip into the grip cavity. Basket Removal and Replacement Whether you are switching from winter baskets to summer snag-proof trekking baskets, replacing a worn out basket or removing baskets to assemble your poles into an avalanche probe, taking baskets off the poles is as simple as resting the tip of the pole on ground, placing both feet on either side of the shaft and stepping down. In winter it is helpful to put the tip of the pole on a ski or a rock. Practice at home before you show up at the avalanche course To replace the baskets, simply set your poles on the ground upside down (with grips on the ground). Then press the basket onto the tip and push until they click into place. The baskets should spin with slight resistance once they are installed. (Note: the Teton Backcountry and Explorer thread on and off.) Flex Tip Removal and Replacement Our Flex Tips are meant to "break-away" in extreme situations. The Flex Tip can bend up to 35 degrees if it’s caught between rocks. This break-away feature protects your oh-so-light carbon shafts. After such an event you'll want to replace worn or broken Flex Tips. Flex Tips are sold by the pair at your dealer or on The Life-Link Accessories Page. 1. Remove the lower shafts from uppers for easier handling. 2. Remove baskets. (see above) 3. Place the Flex Tip end of poles in a pot of boiling or hot water for a few minutes to soften the hot-melt glue. 4. Remove the Flex Tip with a gloved hand or in a vise. 5. Heat the remaining hot-melt glue on the end of the carbon shaft with a hair dryer until it looks wet. 6. Push a new Flex Tip onto the pole until it stops and hold it there for a minute or so. Posi-Loc (Lower section locking system, found on Odyssey III and Aid-de-Camp, three section poles.) Our Odessey III winter poles and Aide-de-Camp series Trekking Poles use the Posi-Loc locking system between the chromoly middle section and carbon fiber lower shaft. The Posi-Loc locking system allows the user to quickly extend and retract the lower carbon shaft as the situation demands. The carbon fiber lower shaft should be extended first, then the chromoly middle section should be adjusted to the appropriate length. Unfortunately, the Posi-Loc machanism does not lend itself to field serviceability. If you do experience a failure, please call customer service at 1-800-443-8620 and they will instruct you on how to send your poles in for repair. The Posi-loc can last a lifetime if used correctly. The directions for correct use are as follows: 1. To extend your LIFE-LINK three-piece pole lowers, simply pull the lower out all the way until the Posi-Lock "clicks" into place. It does not need to be pulled very hard, but you may want to make sure that the silicone bubble has pushed the black floating ring into the "up" and locked position. When the lower is pulled all the way out, you can hear and feel the click and see the clear bubble pop into view. Place the tip on the ground and weight the pole to test... You’ve now got a very strong lower section locked in place and ready to go. 2. To collapse the lower carbon fiber section, hold the pole vertically with pole tip on the ground. Push down on the black floating Posi-Loc ring just above the clear silicone bubble. This ring will compress the silicone bubble and the lower should will slide into the chromoly uppers. If the lower does not collapse using this method, rotate the carbon fiber lower and try it again. Excessive dirt in the Posi-Loc may require using a spray silicone lubricant, NOT oil or Tri-Flow. AEC Collet Grips Ah, the Alpine Extreme Composite poles. This is by far the finest pair of fixed length ski poles on earth. And they’re not really fixed length, as they have 2 inches of adjustment depending on the snow, your mood, whether you’re telemarking or alpining that day... whatever your reason. Rarely does something happen to these grips, so let us tell you how they work best. (if you were to need a new strap or break something, call us) 1. Open the small lever located on the lower side of the grip to release the collet. 2. Push the grip off with your thumbs or use your feet if it’s really stubborn. (see above) 3. The collet should hang out the bottom of the grip but should not come out. The collet has marks along it’s length, like a tape-measure, marking off two inches of pole height adjustment. 4. You will notice that there is a stainless steel ring near the top of the carbon shaft. This positively locates the collet on internal grooves. Choose your desired length and collapse the collet onto the carbon shaft making sure the stainless steel ring is in one of the grooves. Hold the collet closed and slide the grip down into position. 5. Close the lever and check that the grip is secure. Adjust the small nut with a screwdriver as you would a bicycle quick release if it seems too loose. AEC Conversion to Avalanche Probe To convert your AEC poles an Avalanche Probe: 1. Remove the grips. (see above) 2. Pop the baskets off the bottoms. (also see above) 3. Screw one pole to the other, they should have compatible ends. You now have a long, straight, single jointed avalanche probe