What are they?
Adjustable aluminium walking sticks with wrist loops and hardened metal tips. Most have in-built shock absorbers you can switch on and off.

Why use them?
Four legs good, two legs bad: a single pole can take a third of the weight off your hips, knees and ankles.

And the bad points?
A few people get blisters on their hands, your arms ache as well as your legs, but that's about it. Hardened curmudgeons convert overnight.

Come on, there must be something.
Oh, all right: the craze started in Germany. And they're noisy - the average mountain pass in midsummer sounds like an international wheel-tappers' convention.

How do they work?
Adjust them so your elbows are at right angles, put your hand upwards through the loop - watch that, it's counter-intuitive - and away you go: three points of contact with the ground all the time.

One stick or two?
Two are better, so you're balanced. When it's really rough or steep, put one away - they're telescopic - so you've got a spare hand for the rock.

What do they cost?
Between £15 and £35 each. Makers include Brasher, Gabel and Leki (purveyors of the Wanderfreund). The best (and priciest) have handles tilted forward to spare your wrist and some have walking-stick tops for that "country gent" image. A few can be used as monopods for cameras.

Won't I look a nerd?
Yes. But that's less painful than hip or knee replacement. And everyone has daft kit these days.