Leki was founded in 1948 by Karl Lenhart who was frustrated with the quality and functionality of ski poles at the time. He started by making his own grips and baskets before he began to manufacture composite shafts which he used to create the first Leki ski poles in 1970. Today Leki are seen as a leader in pole and glove design and manufacture.
What Have We Got?
Tour Carbon 2
The Tour Carbon 2 is a high quality touring pole designed for efficiency on the ups and durability on the downs. It’s features include the Aergon Tour Thermo Long Grip which extends down the pole and is moulded to fit the hand, it also has a Neoprene strap with a fleece lining for comfort when you’re not wearing layers. For adjustment it has the Speed Lock 2 which is compact, lightweight and easy to use with gloves on. The Powder basket is shaped on only one side of the pole giving efficiency and a secure grip especially in steep terrain. It also prevents sticking or piling of snow due thanks to a clever design.
Tour Carbon 3
You might be expecting the Tour Carbon 3 to be the same as the Tour Carbon 2 but with an additional adjustment mechanism to make it a 3 part pole, but you’d be wrong, it’s a completely different pole.
The Tour Carbon 3 has a carbon top section and aluminium lower section. It also has a different powder basket which is called the Touring/Backcountry basket. Although it looks more like a traditional basket that the basket on the Tour Carbon 2 it has some handy features in the form of a long edge for scraping ice off your skins and a short edge for flicking your heel risers. The Speed Lock 2 adjusters, Grip and Neoprene strap are the same as found on the Tour Carbon 2, which I’ve talked about above.
Yellow Bird Vario
The Yellow Bird Vario is a 2 part aluminium freeride pole suitable for use on both big powder days and days spent on piste. The PA Safety Thermo grip is designed to insulate your hands from the pole making it a good choice in particularly cold or snowy conditions, it also extends down the pole for comfort on all terrain. It includes an easily adjustable strap with safety release, ideal through the trees. It comes with 2 baskets; the Cobra Alpin is for piste (and walking) while the Big Mountain is a wide powder basket for the off piste and powder. The baskets can be easily changed without tools.