The Story of Leki
The Story
With passion and diligence from 1948 to today. The LEKI success story is also the story of the Lenhart family. The enthusiasm and dedication to the sport and the constant search for improvement has made us what we are today. We look to the future, but never forget our roots.
1948 - Karl Lenhart created LEKI Lenhart GmbH as spin-off from his family wood processing factory. He produced wooden letters used by bakeries and butchers.
As an avid skier he started using his production facilities to manufacture handles and baskets for ski poles.
1970 - Started combining his manufacturing expertise to make a range of aluminium shafted ski poles.
1974 - Development of the Classic Locking system and production of the first, still recognisable, 3-part telescopic adjustable trekking pole.
1974 - Introduction of the Flextip which has gone on to become the worldwide standard
1982 - Introduction of Antishock spring systems.
1984 - Klaus Lenhart - Karl's youngest son - succeeds his father at the company's helm.
1993 - Introduction of Cortec grips.
2002 - Introduction of poles specifically for Nordic Walking.
2003 - Introduction of new Easy Lock System and Soft Antishock.
2009 - Aergon grips introduced with their safety release straps.
2010 - The first Speedlock external lever locking systems introduced.
2013 - Micro Stick compact folding poles introduced.
2014 - Lever locking systems for elite athletes introduced with Speedlock 2.
2015 – Dynamic Suspension System introduced, replacing earlier Antishock systems, as well as the release of LEKI’s first poles specifically for Trail Running.
2018 – ELD (External Locking Device) introduced, alongside SpeedLock + - lighter, smaller and stronger.
2020 – Introduction of Cross Trail – a new category of poles.
2022 - A new era begins, together, the new generation also stands for the core values of LEKI: innovation, quality, enthusiasm, top performance, partnership and responsibility. LEKI remains a real family business in the third generation with Friederike and Markus Lenhart as the sole owners.
All this, along with accolades and awards from the outdoor industry, plus innumerable consumer awards and "Best in Tests", combined with their prowess as a high-profile supplier of ski, trekking, Nordic walking and – most recently – trail running and Cross Trail poles for professional and leisure users alike, LEKI have an undisputed reputation as the leader in their field.
