LEKI USA is always written in capital letters because it is an acronym.
LEKI is pronounced, "Lake-ee". LE are the first two letters of the owner's last name, Klaus Lenhart, and KI is from the location of the company, Kirchheim/Teck, Germany. This information will help you win trivia contests; we suggest you donate your winnings to your favorite Outdoor Industry Association non-profit agency.
THE LEGEND OF LEKI
LEKI, the world's leading manufacturer of ski, hiking and trekking poles, had its start in Kircheim, Germany as a hobby of its founder, Karl Lenhart, an airframe mechanic and avid skier. Lenhart believed aluminum would make a superior ski pole compared to the heavy steel models available in the late 1940's. After successfully creating light-weight poles for his friends, in 1954, the hobby became a full time business.
LEKI originated the use of nylon webbing for straps and created plastic molded grips and baskets in place of metal and leather. Additionally, Lenhart developed an aluminum tempering process that produces pole shafts with incomparable strength, durability, and reliability.
In 1984, Klaus Lenhart, Karl's son, assumed leadership and shortly thereafter developed the first dual-component grip. He is also responsible for improving adjustable pole-locking technology and grip innovations such as the Trigger "Click-In" system and COR-TEC, a material made of real cork and latex.
As the ski market continued to flourish, LEKI began manufacturing hiking poles primarily for European mountain guides. The concept of using two poles as a means of relieving stress on knee joints and the lower back appealed to climbers who also saw benefits in performance and safety. LEKI poles eventually caught on with the general hiking and trekking population that recognized and appreciated the preventive health benefits as well as the climbing support and stabilizing effects. In 1990, LEKI USA was incorporated.
The North American market has embraced the company's line of alpine, Nordic, back country, mountaineering, Nordic walking, and trekking poles. Like their European counterparts who have been loyal to LEKI for nearly five decades, North American outdoor enthusiasts know and appreciate LEKI quality and value.
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