LEKI ULTRATRAIL FX.ONE POLES

Trail running poles were once limited to European mountain goats and UTMB enthusiasts.

Today, things are a little different as those two little sticks enter the mainstream down under.

If you've run a hilly 50km+ race or follow international trail events, there's a good chance you've seen participants wearing funky, fluorescent yellow gloves attached to red poles. Surprise, surprise…these are Leki sticks, and I've been testing a pair of them to see what all the fuss is about.

Straight off the bat, the Leki Ultratrail FX.One's feel ridiculously lightweight, and at a length of 120cm at 182g per pole (how good is carbon?) it's worth noting that the brand makes an even lighter version known as the Superlite's (137g per pole!).

Both versions include a ‘Trail Shark' grip-strap system, which is 30% lighter than its predecessor.

In basic terms, it's that fancy looking glove mechanism. The poles collapse down into three sections, at a manageable height of 33cm, while also featuring a smooth thin profile. It's a very minimalist product which has been marketed as having game changing performance features.

The Trail Shark system means putting on a pair of wrist straps that clip into the pole grip with a loop sewn into the strap. I was sceptical of this in the beginning and having never used a gripstrap system before, didn't really know what to expect. It's strange at first and there's definitely an acclimatisation period, but it's well worth it in the scheme of things.

After years of using traditional loop strap poles, I was accustomed to squeezing the grips and pushing the straps down to generate force on steep climbs. The Ultratrail FX.One's have a more direct force transfer through the ground, an epic attribute that significantly enhances both the tactile experience and overall performance.

The straps also created no irritation or blisters whatsoever, with my longest run in them being six hours. Their collapsibility is as it should be – smooth as butter. Actually, I recently used them at the Ultra Trail Kosciusko 100km.

To me, this solidified them as the best trail running poles available on the market today. The array of benefits is well worth the investment if you're an avid explorer of mountains.

VITALS

RRP $429.99 AUD TMOSPORTS.COM.AU