LEKI Ultratrail FX.One Review: 5.9 oz Race Poles

The verdict: Buy it if you race mountain ultras, you have already decided poles are worth carrying, and you want the lightest credible carbon folder with a strap system built for running rather than hiking. Skip it if you are not certain of your length, if you share poles with anyone, or if you want an all-round hiking pole, because fixed-length carbon is a specialist's tool.

Specifications

Specifications above come from LEKI's published specifications for the Ultratrail FX.One. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

• At 5.9 oz these are light enough that you stop noticing them on your back, which is the difference between poles you carry and poles you leave in a drop bag.
• A 14.5 inch pack size stows on the front of a vest without the tips reaching your face or catching branches behind you.
• The detachable Shark strap is the real feature. You clip in and out at aid stations without unthreading a wrist loop, and you can push through the strap on a climb rather than gripping the pole.
• Foam grips absorb sweat better than cork or rubber over a long day, and they conform to your hand rather than the other way round.
• Seven lengths means you can actually fit the pole to your height rather than adjusting a compromise.

Where it falls short

• Fixed length. You choose once, and you choose for both the steepest climb and the flattest runnable section, which is a genuine compromise. Nobody else with different arms can borrow them.
• Carbon is stiff and light and it fails suddenly. An aluminium pole bends and keeps working; a carbon pole that gets levered sideways under a rock can snap without warning.
• At around $220 a pair these are expensive for a component that spends most of a race stowed.
• Foam grips wear and eventually shred, and they hold odour more than cork.
• The trail running basket is small and will sink in soft snow. If your race has real snow sections, budget for snow baskets.
• Poles are prohibited or restricted in some races. Check the rules before you buy, because a mandatory carry-them-the-whole-way rule changes the calculation entirely.

What owners report

Published owner reviews cluster tightly on two points. The first is weight: people who moved from aluminium poles describe the difference as larger than the number suggests, largely because a lighter pole is easier to swing thousands of times. The second is the strap system, which draws consistent praise from runners and consistent confusion from hikers who did not expect a glove-style attachment.

The recurring complaint is breakage. Carbon poles do break, and reviews describing a snapped section usually involve a pole caught between rocks or landed on. That is the material behaving as carbon behaves rather than a defect in these specific poles, but it is why some experienced mountain runners keep aluminium for rough ground. The second frequent theme is people ordering the wrong length, which is the one mistake a fixed-length pole does not forgive.

Where it fits with the rest of your kit

The two decisions that matter before you buy are the material and the folding system, and we cover both in carbon vs aluminum trekking poles and folding vs telescoping poles. The whole field is compared in best trekking poles for ultras, and the Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z is the closest direct rival. Whether poles are worth carrying at all depends on how much climbing your course has, so put the route through the vert calculator first. If your vest does not have pole loops that work while moving, the Salomon Adv Skin 12 does, and the drop bag planner helps you decide whether poles ride the whole way or wait at the base of the climb.

Who it suits

• Mountain ultra racers on courses with sustained climbing, where poles change the whole day.
• Runners who already know their length and want the lightest option in that length.
• Anyone who takes poles in and out repeatedly and is tired of wrist loops.
• Racers packing for events with mandatory pole-friendly terrain such as long alpine climbs.

Who should skip it

• First-time pole buyers who are not yet sure what length suits them.
• Runners on rocky, scrambly ground where a pole can get levered and snapped.
• Anyone who wants one pair for hiking, snowshoeing and running.
• Runners on flat or rolling courses, where the honest answer is that poles are weight without payoff.

Alternatives worth considering

Common questions

What length LEKI Ultratrail FX.One should I buy?

The usual starting point is that with the pole tip on the ground your elbow should sit at roughly 90 degrees, which for most people means around 120 to 125 cm at 5 foot 10 and around 110 to 115 cm at 5 foot 6. Because these are fixed length, err shorter if you are between sizes, since a slightly short pole is easier to use on a climb than a slightly long one is on a descent. LEKI lists seven lengths from 105 to 135 cm.

Are carbon poles too fragile for ultra running?

Carbon is stiffer and lighter than aluminium and it fails differently. Under a straight compressive load, which is what running poles mostly see, carbon is strong. Under a sideways lever, which is what happens when a tip wedges between rocks, carbon can snap where aluminium bends. If your races are on smooth switchbacking climbs, carbon is fine. If they are rocky and technical, some very experienced mountain runners deliberately choose aluminium.

LEKI Ultratrail FX.One vs Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z: which is better?

They are close enough that the grip system decides it. LEKI's detachable Shark strap lets you release the pole without pulling your hand through a loop, which is faster at aid stations and when you need your hands. Black Diamond's foam grip extensions give you more places to hold on steep ground. Weight and price are very similar. Our carbon versus aluminium comparison covers the more consequential decision underneath both.

Do trekking poles actually help in an ultra?

On climbing-heavy courses, yes. Poles shift some of the work from your legs to your upper body, which spreads fatigue and helps a lot late in a race, and they add stability on descents and on tired legs. On flat or rolling courses the benefit largely disappears and you are carrying weight. Look at the total climbing on your course before you decide, and check the race rules, because some events restrict or prohibit poles.

How do you carry poles when you are not using them?

Folded to 14.5 inches, these stow either in the pole loops on the front of a running vest or in a quiver on the back. The front carry is the one worth learning, because it lets you deploy and stow without stopping or taking your vest off. Practise it in training rather than at the base of the first big climb, and check your vest has usable pole attachments before you buy poles at all.

Keep reading

• Carbon vs aluminum trekking poles
• Folding vs telescoping poles
• Best trekking poles for ultras
• Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z review
• Vert calculator

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.