With passion and hard work from 1948 to the present day. The success story of LEKI is also the story of the Lenhart family. Our enthusiasm and dedication to sport, and our constant quest for improvement, have made us what we are today. We look to the future, but we never forget our roots.
The success story of  LEKI began in 1948 in Dettingen/Teck, Swabia, with a small woodworking workshop founded by Karl and Gertrud Lenhart. Initially, the workshop produced lettering and signs for local bakeries and butchers. The Lenharts’ commitment to craftsmanship became apparent very early on, and this was to later form the basis for the world-renowned brand LEKI.
As well as his work in the workshop, Karl Lenhart was a keen skier. However, he was dissatisfied with the quality and functionality of the ski poles available at the time. So he began using his machinery to make ski pole grips and baskets himself.
His experience in aircraft construction had given him a sound understanding of working with Aluminum and composite materials. In 1970, he used these raw materials to produce his first  Ski pole and launched them on the market under the name ‘LEKI’ (LEnhart from Kirchheim). Three years later, he expanded the range and developed, for the first time, Cross Country Ski Pole.
In 1974, the focus shifted to hiking. The development of the SLS adjustment system laid the foundations for the Makalu era. The world’s first adjustable Hiking pole  was born. Four years later, on 8 May 1978, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler became the first mountaineers to reach the summit of Mount Everest without oxygen, but using Poles from LEKI.
In 1984, Klaus Lenhart, Karl’s youngest son, took over sole management of LEKI. Aged just 29 and with a background as a toolmaker, he took over the company, which had 11 employees. Under his leadership, the small Swabian firm quickly grew into a company of international renown, distinguished by its innovative strength, quality and technical precision. In 1997, the company was renamed ‘LEKI Lenhart GmbH’.
Klaus Lenhart ran the family business for 28 years. His inner drive and courage to make far-reaching, sometimes unconventional decisions laid the foundations for countless innovations and patents, and consistently propelled LEKI to become the global technology and market leader in the field of Poles and glove systems.
Following Klaus’s tragic death, his wife Waltraud Lenhart took over the company and steered it through this difficult period. With her entrepreneurial vision, she succeeded, together with around 350 employees, in further developing the company into an international success.
In 2013, the ‘LEKI’ were introduced Folding poles another innovation onto the market. These poles, which impress with their particularly compact pack size, low weight and outstanding functionality, quickly became hugely popular. Today, they are an indispensable part of hiking, mountaineering and trail running.
Nine years after the tragic accidental death of Klaus Lenhart, the LEKI family suffered another blow. Waltraud Lenhart, who had been leading the company with entrepreneurial vision ever since, died unexpectedly in April 2021. The interests of customers, partners and employees were always at the heart of her values-driven thinking and actions. Matthias Hatt and Martin Rominger subsequently took over the management of the company and continued the Lenhart family’s life’s work.
Waltraud Lenhart has left behind a successful business and a well-established team that is ideally equipped for the future. With Friederike and Markus Lenhart as sole owners, LEKI remains a true family business now in its third generation. Together with the managing directors Martin Rominger and Matthias Hatt, the new generation also embodies the core values of LEKI: innovation, quality, enthusiasm, excellence, partnership and responsibility. Â
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