With passion and dedication from 1948 to the present day. The success story of LEKI is also the story of the Lenhart family. A passion for sport and an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement have shaped who we are today. While we look to the future, we never forget our roots.
The success story of LEKI began in 1948 in the Swabian town of Dettingen/Teck with a small woodworking workshop founded by Karl and Gertrud Lenhart. Initially, the workshop produced letters and signs for local bakeries and butcher shops. From the very beginning, the Lenharts demonstrated a strong commitment to craftsmanship, which later became the foundation of the globally renowned LEKI brand.
Alongside his work in the workshop, Karl Lenhart was a passionate skier. However, he was dissatisfied with the quality and functionality of ski poles available at the time. As a result, he began manufacturing grips and baskets for ski poles himself using his machinery.
His experience in aircraft construction had given him extensive knowledge in working with aluminum and composite materials. Using these raw materials, he produced his first own ski poles in 1970 and brought them to market under the name LEKI (LEnhart aus KIrchheim). Three years later, he expanded the range and developed cross-country ski poles for the first time.
In 1974, hiking came into focus. With the development of the SLS adjustment system, the foundation for the Makalu era was laid. The world’s first adjustable trekking pole was born. Four years later, on May 8, 1978, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen – but with LEKI poles.
In 1984, Klaus Lenhart, Karl’s youngest son, took over sole management of LEKI. At just 29 years old and trained as a toolmaker, he assumed responsibility for the company with 11 employees. Under his leadership, the small Swabian company quickly grew into a globally renowned brand, distinguished by innovation, quality, and technical precision. In 1997, the company was renamed LEKI Lenhart GmbH.
For 28 years, Klaus Lenhart led the family business. His inner drive and courage to make far-reaching, sometimes unconventional decisions laid the foundation for countless innovations and patents and consistently guided 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 guided it through this difficult period. With entrepreneurial foresight, she succeeded – together with around 350 employees – in continuing the company’s successful international development.
In 2013, another innovation entered the market with LEKI folding poles. Thanks to their particularly compact pack size, low weight, and outstanding functionality, these poles quickly gained widespread popularity. Today, they are indispensable for hiking, mountaineering, and trail running.
Nine years after the tragic death of Klaus Lenhart, the LEKI family suffered another heavy loss. Waltraud Lenhart, who had led the company with entrepreneurial foresight ever since, passed away unexpectedly in April 2021. At the heart of her value-driven thinking and actions were always the interests of customers, partners, and employees. Matthias Hatt and Martin Rominger subsequently assumed management and continued the life’s work of the Lenhart family.
Waltraud Lenhart left behind a successful company and a well-coordinated team that is ideally positioned for the future. With Friederike and Markus Lenhart as sole owners, LEKI remains a true family-owned company in its third generation. Together with managing directors Martin Rominger and Matthias Hatt, the new generation continues to stand for LEKI’s core values: innovation, quality, passion, top performance, partnership, and responsibility.
