LEKI Skyterra FX Carbon Poles Review

Publication date: 20 Jul 2026

GearHiking poles

The LEKI Skyterra FX Carbon SL poles are something of dreams. I’ve been a big trekking pole user for the last five years since I’ve gotten into thru-hiking on more technical and demanding trails, and these poles make me actually excited about throwing another piece of gear into my bag as I pack. They’re light, they’re durable and reliable, and they look cool. I don’t make my purchasing decisions based on aesthetics normally, but it helps.

The Skyterra’s are super light and don’t take up much space either, as they’re only 178g each. That’s nothing! After carrying around bulky poles for the last few years in an effort to preserve my knees, these feel heaven-sent. I’ll be carrying poles no matter what, so now that the day has come where we have the tech to make them super light while still actually doing their job, I’m a big supporter.

Editor

Elmar Teegelbeckers

Passionate hiker Elmar spends months of his time on the trail. He’s usually on the lookout for hidden gems in one of his favourite countries such as Slovenia, Switzerland and Japan. He founded hiking-trails.com in need for a community and detailed information about the trails. Before this, he worked for the Alpine asscociation in the Netherlands[ (NKBV) but lost his heart to the trails.

Not long ago, Elmar published the book (in Dutch) Hiking Trails – best long-distance trails in Europe. With this book, website and socials, he hopes to inspire and shape an inclusive community for hikers all over world. No matter your speed, experience or level, you can get out there to enjoy the trails and connect with the heartwarming hiking community. Life is so much better outside and he hopes to inspire hikers to take their first, or next, step on the trail.

You can reach Elmar at info@hiking-trails.com.

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Testing the Skyterra FX Carbon Poles

When my girlfriend and I go trekking together, we take one pair of poles and share them. I’m not sure that it’s the wisest method of using poles, but it’s worked so far for us. We both care about our knees and need the support on descents in particular, but find that one pole each does the job to avoid carrying too much extra weight for the occasional tricky downhill. We’re happy to keep our packs light, have something we can rely on, and not need to carry more than we realistically need for the treks we do together. So, in our normal fashion, we recently enjoyed a few hut-to-hut tours in Slovenia in the Julian Alps and took a pair of Skyterra FX Carbon SL poles to share.

We started this sharing habit when we owned bulky, heavier gear. However, now that we have the Skyterra’s, we’ve realized we can just as easily carry a full set each with the same amount of weight as one heavier pole, since each Skyterra only weighs 178g.

person hiking up mountain in Slovenia with LEKI Skyterra hiking poles

It took us both a while to actually trust the poles because they’re so light, and thus we had the idea that they were flimsy, but they actually held up with great durability. They’re fully carbon and have a mesh d-strap loop on the handle to provide even more security than the actual pole already gives. It’s a pretty sweet piece of gear to have when the trails turn into scree fields and we’re scrambling our way to the top, or sliding our way to the bottom.

About LEKI

LEKI is a pole brand that was founded in 1948 in southwest Germany. But when they were founded, they didn’t actually make trekking poles. The company started in a woodworking studio where the founders made signs for local butchers and bakeries. However, the founder was an avid skier and eventually started making ski poles in the 1970s, which then later translated to become trekking poles as well. Since then, the central mission has stayed the same: create high-quality, reliable gear for athletes to use outside. Production remains in Europe, and the company has helped push athletes globally to reach extra-human feats, like Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler’s summits of Everest, the first documented without supplemental oxygen, but with LEKI poles.

About the Skyterra FX Carbon

The Skyterra FX Carbon SL poles are a great option if you’re looking for something lightweight that you can throw in your pack for big adventures. They have good grip, with a mesh D-strap loop, and even a foam extension grip under the traditional one for when you need better control of the poles on tricky sections. They collapse into four segments and can get as small as 40cm when folded.

The poles reach a height of 110-130cm, and there’s also a Skyterra FX Carbon SL Compact version that expands from 100-120cm if you’re on the shorter side. It has the same features, just slightly smaller than the original pair. The poles both have Speed Lock Plus locking mechanisms for easy assembly when you need them, and come with Flex Tips as well.

Specifications

LEKI Skyterra FX Carbon SL Compact
Pole material	Carbon (HRC)
Grip material	Verticon
Strap	Lock Security Strap D-Loop Mesh
Weight	178g/pole
Full height	110-130cm (or 100-120cm for the Compact)
Collapsed height	40cm

pro's

Super lightweight and reliable

Very trendy design

Good grip and nice to have the mesh on the loop for breathability

Compact version available for shorter folks

con's

Grip isn’t one of the most ergonomic of their designs

Only one design/color choice in Europe

A bit pricey for poles (but worth the price tag in my opinion)

Conclusion

The LEKI Skyterra FX Carbon poles get 5 stars in my book. I’m super impressed with them and ready for my girlfriend and I to finally carry our own pairs now that it’s possible for them to be so lightweight. They feel almost too good to be true, but held up well on our tour through scree fields, which means they’re certified as reliable in my book. These are great poles and I’m excited to see what LEKI does next!

LEKI Skyterra FX Carbon Poles Review

About the Skyterra FX Carbon

Specifications

Conclusion

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Happy trails!