Trekking poles for trail running: Black Diamond and Leki compared

The review opens with an admission: the writer did not believe in poles. That changed at the Eiger Ultra Trail 101k in Switzerland, on a course with more than 22,000 feet of climbing and a Swiss disregard for switchbacks. Faced with sustained climbing that did not suit him, he went looking for any advantage available.

Learning to use them

The honest part of the review is the first outing, on Mount Diablo, which ended within an eighth of a mile with the reviewer tripping over his own pole and hitting the dirt. The recommendation that follows is the useful one: give poles three or four runs on varied terrain before deciding, because the awkwardness is a skill problem, not a design problem.

Two difficulties recur:

• What to do with them when you’re not climbing. On flats and all but the steepest technical descent, poles slow you down. The options are to find the balance point and carry them mid-shaft, stow them, or accept the loss.
• Finding a rhythm. There is no single correct technique. Alternating plants, cross-country-ski fashion, suits some gradients; double-planting and pulling suits others.

The market in 2015

Two manufacturers dominated running-specific poles in the US: Black Diamond, the Utah climbing company, and Leki, a German ski and trekking pole maker in the business since 1970. REI and Komperdell distributed poles but nothing marketed for running.

The three poles

Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z — the lightest of the three, with an EVA foam grip that the review rated best of the group for sweat absorption and shock damping.

Leki Micro Magic — heavier by 54 grams per pole, and the one chosen for Switzerland. The deciding factor was the Trigger Shark grip system: a glove-like strap that clips on and off the pole, so poles can be released without losing them. The clip was judged fiddly and occasionally hard to release, with the note that the mechanism had already been improved in later production. The Micro Magic also felt stiffer, attributed to metal fittings between segments.

Leki Micro Vario — the only adjustable pole of the three, 110–130cm, with a comfortable foam grip extending down the shaft so you can choke up on steep ground. Rated an outstanding all-rounder for climbing, backpacking and ski touring, and probably overkill for a gram-counting ultrarunner.

The verdict

All three were judged well made and appropriately expensive, with cheaper aluminium running poles available for anyone unwilling to commit at carbon prices. The conclusion was narrow: not for a rolling 50k like Way Too Cool or American River, but a total convert for FKT attempts, adventure runs and serious mountain ultras.

The poles were supplied as test samples by the manufacturers. No payment was made for coverage.