Racing Kids

The Racing Kids is LEKI's entry-level junior alpine pole built on the same visual DNA as the brand's World Cup race sticks — which is exactly why kids want them. The shaft is 14 mm aluminum (LEKI's TS 4.5 alloy), fixed-length, and single-segment, which keeps the construction simple and the price low without sacrificing the stiffness a developing skier needs for solid pole plants. The PAS V1 grip is scaled down for smaller hands, and the nylon Lock Security strap is individually adjustable so you can dial the fit as your kid grows — just know it's a standard fixed strap, not LEKI's Trigger release system, so it stays anchored to the grip rather than detaching in a fall. The basket is a compact racing/trekking dual-purpose design, appropriate for groomed runs and hard-pack; it won't float in deep powder, but kids at this stage don't need it to. Per-pole weight runs 143 g to 167 g across the 80–105 cm size run, which is light enough that it won't fatigue small arms on a full day of laps.

This pole is for kids working on their fundamentals at the resort — first-time pole users through early intermediates who want something durable, correctly sized, and cheap enough that you won't lose sleep when it gets dropped in a lift maze. It is not a gate-training pole: it uses a fixed grip with no Trigger system, so it can't take the junior closed gate guards that mount on LEKI's Trigger 3D race poles. If your young skier is doing actual slalom training or dual-course racing, step up to the WCR Lite SL 3D Junior instead. And if your child is still in ski school and not quite ready for poles at all, hold off — poles tend to slow down early-stage learning more than they help. But for the kid who is skiing independently and starting to use poles on blue and green terrain, the Racing Kids is a reasonable, honest choice that holds up to the abuse kids put equipment through.