Leki Rider Poles

The LEKI Rider is a fixed-length junior alpine ski pole built around a 14 mm aluminum shaft in LEKI's TS 4.5 alloy — the same workhorse material you'll find across their entry-to-mid youth lineup. That alloy grade keeps weight down to roughly 144–172 g per pole depending on size, which matters more on small arms than adults tend to realize. The Turbo Sport grip is sized for kids' hands, not scaled down from an adult mold, and the Buckle Strap is a simple, tool-free adjustable webbing loop — not a trigger or release system. The basket is LEKI's compact alpine style: low-profile and suited to groomed runs and firm snow. It won't float in deep powder, and it's not meant to. The steel tip is recessed inside the shaft for clean pole plants on hardpack and ice.

These are a first-pair pole for kids who are learning to ski and just need something durable, correctly sized, and easy on the family budget. They come in 5 cm increments from 80 to 105 cm, which spans a solid stretch of the grade-school years as kids grow through the program. The honest caveat: because they're fixed-length, you'll be buying new poles every season or two as your child grows — if you want something that grows with them, the LEKI Rider Vario SL+ covers 85–105 cm with a Speed Lock Plus clamp adjustment and might stretch across two to three seasons instead. The standard Rider is the right call when you want to keep cost low and your kid is at a size where the fixed increments land well.