It all started in 1948 when founder Karl Lenhart's, an avid skier himself, was less than impressed by the quality and functionality of the ski poles of the time. Therefore, he used his own machine park to manufacture grips and baskets for skiing poles. In 1970, he produced his first ski poles to be sold under the LEKI brand, which stands for the owners and the company headquarters, i.e. Lenhart in Kirchheim.