• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Sponsored: Why You Should Pull the Trigger on the LEKI Trigger 3D Poles


(Reno, NV) So, you’re just skiing along and your pole snags on something and you feel your arm pull back, twisting your wrist and torquing your shoulder. Or, you don't use your straps at all, lose your grip on your pole and have to hike back up hill to retrieve the renegade pole. Maybe you're just one of those who skiers who never really liked using the traditional ski pole straps. We’ve all been there with traditional ski poles that have been around forever.

Having worked in a handful of ski shops over the years, I’ve had this discussion with skiers from the novice to the industry pro. One memorable conversation was with a heart surgeon who was on vacation, looking for a new gear setup. His concern with the traditional ski pole strap was the scenario described above. If he twisted his wrist, or snagged his pole on a branch, damaging his hand, it was potentially career-altering. Enter the LEKI Trigger S Grip with their patented safety release. It only took me 10 seconds to convince this surgeon that this was the pole for him.

Improving upon the LEKI Trigger S, the LEKI Trigger 3D touts a 220º release angle, making this easier to use and reducing risk of injury, instilling even more confidence than the previous version.


Heaven knows I’ve had a long sordid love affair with my old beaten up poles with a traditional wrist strap, but as someone who was hard-pressed to loosen the grip on my old beloved poles, I started using LEKI World Cup TBS Airfoil poles a few years ago and eventually transitioned to the LEKI Carbon 14S Trigger S for its light swing weight. I will never look back. In fact, I have acquired a quiver of LEKI gloves to accompany the poles. (Don't judge).

Trigger3D_Tech_Page.png

2935E5F6-DDE0-4330-A4D4-7E18E9273E14.JPG
Speaking of gloves, all LEKI Trigger poles include straps to use gloves that you already own (seen with Rossignol gloves in image), but once you experience a LEKI brand glove, you’ll be glad you did. These gloves have the integrated Trigger Loop that works seamlessly with the Trigger S and Trigger 3D pole grips. More importantly, they are some of the most comfortable gloves and mittens you’ll own with top tier materials, warmth, and durability that rival leaders in the glove market.

I was skiing with a friend who did not have LEKI poles but was skiing in a pair of LEKI gloves. When I asked her why she didn’t have the poles, she informed me that she bought the gloves because she liked the quality and fit, but was intrigued by my poles. I swapped poles with her for a run so she could give them a try. On the next lift ride she called a local shop and purchased her own set of LEKI Trigger poles.


Let‘s face it, you don’t have to be concerned about a career-altering injury to enjoy the convenience of this technology. You can ski with the peace of mind that your pole stays with you when you when you’re ripping up the slopes, and releases when you find yourself in that tricky situation. So why not pull the trigger on the ski pole system that surgeons and World Cup racers put their faith in? We have. That is why LEKI is the official pole of SkiTalk.com.
  • Like
Reactions: Levy1
About author
Tricia
Pugski Tester Tricia
Height: 5'5"

Weight: 145 lb

Years skiing: 30+

Days per year: 75+

Home mountains: Mt Rose, Palisades Tahoe, Alpine Meadows

Preferred terrain: Trees, of course, but making tracks in fresh corduroy brings a smile to my face, too.

Skiing style: Finesse

Preferred ski characteristics: I like a ski that is strong enough to hold an edge but soft enough to bend with some energy and feedback.

Boots: K2 Anthem Pro 120, Lange RS Purple Haze Heritage Boot, Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 115 BOA, Salomon Supra BOA,

About me: "Do what you love, love what you do" are the words I live by. Skiing became my passion from the moment I turned 18; a little over 25 years later, I moved to the Lake Tahoe Basin to make skiing my life and career. Along with helping skiers face to face, I am the site manager and owner here on pugski.com and review product for various manufacturers, both hardgoods and softgoods as well as work with manufacturer focus groups to help improve ski gear for women.

Replies

Before LEKI signed on to be our official pole, @Tricia and I were LEKI believers. Of course LEKI's reputation for their poles was known world wide, all you have to do watch any World Cup race and see that LEKI dominates but it was their gloves that made me a true convert. I am one who usually has a multitude of gloves and have been know to switch out numerous times in a day LEKI offers gloves for almost every condition .... I am still waiting for a heated offering. I really like the simplicty of the Trigger system, it works so much more seamless than the original Goode Interlock from years ago. The fit and articulation that the LEKI gloves offer is on par any of the brands that gloves are their business first and foremost.

IMG_6113.jpeg

Again, while the poles stand on their own reputation, by not getting their gloves, you are not experiencing the beauty and the efficiency of the whole LEKI Trigger system.
 
Have the Carbon 14S Triggers too. Love the poles after I put some powder baskets on them.

3 complaints on LEKI gloves. I have 2 pair.
1) Warmth rating is misleading across gloves. There’s no standard. The pair that is rated for warmer temps is actually warmer than the extra warm lower temp pair.
2) Fit descriptions on the website are inaccurate and fit between same model/size of glove is inconsistent.
3) They don’t do a real gauntleted glove which I prefer. The xplore has a small gauntlet.

I’m using Reusch Spirit Gore Tex Gauntlet Lobsters with LEKI Trigger Frame straps.

@Philpug will LEKI offer any skitalk doscounts/coupon codes?
 
Last edited:
i have been using the trigger system since 2000

i just purchased a new set last year for my wife and me. She went on and on about the poles. A real game changer for her. I love LEKI stuff and it lasts forever
 
When I used poles, I used the old Goode. The strap release worked fine, and any glove you liked.
This seems overly complex.
 
I love the LEKI trigger poles. My husband bought me them for my birthday a few years ago, best present ever. I teach skiing so it's such a pain to put the straps on and off every run and so easy to just click in and out. I have to remove my straps every time to set the proper safety example to my students so they remove their poles. Originally my husband meant to buy me the touring poles so I could hopefully fold them up (3 part pole) and put it in my back pack when I was teaching children as we don't use our poles if our students don't have them. Next time maybe, but I do love them and I love they are adjustable. I can shorten them or lengthen them for conditions and my needs any given day, just another plus.
 
Thanks for this article, I've had my Trigger S poles long enough that the straps have been falling apart for a few seasons and it gave me the push to buy new ones, as well as a pair of Detect S gloves. These things are sweet!

3) They don’t do a real gauntleted glove which I prefer. The xplore has a small gauntlet.
The gauntlets on the Detect S go halfway up my forearm, which I think is quite generous.
 
I'm a little confused by their glove lineup. What are the advantages of the Griffin Tune S vs Patrol 3D vs the Xplore S, for example?
I'm sorry, I thought I answered this but don't see my reply.
The Difference between the Griffin Tune S and Patrol 3D (both a comfort fit)
Griffin Tune S has a boa to tighten the glove fit. *You'll see @Philpug has that glove in his photo above.*
The Patrol 3D is a similar fit, however it does not have the boa system and it allows for a little more dexterity. The 3D line up also has a trigger loop that runs slightly bigger than the S loop on previous generation gloves.

The Explore S is a Thermo Fit and runs a little more generous in fit, and has a gauntlet style cuff.
I believe the Explore is the glove that @Andy Mink just purchased.

Hope this is helpful.
 
Long term update:
I have been using the new LEKI Trigger 3D for a few weeks now, specifically the Artena Airfoil 3D and I have a few observations.
First, I really enjoy the swing weight of this pole. While swing weight doesn't register high on ski pole preferences for some, it makes a difference for me. This particular pole is a win for me.
Now, the Trigger 3D vs the Trigger S ~ When this pole arrived it came with a pair of Glace 3D Women's Mitt, and a pair of Snowfox 3D Women's Gloves, as well as straps that I can use with any glove.
The mittens are like a sleeping bag for my hands. If you know me, you know I have cold hands and I love mittens for optimal warmth. These Glace Mitts have been unbelievably warm and have allowed me to ski without usning handwarmers. (Seen here in this shot)
IMG_6557.jpeg

I wore my older(Griffin S) mittens on one of our first outings with these poles and quickly realized that the loop on the S mittens doesn't work seemlessly with the dimensions of the 3D poles. After a quick measurement with a chopstick I see about a 4 mm difference in the loop. This is something to be mindful of when you are purchasing mittens or gloves to go with your poles. The 3D gloves and mittens work seemelssly with both Trigger S and Trigger 3D, however S gloves may not work well with the Trigger 3D mechanism.
IMG_9090.jpeg
 
Thanks! I did buy the explore s and have occasionally noticed an issue with connecting to my 3d grips. Gloves are super warm though.
 
I am another LEKI believer! I saw a ski instructor that I hired for my daughter use them back around 2002 and soon bought my first pair. Haven't used another brand of poles since! Still have a pair of the original style and several pair of the S loop version. I keep powder baskets on one pair for ski trips out west and the groomer baskets for my every day skiing back home. Also have a set for racing with hand guards installed. I preach their virtues to anyone who will listen!

Rick G
 
I just bought a pair of Stealth S poles but haven't tried them out yet. I do think the balance is better than my ancient Scott poles. I'll probably be looking for a pair of gloves next. I measured my hand and looks like a medium will work but I'll have to try them on in a shop to be sure.
 
I’ve been using LEKI gloves and poles since 1998. I have a pair of the original Trigger Viper poles and gloves, but changed over to the “S” loop poles a few years ago when the Trigger piece ripped out the gloves. Not bad for 20 years old gloves. I have been really impressed with products’ durability.

Does Lexi sell updated grips that I can put on the old Vipers? I like the “S” better.
 
I tried on a few pairs of LEKI gloves and find that I'm between a 10 and 11 Euro. So I'm considering the somewhat large 11 in the LEKI Lightning spring glove. Has anyone here at SkiTalk tried this glove? On the colder days I'm thinking I can add liners and carry another pair of gloves with the straps in the car.
 
Here is my LEKI glove quiver...
9A1B4B43-41FC-4E91-AC0F-9B436E887BA3_1_201_a.jpeg

The Lightning 3D and Lobsters are my two go to gloves. The LEKI's quality is on par with any premium glove you can think of.
 
I stopped by Next Adventure in PDX yesterday and bought a pair of Cerro S gloves on sale for 65 bucks.I think these fit in warmth wise in between the Cooper S and the Lightning 3D.I ended up with a euro sz 10. They had the Lightning 3D in sz 8 or sz 11 :(
Glad I didn't buy the Lightning 3D online in sz 11 they made my hands look really big:)
 
As I am super cheap (it's never my round in the pub...), I just don't use straps. Never been an issue so far. Also, as I do a bit of side country skiing, I use adjustable bc poles.
 
So is the idea with these 3S straps is that they release when you wipe out? How reliable is that? Any feedback from the past couple of years?
 
So is the idea with these 3S straps is that they release when you wipe out? How reliable is that? Any feedback from the past couple of years?
I have wipe out and there were cases where the Trigger did release when needed and other times it stayed on with no physical harm. But for me it is the integration with LEKI's exceptional gloves that is the best selling feature.
 
I have wipe out and there were cases where the Trigger did release when needed and other times it stayed on with no physical harm. But for me it is the integration with LEKI's exceptional gloves that is the best selling feature.
Are there any alternate ski pole releasable strap systems by other vendors?
 

Article information

Author
Tricia
Views
19,989
Comments
21
Last update

More in Gear

More from Tricia

Top