The Mezza Race is designed to accompany those operating in the upper range of their relative VO2 Max. The carbon construction is light and stiff, providing a confident platform to push against whilst keeping the swing weight of the pole low. The Nordic Shark grip is ergonomic and comfortable and pairs seamlessly with the unique CC Shark Glove, which allows an experienced user to clip in and out of the pole in seconds, significantly lessening the time spent transitioning. The nordic inspired contour grip provides reliable purchase in snow and because of its trailing design, prevents the pole from being leveraged out of the snow while pushing off. For objectives or races where speed and efficiency are required, bring along the Mezza Race from Leki.
- Carbon construction is light with a comfortable swing weight.
- Nordic Shark grip is comfortable and pairs seamlessly with the CC Shark Glove.
- Contour basket helps keep the pole from being leveraged out of the snow.
- Fixed lengths design is stout and resilient to flexion, allowing for no wasted energy.
Specifications | |
Lengths (cm) | 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 150 |
Weight |
152g [130 strapless] 168g [130 w/ strap] |
Weight (pair) | 304g [130 strapless] 336g [130 w/ strap] |
Collapsed |
N/A |
Sections | 1 |
Grip | Nordic shark |
Basket & Tip | Contour binding with carbide tip |
Diameter | 16mm |
Specs Verified | Yes |
Design | |
|
Carbon |
Strap | Shark Frame |
Skimo Co Says | |
Usage | Racing, training |
Notes | The Shark Frame strap makes for fast transitions |
Bottom Line | Going fast |
Compare to other Fixed Length Ski Poles |
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Questions & Reviews
My previous pair of aluminum Trab racing poles had lasted about 6 years, but the straps were in a shambles and one had been bent by the nice folks at KLM in my ski bag. I picked these up as a replacement. Yeah they are super light and I love the carbide and the powder basket (extra $) is really nice too. So is the strap system, really comfortable and slick to use. After I broke these I pulled the picks and grips off them, straightened out my bent Trab pole and swapped the picks and grips onto to those poles. I've been using them racing and in the backcountry ever since without issue including a couple more flights.
I can see the distinct performance benefit to carbon poles for 0.5% of skimo's customers who are world class and for whom every minute performance gain is critical. I think for the other 99.5% of folks aluminum poles are just a much better bet. Leki even makes an aluminum version of this pole that doesn't appear to be available in the US. This opinion is also backed up by some very experienced US folks I was chatting with at the Pierra Menta who agreed that the potential for breaking a carbon pole during the race made aluminum poles a much better bet even though they are technically "lower performance."
I'll take a low performance pole that isn't broken over a broken high performance pole any day of the week.
Have been a fan of the Leki strap system for years and these poles with any of the compatible gloves really make for a slick skinning setup.
Thank you!
This past season I bought the skimo-specific Mezza model. Shaft weight and stiffness are comparable to a high-end nordic race pole (since it is of course exactly that). The cork grip extension is generously long, so works well for choking up during boot packs or ski descents, with only a trivial weight penalty. The basket is effective in any type of snow conditions.
Only minor quibble is that the length is measured to the top of the grip extension, not the top of the part of the grip where your hand actually grips. So the effective length is a couple cm or so shorter than a nordic race pole of the same advertised length.
Extra bonus points for using these with compatible Leki nordic gloves (alpine gloves have a slightly different interface), thereby foregoing the straps for both minor weight savings and massive shock & awe value.
(Durability, I’ve been using these mainly for racing, so haven’t been through extensive torture testing yet, although of course any carbon ski pole is inherently vulnerable in any non-nordic setting.)
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