People look at the Deer Valley logos printed on the bent aluminum poles I’ve been skiing with the last few seasons and assume I stole them. But, I swear, I paid hard-earned money for the retired rental poles at the Park City ReStore. So when a pair of Leki Spitfire Vario 3D poles landed on my doorstep, their straight-as-arrows construction and attractive navy and yellow matte finish looks had me impressed.

The Trigger 3D Pro-G doesn’t just pair well with Kinkos, it also adjusts to provide a sleek, custom fit. Photo: Colin Clancy

I had a chance to bust them out for the first time on a Snowbird storm day. There was 20 inches of fresh snow, but with howling wind and zero visibility, each pole plant up on the steeps near Little Cloud felt particularly high stakes. With each turn, though, and the weight-bearing of righting myself after several powder day spills, these aluminum sticks felt more substantial and dependable than other adjustable-length poles I’ve used. In actuality, I tend to shy away from adjustable poles, having bent a couple just by leaning on them. They say I’m a 200-plus pound Clydesdale of a skier.

These 110-140cm adjustable poles feel good in the hand with a balanced design, comfortable rubberized grips, and SL+ adjustable locking system that felt plenty secure heading downhill. As someone who’s only ever used traditional pole straps, the Trigger 3D Pro-G releasing strap system took some getting used to, but I’m coming around to a releasing system like this, especially in the backcountry. The release button is smooth and easy to unlock, even clogged with snow and while wearing bulky gloves.

Pole light, ski fast. The Leki Spitfire Vario 3Ds are as durable as they are maneuverable. Photo: Colin Clancy

Possibly my favorite thing about these poles is the baskets. I’ve prematurely retired many a ski pole over the years due to nothing more than a broken or lost basket, with so many baskets being either non-replaceable or just too much of a pain to swap out. For that reason, I really liked the simplicity and ease of changing baskets without the need for tools. The poles came with Cobra baskets for groomer days, so watching the snow fall in anticipation of a big day at the Bird, I swapped to the included big mountain baskets and turned my PJs inside out.

Thanks to the Spitfire Vario 3Ds, those Deer Valley poles have been retired forever. They’ll fit in well with the rest of my personal graveyard of bent, broken, and basket-less poles, and have surely lived a good and storied life. It’s nothing personal, guys, but I think it’s time to move on.

Tester Info:

Age: 38
Height: 6’0″
Size: Adjustable length 110 cm – 140 cm

The Leki Spitfire Vario 3Ds retails for $159.95. They are available at Leki.com and in fine ski shops worldwide.