How to Repair a Ski Pole

Most ski poles are made of durable materials that are able to withstand the repeated stress of bearing your weight and helping navigate on your skis. While breaking of poles is rare, it does occur on occasion. If you're out telemark skiing, it's important to know how to repair your ski poles in a pinch. There are also various repairs you can make to the ski pole depending on the location of the damage and the types of tools you have available to you.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Repairing a pole in the woods

Things You’ll Need:

Multi-tool
Tape
Ski straps (optional)
Fiberglass tape
Waterproof glue
Metal wedge (for wrist strap)
Wrist strap
Pole tip

Step 1

Cut the broken ends of the ski pole with your multi-tool. The ends should be as flat as possible.

Step 2

Find a straight, short tree branch that is slightly larger than your ski poles. Use the blade on your multi-tool to whittle down the sides until they can fit just inside the ski poles. Slip both ski pole parts onto each end of the new branch.

Step 3

Tape the ski pole thoroughly around the break.

Step 4

Find four more short, straight branches and use them as splints on the pole. Hold them around the pole and tape thick circles around each of the ends of the branches. Be liberal with the tape--the stronger the hold of the tape to the branches supporting your pole, the sturdier your pole will be.

Ski Pole strap repair

Step 1

Cut the old strap off with a pocketknife and get rid of the metel wedge holding it in.

Step 2

Push the new strap end into the wrist holder and jam a new metal wedge in to hold it.

Step 3

Pull the wrist strap while holding the metal wedge in place. This should tighten the new wrist strap.

Tips & Warnings

Another option is to place the two broken pieces of the ski pole back together and tightly wrap the pole in fiberglass tape. This is a good temporary fix if you have the tape available to you and it will hold the pole together as long as you avoid excessive pressure.

Replace pole tips lost while skiing by applying a small dot of waterproof glue to the inner base of the tip, whether it is a new one or the old one, and screw it back onto the tip of the pole. You will need pliers to get the tip sufficiently tight.

Article Written By Jonathan Croswell

Jonathan Croswell has spent more than five years writing and editing for a number of newspapers and online publications, including the "Omaha World-Herald" and "New York Newsday." Croswell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Nebraska and is currently pursuing a Master's of Health and Exercise Science at Portland State University.

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