By Alan Shepard
When travelling by air, ski poles can be damaged in transit. In particular carbon fibre poles are susceptible to side impact. Some protection can be given by using a ski pole tube.
Plastic rainwater downspout is fairly effective. Getting the poles into and out of the tube can be troublesome as the handles, loops and baskets get in the way. Here you can find out how to solve that problem and end up with a pole tube for a total cost of about £6
Obtain a length of rainwater downpipe. In this case 2m of 68mm pipe is used.
Place poles alongside the pipe
Mark pipe length to allow handles and baskets to protrude
Cut to length and file off burrs
Use masking tape to form a straight line along the tube
Cut along the masking tape with a fine toothed saw
Remove tape and burrs
Ensure the tube is clean along the length of the cut
Cover the cut with duct tape. This will form the hinge
Rotate the pipe so the cut is underneath
Use masking tape to form another straight line
Cut along the masking tape with a fine toothed saw.
Remove tape and burrs
Open pipe and clean the inside
Cover the inside of the hinge cut with duct tape
Place poles in tube
Close tube with ski ties
Protect ski bag from pole tip damage by covering them with an old gardening glove
