Breaking a ski pole is an inevitable setback for every backcountry skier. Even the best poles break. Sometimes the best poles--the ultra expensive, uber lightweight, pencil thin--are especially prone to breaking. Makes you wonder.... Here's a cheap, easy fix for when it happens to you in the backcountry.
You'll need two small-diameter hose clamps (slightly larger than the diameter of your pole), a multi tool and two canned beers. Step one: Drink one beer--keep the can. Step two: Open the second and drink it while repairing your pole.
Trim the top and bottom off the beer can and cut one side vertically so you have a semi-rolled up aluminum rectangle. If you have scissors, round the corners. Match the broken ends of the pole together and tightly wrap the can around the fissure. Secure the can around the pole with hose clamps, one on each section of pole--it's a tricky maneuver and some tape may help.
Most skiers usually have beers on hand, but I also a keep a can tightly wrapped in hose clamps in my repair kit for when the inevitable happens. Last winter, on our first day touring in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains, my partner's pole broke. This repair, aided by some electrical tape, held for five more days.