The earliest depiction of a man with a ski pole was found in Norway in the form of a cave painting, dated at 4000 BC. The rock carving shows a man on a single ski (that reminds a snowboard) with stick.
Some rock carving found in Rødøy suggest that Alpine societies, such as those in Nordic regions or the Altai mountains, used their ski poles to hunt as well, giving them spear-like qualities.
Norwegian Companies of ski troops were formed around 1750 in Trondheim and Kongvingen using a single pole for propulsion and to steady their aim. The very first skiing competition were held by the military in 1767.
It’s the 1860, when Norwegian miners introduced skiing as a sport to the American west, in California. The speed was about 14 seconds down on icy 1,804 footcourse, 88 miles per hour.
US patents for steel ski poles began in 1933 when John B. Dickson invented a new design calling for the use of steel as the shaft material. This construction was superseded by Edward L. Scott, who is credited with popularizing the lightweight aluminium ski pole in 1959, deriving his modern design from golf club shafts. Ski builders introduced other high tech materials such as carbon fiber and Kevlar through the 60s and 70s. Plastic bases reduced the need for waxing. In 1990, a revolution in ski shape began when Elan and Kneissel introduced deep-sidecut “shaped” skis, often called Parabolics.
Finally, in 2019, a new type of ski pole has born: the MagFit magnetic ski poles. Conceived for alpine skiing, the ski poles have been thought and patented to allow an easier and quicker seizing. You won’t have to stop anymore in order to seize your ski poles, you’ll just have to move your hands close to your stick. This system also increase the safety of your ride.
For the complete history of ski check the link: The history