What is the largest pole vault pole made for use in competition?

Poles are manufactured with ratings corresponding to the vaulter's maximum weight. Some organizations forbid vaulters to use poles rated below their weight as a safety precaution. The recommended weight corresponds to a flex rating that is determined by the manufacturer by placing a standardized amount of stress on the pole and measuring how much the center of the pole is displaced. Therefore, two poles rated at the same weight are not necessarily the same stiffness. Because pole stiffness and length are important factors to a vaulter's performance, it is not uncommon for an elite vaulter to carry as many as 10 poles to a competition.

[Athletics Australia media manager David] Culbert along with Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker, world athletics final winner Paul Burgess and Athens gold medallist Tim Mack (USA) were at Sydney Airport, heading to Melbourne after the Sydney Track Classic. However a 'slight incident' occured pre-departure, when Hooker's poles became jammed between an escalator step and the roof. Hooker and his training partner Burgess were carrying the 5.2m poles to the plane after aeroplane officials had refused to let them put the poles in the oversized luggage area. After 45 minutes, the escalator was reversed, releasing the poles and exposing a sizeable hole in the roof.