I found a clip of Bear Grylls doing something similar but he described it as a new sport. This looks more promising if it was an old video - Shepherd's pole vaulting.

It also give me the opportunity to use my old joke. At a recent sporting event I approached a guy I thought I knew. "Are you a pole vaulter?" I asked.
"No, I am a German, but how did you know my name vas Valter?"

:D tG