In reply to Sam W:
> How much difference is there between skiing and walking poles? Obviously would rather just have one set if possible.
If talking about adjustable poles, then the difference is generally the basket and perhaps the spike.
Depending on what you're after and what kind of skiing you're doing... well, one pair of poles might be good (mellow touring, don't fall and all that). Something like BD Traverse is cheap, robust and not a bad pole... just a tad long (even when collapsed).
My idea is to use cheap flicklock (eg. the Traverse) when ski touring, so that when I take a nosedive and bend the pole I'm not too angry (actually the Traverse is expensive for this... I generally bargain hunt and often get a pair or two for 20 Eur or so). And for skiing from the lifts, well the cheapest alu-poles I can find (usually 10-15 Eur per pair).
And for hinking (and climbing approach) I have these nice really small poles, a'la the BD Distance Z flicklock. They pack small enough to stuff in the climbing sack and due to the construction they're still a bit more robust than 3 or 4 part flicklock poles (eg. the Expedition).