In reply to Bee_1:
I've always gone for the cheapest, most robust stuff I could find. I think that the last time I did it, I bought a bunch of Grivel Munro axes for around £45 each. They aren't as nice as the Cirque, but they are perfectly adequate and it isn't quite as galling when they are left by the roadside as the bus leaves... Length-wise, we bought a selection, with the majority around 65cm, but with a couple of longer ones for giants and shorter ones for smaller people.
Similarly for crampons, I went as cheap as I could find. I bought a mixture of basic Camp ones (Ice Riders?) anf some flexible BD crampons that were on offer. They work just fine and don't break the bank. One thing to watch out for is the minimum size - we found that many crampons don't fit on the smallest girls' boots very easily. Get the most adjustable ones you can.