I am planning a 2 week section hike this fall and as I age, my knees seem to be getting older faster than the rest of my body. I've never used treking poles but the concept seems more appealing as I read this thread. My question is what length of pole works best for level travel. Is it dictated by a 90 degree bend at the elbow? I ski both downhill and telemark (longer poles) and have numerous sets of old poles that might work. The obvious issue that I see is that they will not collapse. I would assume that I would want to remove the baskets and perhaps cover the sharp points. Any thoughts???