I believe walking poles have rounded, rubber tips on the bottom, trekking poles are pointy.

Get adjustable ones so that when you are doing sustained climbs you can have them shorter, and when you are descending you can make them longer. We have several sets of trekking poles, ours have cost about $100 a set and they are well worth it.

All of our sets are Leki brand. We have one set that has an anti-shock system. I guess this feature helps if you have weak knees or ankles. I prefer the set without the anti-shock system.

My favorite set has cork grips, this conforms to the shape of your hands and reduces vibration.