An interesting ancient thread you've resurrected here.

For the O.P. question about Mt. Adams, I'd bring a real axe; maybe a light one, like a Camp Corsa or the like, but I'd go for something you can self-belay with on that Mountain (which btw is a fun climb, with some of the best glissading you'll ever do on the way back down).

For more general mountaineering that doesn't involve a lot of steep slopes, however, I really like the Whippet. I used one for the first month+ on the CDT last year, and it absolutely saved me on one fall in Glacier N.P. I think that in the right situation it's a great option, because for me I'm often less prone to fall in the first place with two poles in my hands rather than an axe (again, however, it's different on quite steep slopes where you're self-belaying frequently).

The Whippet isn't much good for digging a cathole, however, and it's fairly heavy for a trekking pole. It was kind of handy in clearing pine cones off of a camping spot, golf club fashion!