I hate hiking poles where the terrain is easy, but when it gets steep I can lean into them and use some chest muscles to help get up the hill, then they're ok.

Collapsable poles are alright for hiking, but I use a staff, maybe an 8 foot 2x2, or a non-collapsing ski pole when hiking/crawling/climbing in really rough mountain rocky terrain. Sometimes you can reach out with that pole and push against a rock 8 feet away, to give you the leverage to make your next move safely. They are especially good for descending unknown mountains where you could end up in a bad situation where ya can't back up and ya can't go forward cacuse yer arms aren't long enough.
Jim