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That said, I carry poles in my pack on about 90% of my hikes, and for years I made the same mistake I see almost every beginner make. I bought just one pair and used it for everything: summer trekking, winter snow, quick weekend getaways. It worked, but poorly. A pole designed for trail running doesn’t hold up like one made for high‑altitude mountaineering, and using the wrong one shows up, especially in the knees, by the second or third day on the trail.