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EB
Longer axes are just a bit easier to self arrest with and useful as a walking aid....that's it really. Oh, and much better for using as an anchor for crevasse rescue or rapells as they tend to stay buried in a trench more easily under load.
I use a petzl glacier for walking. It comes to around the top of my (pretty high) boots. I wouldn't stress about exact size too much. Anything longish, straightish and comfortable to hold and carry will be fine. Knowing how to use it in a self arrest is more important than the axe itself.
We found a ~90ish year old ice axe that had melted out of langtalferner in Austria in July. The handle was over three feet long!