This One Goes Out To Hard Luck Louie

I'm considering building myself some stilts, or buying some if the price is right. I'll probably build my own, though. I wonder what material would work best for stilt construction. Wood, despite being wicked heavy and kind of expensive, will probably end up proving its superiority as stilt-making material.
I suppose all I'll really need is two big ol' slabs of lumber and two little triangular pegs for footrests. Height will be the biggest factor: too tall and the stilts will be unweildy and dangerous, too short and they will be silly--what's the point of building yourself some stilts if they only lift you a foot off the ground? I figure my stilts should be about 10 feet tall with the footpegs about three feet up so I could step into them without having to climb a ladder or something.

Stilting seems like a good hobby; you get fresh air, exercise, a temproary boost in elevation. Plus, it opens up all sorts of career opportunities at car dealerships and such. Perhaps I could join some sort of stiltist enthusiast's club. We'd meet once a month to race each other and trade stories about our myriad stilt-based exploits.

Possible problem: I'm not real good at balancing.