Despite having to work harder at it, I'd rather go uphill than down.
Going-downhill is gravity-assisted. The feet take more of a pounding and the knees are working hard to prevent that Humpty-Dumpty tumble.
A solution - something my husband taught me - is to criss-cross the hill in a series of connected ess' (s's?) , much like I did when I used to ski. It's certainly a kinder way down.
Oh and it also works well for ascending the hill, when your lungs begin to protest.
Even the experts use this technique, as you can see on Charles Hawes lovely post.
I love big hill climbs and I’m pleased to learn that I’ve been instinctively applying the Ess approach 🙂
In addition, two other things to consider:
1. rest step – which is basically a SLOW step. Think of a climber going up Mt. Everest. See http://www.backpacking.net/bad-back.html#techniques for technique explanation.
2. trekking poles – have become one of my essentials. I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times that my trekking poles prevented a fall or made the hike up or down so much easier. More on trekking poles: http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/trekking+poles+hiking+staffs.html
Thank you, Marianna!
Hi Casper,
Thanks for sharing these two techniques.
Trekking poles remind me of my cross-country skiing days, when I could easily hold the poles. As my hands are now, gripping anything for extended periods of time causes my hands to seize/freeze up.
It all depends upon the degree of involvement/deterioration/deformity.
I’m sure that with all your experience, you could provide a whole alphabet of hill climbing techniques, including the Ess! 🙂