How to conquer the hills
Elevation gain, technique, training, and how on earth do you read a map?
By Dahn
Climbs are part of the charm of hiking in the mountains. They take you from valley floors to viewpoints, passes and summits – but they're also what perhaps most determines how strenuous a day of hiking will be (the same naturally applies when cycling, but for simplicity we use hiking as our example in this article).
That's why it's not enough to just look at how many kilometres a hike is. Length is even a detail that's often missing when a hilly hike is described. A 12-kilometre day can be quite easy or seriously demanding depending on how much elevation you'll gain and lose along the way. Here we untangle the concepts and offer some simple advice for turning the taste of blood in your mouth into a pleasant challenge.
What does elevation gain actually mean?
When a hike is listed as, for example, 14 km and +650/-650 metres of elevation, it means that over the course of the day you climb a total of 650 metres uphill and descend 650 metres downhill.
So it's not necessarily the difference between the day's lowest and highest point. If the trail goes up 200 metres, down 100, up 300, down 550 and then up another 150, you've already accumulated 650 metres of positive elevation and 650 metres of negative elevation – even though you end up at the same height where you started!
That's why elevation gain is so useful when assessing how demanding a hike is.
As a very rough rule of thumb:
- 0–150 metres: very easy
- 150–300 metres: relatively easy
- 300–600 metres: moderately challenging (managed 330 metres? Then you've climbed the Eiffel Tower!)
- 600–1200 metres: a proper mountain day
- over 1200 metres: demanding for most people
But the number doesn't tell the whole story. 600 metres of elevation spread out over an entire day is something quite different from 600 metres on a short, steep climb. Terrain, heat, altitude above sea level and how much you're carrying also play a big role. And labels like "easy" or "tough" should be taken with a grain of salt: it depends entirely on your own fitness level. Our 5 levels (sometimes called difficulty grades) are based mainly on elevation difference but are adjusted for slope, terrain and how the stages are distributed throughout the trip.
And don't forget the downhills. They cost less in terms of fitness but can be all the more strenuous on thighs, knees and feet. Don't stomp – walk softly with springy knees to reduce the risk of both overexertion and slipping.
💡Don't confuse elevation gain with altitude above sea level. As mentioned, elevation gain is the vertical climb you undertake. Altitude above sea level indicates the position at a certain point. This figure only matters if it exceeds 2000 m above sea level: that's when the thinner air can start to be felt, slightly sapping your energy. How sensitive you are to this is entirely personal, and it becomes easier the longer you've acclimatised to the altitude.
How do you read a topographic map?
On a topographic map, the shape of the terrain is shown using contour lines. Each line connects points that lie at the same altitude above sea level.
The key point is actually very simple: The closer together the lines are, the steeper the terrain. The greater the distance between them, the flatter it is. On the map, you can therefore get a much better idea of the hike than by just reading distance and elevation gain.
Pay particular attention to how the day's climbs are distributed. A long series of closely spaced contour lines means you have a continuous steep climb ahead of you. If the contour lines are spread out instead and the trail winds its way upward, a considerably more pleasant climb likely awaits.
An even simpler way to understand the day's terrain is the elevation profile, where the route is shown from the side. There you can see immediately whether the day's 700 metres of elevation gain comes as one long climb in the morning, several smaller hills, or a substantial finish when your legs are already tired.
You can also quickly calculate the elevation difference by counting how many lines the trail crosses. If the difference between the lines on your map is 50 metres and the trail crosses 10 lines, you can expect 500 metres of elevation gain. Handy!
How to hike efficiently uphill in steep terrain
The most common mistake on a long uphill climb is starting too fast. It's easy to do when enthusiasm is high and the goal beckons. When the path points upward, your heart rate rises quickly, and a pace that feels good for the first five minutes can turn out to be costly half an hour later.
Go slower than you think you need to. Find a pace you can keep up for a long time without having to stop. Short, even steps are more efficient than taking big strides. Adopt an "ox mentality", as one guest put it. If you've ever had the privilege of walking with a mountain guide, it's striking how slowly these highly trained athletes actually walk.
A few simple tricks make a big difference:
- Start off calmly and don't lose heart if it feels sluggish at the beginning. Your body needs a warm-up period of around 20 minutes before it starts working optimally.
- Take shorter steps when it gets steep.
- Try to maintain a steady pace rather than alternating between high speed and frequent stops.
- Stop when you want to, but not for too long: micro-breaks of 1–2 minutes are best. That way your body doesn't have to restart.
- Use your whole foot when the terrain allows, instead of constantly walking on your toes.
- Lean your body slightly forward, but avoid bending at the waist.
- Use trekking poles if you like them. They give you a push going uphill and can take some of the load off your legs going downhill. They also help you find a steady rhythm.
- On really steep sections, it can be easier to move in small zigzag motions rather than going straight up.
- Always have energy on standby: nuts, chocolate and, of course, water provide a much-needed boost. Just don't eat yourself too full.
As you've probably realised by now, it takes time to climb uphill. Yet another rough rule of thumb says it takes 1 hour to climb 500 metres of elevation, on top of the time the distance itself takes.
And don't compete with others. In the mountains, differences in natural uphill pace quickly become apparent. The best pace is the one you yourself can maintain. Everyone gets there in the end.
How to train for a hiking trip in the mountains
You don't need to live in the Alps to train for a mountain hike. The most important thing is to get your body used to sustained exertion and repeated climbs.
Regular walks are a good foundation, but before a trip with a lot of elevation gain, you should supplement them with hills.
Do you have a good hill nearby? Go up and down it several times. A staircase works too, so skip the lift. At the gym, a treadmill with a steep incline or a stair climber can do the same job.
Above all, try to gradually increase the amount. Start a few months before the trip and build up both the length of your walks and the number of metres of elevation gain. During the last few weeks, it's good to do a few longer outings lasting several hours, ideally two days in a row. On a hiking trip, it's often precisely the combination of many hours and several consecutive days of hiking that your body needs to get used to.
Don't forget downhill training either. Walking downhill puts strain on your muscles in a different way than walking uphill. Squats, lunges and step-downs are simple exercises that strengthen mainly the thighs and glutes.
Try training with the shoes and daypack you plan to use on the trip. That way you'll get both your feet and your body used to the equipment before the first day of hiking.
The hills are worth the effort
Elevation gain can look daunting on paper, but it doesn't have to be. With the right pace, a bit of technique and a few weeks of preparation, most people can handle considerably more than they think.
And there's a reason why many of the world's most beautiful hikes involve quite a bit of uphill.
The best views are rarely down at the car park.
