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Joined 7 days ago
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Cake day: March 10th, 2025

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  • I haven’t done any climbing that requires ropes/helmets yet, so far I’ve been sticking to trails. I moved to a mountainous area 2 years ago.

    Going uphill is the easier part, it just requires cardio. Going downhill hurt my knees when I first started, but that pain went away over time. Downhill always seems to be harder for people once they get past the cardio requirement for going up.

    Investing in a good pair of adjustable trekking poles makes going downhill a lot easier on your joints. Cork handles are expensive, but worth it if you use them a lot. Shortening them for uphill and lengthening them for downhill also helps.

    Another great investment is a high quality ultralight chair! I have a Helinox ground chair which is shockingly comfortable and only weighs 17 ounces/482 grams. Being able to relax and enjoy the view before descending adds a lot to the experience.


  • How do you handle elevation gain? I ask because I can climb mountains like a champ but for some reason running kills my legs and I’m terrible at cycling. It doesn’t even need to be a mountain, as a steep hill does the trick. Keeping a steady pace up a hill gets my heart rate to a place similar to running, and it usually stays pretty high for the descent as well. It doesn’t hurt my joints nearly as much as running or biking.


  • I tried switching from running to cycling for my daily cardio, but lately I’m wondering if I’m just not built for cycling. I’m so bad at it.

    I live near mountains and will do hikes where I gain 3,000 feet in elevation and burn 2.5k calories, enjoying every second of it, but for some reason I can barely bike up a small hill.

    Underdeveloped muscle groups maybe?