Hiking down steep inclines

Just a few thoughts, that may or may not help (they do help me):

* Don't make your poles so long; keep 'em shorter, well under you. Leaning back as you go down turns slips into falls, and long poles keep you straight up and tempted to lean back. Just like skiers who lean back and fall a lot, hikers who resist gravity rather than working with it slip a lot.

* On the same note, short steps *can* work against you. When you hold back too much, you're doing too much pushing against the loose tread, kind of daring the mountain to slip out from under you. Don't run down, but there's a sweet speed and gait that minimizes the holding back without sending you forward out of control.

* Shoes can definitely make a difference. I too have trouble finding shoes/boots that fit my weird feet, so I feel your pain, but if possible, find something with a bit more aggressive tread.

A few thoughts:

Try to lower your center of gravity, squat down lower the steeper it is. Poles can get in the way of this at times, especially if they're long.

On very loose gravel poles are great, as are shoes with cleats. Sometimes it's best to slide a bit and stop instead of trying to stop right away, as if on ice, don't dight it too much.

Side stepping can be very handy on steep, loose terrain, it allows you to keep your weight on your back foot as you move down.

All good advice in that previous thread. The descents in the PNW sound similar to those here in New Zealand. I like to use the rapid small steps technique, I sort of crouch a little lower so that the quads act as shock absorbers, torso over feet and arms for balance. It feels like most of my movement forward comes from the lower leg moving rather than the thigh moving (although I'm sure that they do). Zigzags are good for more control too and relieving knee strain, if the track/terrain allows for them.

Historically I used to use boots with very stiff soles and a built up heel and would get great traction on most surfaces with them. Since changing to trail runners (Saucony Xodus are my current favourite) I find I have less traction overall but greater agility to compensate for that.

Some other thoughts:
Look ahead, plan your route 4-5 steps ahead so your feet just sort of automatically follow the route rather than worry about your current foot position
Keep moving at a consistent pace, allowing the next step ahead to flow with the current step, maintaining balance and control dynamically rather than trying to stop and maintain control of each step statically.
Get the quads strong by doing squats/lunges
Practice moving the feet/stepping faster

When working out the time for a descent down a steep climb I generally allow 10min per 100m height loss, while uphill on the same climb is more like 15min/100m so I'm no speed merchant.

Find somethink with aggressive tread for dirt, and aticky rubber for rocks

If theres trees or roots dont be afraid to use yr hands … A cheap pair of gardening gloves may help

And dont be afraid to butt scoot

If theres rocks having good sticky shoes and walking from rock to rock workes well when its dry

;)

> However, these steep descents make me very uncomfortable. I do not feel like I have
> any footing at all.

Very long slope in the mountains – 500 m maybe. Pouring rain. Solid grass. Not a lot of traction.

Fastest descent you have seen (outside of a good couloir): bum-slide the whole distance!

Cheers

I know exactly what you are talking about. I slid and ended up on my butt this week-end, have a fantastic bruise. Altra beefed up the tread on the new Lone Peaks 2.5's. I just ordered a pair, I'll let you know if the traction is any better.

I have the same problem. I have also used Lone Peaks and find they are only slightly worse for traction than other shoes. I have some Keen low-cut boots and I'm always pleasantly surprised how much better the tread grips, but I still will slip on those little ball-bearing-like rocks so better tread isn't always the answer. I just take it slow and tell myself there's no shame in sliding on my butt.

You should try hiking in Hawaii. Oh my god that's the worst place if you are at all unsteady on the downhills. Bring crampons if you ever go to Hawaii.

"Very long slope in the mountains – 500 m maybe. Pouring rain. Solid grass. Not a lot of traction.

Fastest descent you have seen (outside of a good couloir): bum-slide the whole distance!"

Was the bum slide deliberate or accidental?

> Was the bum slide deliberate or accidental?
We were all Uni students at the time, and therefore immortal. It was deliberate. And yeah, it was FUN!

In our defense – we could see the spur for most of the way. It was a morainal spur which had been really grassed over.

Cheers

Yup, been there a lot. There are trails in the Grand Canyon that I swear they trucked in loose gravel just for our hiking pleasure.

If you're a downhill skier, similar principles apply. Weight forward and knees bent gives me better control than on my heels. I try to pack my backpack carefully with balance in mind; flat and wide and close to my body as opposed to tall and deep that can pull me back.

That said, I've come to accept that slipping and falling on my butt is preferable to planting hard and twisting (and, in my case, breaking) an ankle.

My son's strategy is a little different. He's of the "if you can't beat them, join them" school and deliberately slides/skis down loose slopes. He wears stiff-soled high boots and has always preferred them (since was 10), and it seems to work for him just fine.

I was hiking with an old Navajo indian years ago. When coming down some very steep sandstone I turned to traverse instead of heading straight down. He went ballistic. "Always walk straight down, never turn your ankle sideways to the slope. I will have to carry you out when you roll your ankle."
For what its worth.
Art

For really steep stuff, I'm looking for the kind of traction that comes from edges (think skiing or skating). When you descend with your feet nearly perpendicular to the fall line, you have the edges of both feet available to dig into whatever's there.

YMMV

Cheers,

Bill S.

PS – AFAIK, any method that gives you serious traction on a very steep slope isn't going to be kind to the terrain. Look back at where you've been and see what it's doing to the vegetation, rocks, etc. IMO, it's worth giving this serious consideration when choosing routes.

There has already been some great advice, but I wanted to add my 12 cent. I got some great advice on the prior post and was able to use it.

The fluidity of motion cannot be understated. I have found that due to my fear of heights I get fearful going down and tend to walk too slow and worry too much about slipping and falling down and overthink where to put my feet. The walking too slow and having to search for the perfect foothold gets very tiring which can lead to more accidents.

I went down the Hermits trail in the Grand Canyon on a backpack, I found that when I made myself stop overthinking it and just keep a steady, free pace I did better. I used my poles as brakes, but kept moving.

It helped me too to move into vibram 5 fingers. I felt more connection with the ground and therefore felt more sure footed….. But I know not everyone likes the barefoot feel. This helped a huge amount.

I also found that dealing with the mental part helped tremendously…When the fear of slipping got too much…I would repeat 'I have been walking for 40 years, there is no reason why I can't walk down the slope without falling' over and over…..I would then trust myself to make it down and to let my instincts kick in…which allowed me to move faster….and more fluid.