Overheard a dude at REI say he plans routes by elevation gain per mile, not just total miles

That clicked for me after I tried it on a 14 mile loop near Asheville last weekend and actually felt less wrecked at the end, what's your go to metric for planning a hard day?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_green862mo ago

That elevation gain per mile rule is a game changer for pacing yourself. Glad it worked out for you on that loop.

blair_davis2mo ago

Elevation per mile is fine but I dunno if it's that deep. Some days I just pick a loop that looks cool on the map and wing it, figure out the suffering after the fact.

mila_craig41mo ago

Hell yeah, I feel that in my bones. Picked a "cool looking loop" once in Colorado that turned into a 14 mile death march with 4,000 feet of gain and zero water sources. Figured out the suffering real fast around mile 8 when my legs turned to jelly. Sometimes the winging it is half the fun though, even when you're cussing yourself out on the way back. Solidarity on just rolling with whatever the map throws at you.