How fast do you ascend?

[Tom Rankin]

Was that for a specific trip? There's no general recommendation for the entire range of AMC staff and volunteer led trips. There are trips for all different paces and fitness levels.

I really don't remember the circumstances, sorry. You are of course correct about AMC hikes, so I doubt it is a sweeping generalization.

Perhaps though from the poll results so far, it is a useful fitness metric. I've used it a few times to gauge potential hiking partners.

 

[Tom Rankin]

Yeah, I agree with REK. I think there should be a poll choice for:

"I go as fast or as slow as needed to enjoy where I am, what I'm doing and who I'm with".

I suppose knowing everyone's rate of ascent could be useful if you were under time constraints and had to herd a group of people (ie AMC hike) up a certain elevation within a certain amount of time . I can't imagine wanting to go on a hike like that.

I can think of other reasons why you might like to know your rate of ascent...it's just that none of those reasons apply to how and what I hike.

That's the beauty of hiking though...we can all hike our own hike!

Of course!

As a hike leader, I meet a lot of folks who are not content unless the hike is moving at THEIR pace. And a typical Catskill hike can consist of people in every category above!

Knowing your ascent rate does give you a rough guess for how long something might take, if you happen to care that day. Sometimes I don't care either!

 

[Neil]

My speeds vary.

• Hungover
• Really hungover
• Day after Bearly Live
• Peppy
• Youthful
• Feeling my age

But, my genes are excellent.

 

[sardog1]

I use 1000'/hour as a minimum benchmark for longish, steepish climbs with average footing. I do a fair amount of pausing, looking at animal sign, listening to forest sounds, etc., at that rate. It helps in determining whether I'm actually going to make a summit within the time I have.

 

[Hikes4fun]

1000-1500 Sounds about right for me---Becker Hollow Trail up Hunter Mt last week---2 miles 2000 vert in 1hr 30min....Judy can be much faster

 

[NewHampshire]

I am usually good for book time (AMC formula) or slightlu over. But since I like hiking the speed of the slowest hiker (most of the time) then I sometimes can go way over book time.

Brian

P.S. AMC "book time": 1/2 hour every mile, 1/2 hour every 1000 feet of gain.

 

[Neil]

I once went from 4 Corners to Marcy summit in 20 minutes or about 3000 feet/hour.

I was about as close to the dry heaves as you can get without actually performing a dry heave.

Scrambling in the Rockies (straight up, lots of scree) we always could count on 1000 per hour.

 

[Roxi]

I have no idea what my rate of ascending is, but I average 2 mph over the entire hike, no matter what, with the exception of Mt. Jefferson which has always taken longer. I don't know why.

 

[prino]

As the question said "How fast DO you ascend" I figured my usual average about 1,000 ft per hour in the daks. If it had said "CAN" you ascend it would be a little faster. 3 years ago I did the Grouse Grind/in North Vancouver and finished the 2,800ft climb in 52 1/2 minutes. The record is half of that and someone did the thing 13 times in succession for 36400 ft. I don't think that's normal though. video + the record breaker

 

[bignslow]

I have an upper and lower bound that I tend to use:

Lower (slowest) is "BigNSlow (Mike) Time":
2 MPH + 1 hour / 1k feet gain
Gain typically only counts if the steepness is > ~700-1k feet / mile.
For instance, I know I can get from the garden to the JBL with no effect from the 700' gain. On the other hand I know that climbing up to any peak will generally slow me down pretty well.

Upper (fastest) is AMC "book time" which I think was defined as:
2 MPH + 1 hour / 2k feet gain
I don't know what their rules for counting elevation gain as slowing you down is.

Using those 2 times I can easily gauge when the earliest and latest I can arrive at a summit will be (this prevents me from getting my hopes up too early, I can look at my watch and know that I have at least X minutes remaining before I'm even close). As I do more hiking and stay in better shape I typically get my mileage for "free" on steep climbs and only have to spend 1 hour / 1k feet

 

[rup]

Somewhat limited by my wife's pace who, I have found, travels at a rather homogeneous 1 mph uphill, and 1 mph downhill.