Elevation Gain & Elevation in Hiking

Q: What is the difference between elevation gain and elevation in hiking?

Elevation gain corresponds to the altitude difference between two points on a route, while elevation refers to the absolute altitude of a point relative to sea level. Elevation gain is calculated by subtracting the starting altitude from the arrival altitude, while elevation is a fixed measurement.

Q: How do you calculate the positive elevation gain of a hike?

Positive elevation gain is calculated by adding up all the climbs on the route, even if it includes intermediate descents. You need to identify each high point and add up the altitude differences of the ascending sections to get the cumulative elevation gain.

Q: What is negative elevation gain in the mountains?

Negative elevation gain represents the sum of all descents on a hiking route. It's obtained by adding up the altitude losses over the entire itinerary, independent of intermediate climbs.

Q: How do you measure elevation accurately while hiking?

Elevation is measured with a barometric altimeter, GPS, or a mobile app dedicated to hiking. Topographic maps also allow you to read elevation thanks to contour lines and elevation points.

Q: What elevation gain is recommended for beginning mountain hiking?

For beginners, it's recommended to start with hikes having a positive elevation gain of 300 to 500 meters maximum. This progression allows you to gradually accustom your body to uphill effort and assess your physical condition.

Q: Why is elevation gain important for planning a hike?

Elevation gain determines the physical difficulty and duration of a hike, allowing you to estimate the necessary effort and walking time. It helps choose a route suited to your level and plan appropriate equipment for the outing.

Q: How does elevation influence the difficulty of a hike?

High elevation reduces atmospheric pressure and therefore available oxygen, making effort more difficult. Above 2500 meters, the body must gradually adapt to altitude to avoid altitude sickness.

In the mountains, the difficulty of a hike isn't evaluated solely based on the number of kilometers traveled... You also need to add the criterion of altitude difference called elevation gain. And yes, the time it takes to cover 5 km on flat ground isn't the same as covering 5 km with 800 meters of elevation gain!

So, what is elevation gain?

Elevation gain is the altitude difference between two geographical points. For example, the start of your hike is located at an altitude of 1000 meters and the summit you want to reach is at 1800 meters, so you need to overcome 800 meters of positive elevation gain (difference between the highest and lowest point). Once at the summit, you'll of course need to descend, which means you'll have to overcome 800 meters of negative elevation gain.

This example illustrates the concept of overall vertical descent, but it doesn't account for all the ups and downs you actually need to perform. In fact, on most hiking routes, it's inevitable to descend a few meters and then climb back up. Let's take the following example to be clearer:

You start from point A, which is at 0 meters above sea level, and your goal is to climb to the summit of point F, which is at 1000 meters above sea level. You therefore have 1000 - 0 = 1000 meters of overall positive elevation gain. However, the path passes by lakes and through points B, C, D, and E. You go up and down several times before reaching the summit of point F. To know the actual altitude difference you'll cover, you need to add up all the ascents.

The cumulative elevation gain of the climbs is therefore:

Elevation gain between points A and B = + 500 m
Elevation gain between points C and D = + 500 m
Elevation gain between points E and F = + 500 m

How to measure elevation difference?

There are different solutions to measure elevation gain on a hiking route. The first is to look at hiking guides. The total (cumulative) elevation gain is systematically mentioned in route descriptions.

The second is to use the good old IGN map at 1/25000 scale, which is the tool that gives you the most information thanks to contour lines. In geography, a contour line is a line formed by points that are at the same altitude. The distance between two contour lines varies from one map to another, but for 1/25th scale maps, it's generally 10 meters. Thus, the closer the contours are to each other, the steeper the slope.

It's therefore up to you to carefully calculate the sum of climbs and descents. To help you, thicker master contours indicate height every 50 meters (for maps where the spacing between two contours is 10 meters). Map reading is accessible to everyone, but requires certain orientation skills.