Why Descents Ask More Than Climbs

Going up is a metered effort. You pick a rhythm, breathe hard, stop when you need to, and the mountain gives you time to think. Coming down is different. Gravity is doing half the work and none of the thinking, and every step is a small, fast decision made on legs that have already done their shift.

This is why so many days unravel on the way home. Not on the crux, not on the scramble, but on a wet grassy slope at half past four with the packs heavy and the light starting to go. The good news is that descending well is a learnable skill, and most of it happens before your boots ever leave the cairn.

Pick Your Line Before You Commit

Stop at the top of anything steep and look properly. Ten seconds of reading the ground saves ten minutes of flailing about halfway down, and it is far easier to change your mind while you are still standing on level ground.

• Look at the run-out first. Ask what happens if you slip and keep going. A gentle grassy apron is forgiving. Crags, a boulder field, a lochan or a fast burn below are not.
• Prefer ribs and ridges to gullies and fans. Spurs and broad ribs drain better, are usually firmer underfoot, and give you natural handholds. Gullies concentrate water, loose stone and other people's rockfall.
• Avoid greasy ground. Wet rock slabs, dark seep lines running across turf, and the green flush below a spring are all much slicker than they look from above.
• Hunt for texture. Dry tussock, gravel patches, broken rock and short heather give grip. Uniform smooth grass on a steepening slope is the worst of it.
• Contour if you need to. Traversing sideways to gentler ground can add half a kilometre and still be the faster, safer option.

Late in the day, err towards the line you already know. Familiarity is worth more than elegance.

Footwork on Wet Grass and Steep Turf

Steep grass rewards small steps and a quiet upper body. Keep your stride short, your feet underneath you rather than out in front, and your knees softly bent. Landing on a locked leg sends a jolt up through the knee and usually ends with a skid.

Place the sole of the boot flat rather than driving in with the heel. On wet turf an edged boot gives you less rubber on the ground, not more. On the very steepest sections, turn side-on and step down diagonally, letting the uphill edge of the boot bite. Where it gets properly awkward, use your hands: three points of contact on heather, tussocks and rock is not cheating, it is sensible.

• Test each foothold with a light touch before transferring your weight onto it.
• Zig-zag where the ground allows, but take care at the turns, which is where people slip.
• Keep your weight over your feet, not behind them. Leaning back on a descent is the classic way to lose it.
• Wear boots with a deep, sharp tread for this sort of ground. Worn-down soles and wet Lakeland turf are a poor combination.

Moving on Scree and Loose Stone

Loose ground comes in two broad characters and they demand different approaches. Fine scree shifts in sheets under your weight. Blocky scree is a jumble of slabs and boulders that may or may not be sitting still.

On fine scree, keep your feet a little apart and your weight forward over the balls of your feet, taking small, quick, deliberate steps. Resist the urge to brake hard with your heels, which digs in and starts the whole slope moving. Travelling more directly down the fall line is usually safer than a long diagonal, because scree moves downhill and will carry you sideways as well. Glissading and scree-running can be enormous fun, but only where you can see the whole run-out and know there is nothing hard or steep waiting at the bottom.

On blocky scree, treat every slab as a question. Rock it gently with a toe, plant firmly, then commit. Keep off the tops of perched boulders and avoid the temptation to jump between them. If there are others below you, keep out of each other's fall lines, and if you do set stones moving, shout a warning immediately.

Pace, Poles and Protecting the Knees

Speed is the enemy of a safe descent. Slowing down by a third costs you very little time over an hour and saves an enormous amount of risk. Look two or three paces ahead rather than at your feet, and keep a steady rhythm.

• Use your poles. Two poles shorten your stride, spread the load and take real pressure off the knees. Lengthen them by five to ten centimetres for descents, then stow them on hands-on ground where you need your palms free.
• Keep knees bent. Locked legs and long strides are what produce the deep quad ache that makes the last hour sloppy.
• Adjust your pack. Tighten the hip belt and shoulder straps so the load sits close and high rather than swinging behind you, which pitches you forward.
• Eat and drink. A handful of something every hour keeps your judgement working. Tired decision-making looks exactly like bad footwork.

Finishing Well, and Choosing a Pitch

Plan the day so the steepest ground is behind you before dusk. If that is slipping away, change the plan rather than racing it: drop to lower, gentler ground on a known line instead of pressing on towards a high pitch in the dark.

When you are looking for somewhere to wild camp after a long descent, favour a flat, dry shelf with good drainage, clear of the run-out below crags and loose slopes. Avoid hollows, which collect cold air and dew, and avoid pitching directly beside a burn if rain is forecast. A sheltered spot fifty metres lower is often a better night than a grand, windswept ledge.

And if something feels wrong — the ground, the light, your legs, your gut — stop. Sit down, eat something, drink, and take five minutes. Turning around or dropping to a safer line is a skill, not a failure, and the hills will still be there next weekend.