I live in an area without very steep hills to do climbing repeats and don't have access to tall buildings with stairwells to do stair climbing repeats.
However, having an ultra-endurance background, I am not a guy who trains light.
i have hauled giant packs up the local ski hills, hauled giant packs on elevated treadmills, and hauled giant packs while dragging big tires on asphalt bike paths. This training is great for hauling giant packs up moderate snow slopes (e.g., Muir Snowfield), but not so good for hauling giant packs up really steep snowfields (e.g., Turtle Snowfield). The hiking muscles must be different than the stepping up muscles.
With a very steep winter climb on my schedule (Mt. Williamson North East Ridge), I have decided to try training on a stair stepper. I have picked up a used high quality machine with a 350 lb capacity, but have not started to use it.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to best to use this type of machine for really steep snow climbs? Thank you.