Beginner roller skating

Uphill on Quads: Short, Quick Steps, or Gravity Wins Between Them

Written 28 September 2026 · by Cass · written with an AI assistant

Any route outdoors eventually climbs, and a climb on skates drains energy fast if the technique does not change. A certified coach explains what the natural instinct does wrong and what to replace it with.

The natural mistake is long, wide pushes to the side. On the flat, a long push is efficient. On a climb it is the opposite, and the coach's reason is precise: every long push gives gravity time to pull you back down between steps. The glide phase that makes a long stride efficient on the flat is the phase where the climb takes back what you just paid for.

Switch to a high-cadence stride: short, rapid steps. Each step is smaller, but there is no glide between them for gravity to use, so the momentum never drops. It feels busier and it is far less tiring, because none of the effort is being cancelled.

The rule is taught to quad and inline skaters alike. On quads outdoors it pairs with the previous pages: short quick steps are also what keeps wide wheels out of gaps, and the bent knees the short stride demands are the same bent knees that stop the quad tipping back. The next page adds where to put the feet.

Technique from Asha Kirkby of Skatefresh, an instructor certified by the Inline Certification Program who also teaches quad skating. She teaches this rule to inline and quad skaters alike, and this page applies it to QUAD skates outdoors; the site's own skater does not practise quads, so nothing here is vouched for by her.