switchback
**Definition:** A sharp, reversing turn in a trail or road ascending a steep slope, zigzagging back and forth to reduce the gradient. Switchbacks trade distance for steepness — you walk farther but climb more gently. They are the engineering solution to the problem of gravity on foot, and they shape how we experience mountains: slowly, in lateral traverses, with the view changing at every turn.
A sharp, reversing turn in a trail or road ascending a steep slope, zigzagging back and forth to reduce the gradient. Switchbacks trade distance for steepness — you walk farther but climb more gently. They are the engineering solution to the problem of gravity on foot, and they shape how we experience mountains: slowly, in lateral traverses, with the view changing at every turn.
Etymology
English compound, originally a railroad term for a track that reverses direction to gain elevation. The "switch" is the reversal.
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