The problem of determining total distance ascended during a mountain bike trip is addressed. Altitude measurements are obtained from GPS receivers utilizing both GPS-based and barometric altitude data, with data averaging used to reduce fluctuations. The estimation process is sensitive to the degree of averaging, and is related to the well-known question of determining coastline length. Barometric-based measurements prove more reliable, due to their insensitivity to GPS altitude fluctuations.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1011.4778,
title = {Evaluating cumulative ascent: Mountain biking meets Mandelbrot},
author = {D. C. Rapaport},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1011.4778},
year = {2011}
}