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Total Ascent, Average Ascent, and Maximum Elevation
Total Ascent, Average Ascent and Maximum Elevation are different ways of looking at ascent during an activity.
Total Ascent provides a total of all increases to elevation (also known as elevation gain).
Average Ascent provides an average of all ascents recorded during an activity.
Maximum Elevation provides the highest elevation achieved.
Being mindful of the difference between these data fields will ensure the correct one is used in an activity.
Examples:
If you are at sea level and the terrain is hilly and you go up 100m, then down 50m, then up 100m, your Total Ascent will be 200m, while your Maximum Elevation will be 150m which was the Maximum Elevation reached.
If you start your activity at 500m, go up 200m, down 100m, then up another 300m. Your Total Ascent would be 500m while your Maximum Elevation would be 900m.
If it took a total of 120 minutes to complete 3 ascents of 10m, 300m, 1000m, it would work out to an Average Ascent of 11m. This is the total of all ascents divided by the total time it took to complete the ascents.