I ride hilly areas all the time on my hybrid- I'm not fast on hills, but I do them. On my mountain bike, I seem to be helpless on climbs. Tonight I rode the little trail on my property, and it involves a berm that used to be a pond bank. It's only about 4 feet high where I go down it, with some rocks and small branches. When I tried to come back up it, the usual- I get almost to the top and come almost to a dead stop, with my rear wheel slipping, and have to put a foot down. I wasn't in my smallest chainring, I didn't think I'd need it for such a small hill. But I have this same problem with most hills I've tried to ride on my mountain bike. I get started and get part way up, then my rear wheel starts slipping and I grind to a stop and end up walking.
At this point, as a beginner, should I be on my small chainring for any hill? I guess I don't know enough about it to even know what the problem is- not low enough gear, not standing up enough (I don't stand up usually), or not enough speed?
vickie