never thought about that- great tip!! A couple years ago, someone told me to pull up on the pedals on the upstroke when going uphill- that's helped me a lot, too.

After 6 years of riding, I still suck at hills. I can descend like a mad-woman (FAST) and I'm pretty decent on flats, but throw in a hill and I immediately fall to the back of whatever pack I'm in (even if we are equal cyclists on all other counts). It's so frustrating to me. I hit a hill and I go backwards.
I've tried everything, gearing down, gearing up, spinning, mashing, etc. Nothing works for me. I wish I could figure it out.