Sure-footedness

Such situations place demands on a person's coordination and reserves of strength as well as requiring sufficient appreciation of the terrain.

The term is frequently used in the literature presumably to ensure that the reader is made sufficiently aware that, under certain circumstances, one false step may lead to serious consequences.

[2] Although there is no standard definition of sure-footedness,[2] the following attributes generally apply: The requirement for sure-footedness is usually only mentioned when speaking about routes on which no climbing ability is required, such as Class A routes where the terrain is gentle to steeply sloping and usually rocky, but mostly negotiable without protection or safety equipment.

Sure-footedness is primarily a natural attribute, influenced to high degrees by age, health, and physical fitness.

This is not to say that they cannot be helpful to hikers, particularly elder ones, in compensating for a lack of balance on hazardous or uneven ground, in moderately exposed areas, and in hiking or downclimbing grades.