Originally Posted by chasm54

In general, the "best" way to climb a hill is to stay seated, find a gear that allows you to maintain a cadence higher than about 60 (that is, one complete revolution of the pedals per second), and keep a nice rhythm. Standing is useful to maintain speed over shortish distances, to keep going when the gradient is so severe you can't stay seated and be on top of even your smallest gear, and to give yourself a break on long climbs. But it isn't a strategy for getting over really big hills unless you are hyper-fit.