We're about to do a "stair climb" for charity in a few months and some of the team have been working out on the stair climber in the gym.
I'm not convinced this is the same amount of effort required compared to walking up real flights of stairs for two entirely unscientific reasons:
The stair machine is moving whereas the real steps require you to lift your body physically.
When I used to run, running on a treadmill felt approx. (for me) 20% easier than running on a road.
Does anyone know if my thoughts are in any way accurate and if so by how much are real stairs harder, or am I spouting complete...?