On Wed, 20 Dec 1995, Ervolina, Thomas R. (Tom) wrote:

> I could barely get up the steep section.  What happened was one wheel
> would spin and then "dig" itself to the pavement, grab and move the van
> forward a bit.  But then the other wheel (or perhaps the same one) would
> start spinning. 

Partially applying the emergency brake can help with this.  It can be 
hard to get it just right but it reduces the tendency of one 
wheel to break loose.  I often resort to this when trying to start on an 
icy slope.

-Tom