I find it easier to go upstairs or up hill than going downstairs or down hill. What about you?
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Hmmm. I don’t really notice much of a difference for me. I would hypothesize that downhill is harder for most people. I know from my trail running experience that downhill or going downstairs is very intensive on balance and core because your body must deal with the pull of gravity as well as with a generally higher speed. Therefore it requires a lot of different muscle groups then going up something. When you are going up something you are controlling for the variable of gravity with your quads and larger muscle groups.
Does that make sense? I would try to start strengthening your core, it won’t help too much with shakiness, but it will increase your balance abilities and may even give you some more confidence!
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yes , terrifying going down
Going up is usually a struggle, and I worry about overbalancing and falling backwards. And, going down can be just as bad…I feel as though I want to throw myself forward 
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Going up is definitely easier because I can a) lean forward, b) shift the centre of gravity, c) fall safely if necessary. Coming back down, I can’t do any of these things very much.
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Going down does seem to be the major issue here. Keep posting your concerns folks. Others would like to hear from you.
Going down for me, especially without a railing.
Without a railing… I had to do that recently on a country walk, fortunately I was able to lean on my Husband and we made it safely to the bottom of the steps. But, never again 
ascending is easier for me, down without a railing no thanks …
Yes. I did similar - I had walk down some worn-down-from-centuries-of-use steps in York (a very old town in UK for non-UK people). I had to hug the wall with a queue of folk behind me and creating a ‘traffic jam’. If anyone had pushed or even try to help, there would have been a multi-person-pile-up at the bottom with cracked skulls. On another occasion I walked up some steps and had to crawl on all fours - again with a queue behind me
That lead to another question. Which is worse? The physical problems or the psychological problems that arise from Ataxia?
Exploring can lead to problems. My country walk involved an encounter with steep roughly fashioned steps, the sort of thing that’s acceptable in this sort of environment.
I tell you what is rough for me. I’ll be walking my dog and get up a little bit of cardio-friendly speed, and then he’ll suddenly stop and smell something. Keeps me alert!
There is no way I could walk a dog, it would have complete control…
I can walk up stair but I have extra trouble walking down. My daughters call it my cow syndrome I can walk up stair and not down just like a cow. HAHAHA
Not if you like steak. 
Definitely going up is better for me (with a railing). Going down, I have to sit. For me, the psychological problems are worse because I can’t walk well (not many activities possible), can’t talk audibly (no phone calls), or write (no letters). I used to be teacher. Now what can I do? By the time I get my shower every day, I’m exhausted!
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Sorry to hear that. The best that we can do is to take it one day at a time. Not what you wanted to hear but unfortunately it is what it is.
Thanks, Chas521, I have good days and bad. I need to reconcile all of this.
Going down stairs without a railing isn’t hard for me, it’s just plain impossible. Up would be too dangerous without one too. Walking down a steep hill is impossible too, but walking uphill is far less of a struggle. Stepping down off or up onto curbs is dangerous. Something about altitude changing too quickly for our bodies to react, I think…