Morgan,
As with any type of human powered physical endeavor, changes to pace, technique, expectations and even thought process need to be taken into consideration when approaching an uphill section. As an avid Nordic skier(both skate and classic), I try to focus on easing into the hill to start with. That can oftentimes begin long before the base of the hill, depending on how I am feeling, how fast the snow is, what technique I am using (I tend to back off more in skating as I find it is a more muscularly taxing than classic skiing uphill) and how hard the hill is. It is not uncommon for me on Z1 days to walk the steeper uphill sections because I know that I cannot ski technically correct in that zone. It’s hard on the ego but that’s part of the game. I also try to save the tougher terrain for my harder days; searching for the easy stuff for going easy. As for what techniques to use- well, that again is determined by the snow speed and the gradient of the hill. Nordic skiing uphill will almost always be physically demanding. The way to make any hill easier is to 1.) continue to improve your aerobic fitness, 2.) gain more proficiency with your technique in easy terrain and, 3.) Be ok with going slow when the time calls for it.
I hope this helps.
Ben Husaby
Uphill Athlete Coach and Nordic skier