Incline training, better then a stairmaster?

[Spartacus Sully]

Any one try one of these out or any kind of incline trainer? Better then a stairmaster? does the fat burning idea really work? could using this take the place of road work?

Id imagine some 6 mph 3 min sprints at 40% incline would be freaking awesome.

[Kinetic Linking]

I would say it's definitely not bull****. Doing anything with significant incline is obscenely painful so it's probably a good workout in some way. Personally I consider a stairmaster to be kind of like pushups for your quads since it seems to have a similar effect for me. I'd group it with calisthenics and say no it wouldn't replace roadwork. Of course, not everyone does roadwork. Comeback George did a lot of hiking in hills I think which is pretty much the same. Worked for him.