Suppose you are climbing a hill whose shape is given by the equation

Suppose you are climbing a hill whose shape is given by the equation z=1000-0.005x2-0.01y2, where x,y and z are measured in meters, and you are standing at a point with coordinates. The positive x-axis points east and the positive y-axis points north. If you walk due south, will you start to ascend or descend? At what rate?