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lemurboy
Feb 28, 2005, 5:24 PM
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Hey everyone,
I’m planning a trip to Bishop for this spring (May), and I was wondering if any of you have any techniques for toughening up your hands for the hard/ sharp granite out there? I am currently doing mostly gym climbing (for the winter) but have been on some limestone and sandstone. I will probably hit some of our local areas here a couple times before going (Niagara Glen, which has mostly limestone).
So lets hear your suggestions.
Thanks for the help!
-Aaron
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juststrange
Feb 28, 2005, 6:06 PM
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The way I toughend my hands took years, and I don't know if it will work for you or not, but in general, spend some of your spare time working on cars. The calluses you build with help save your finger tips pretty quick. In the short term, all I can recoomend is staying away from things that with soften your hands excessivly, like lotion. Keep in mind some new hand soaps seem to have lotion in them to, if you wanna be a real hard man switch over to Lava or Gojo Fast Orange, theyt work better anyway. Thats my two cents.
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t-dog
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Feb 28, 2005, 6:25 PM
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I've found that regular indoor climbing will keep the skin on my hands fairly tough. If that is the case for you, then all you need to do is go easy once you get to Bishop (maybe one day on, one day off), at least at the start. That way you can work the toughness of your hands up there a bit too. Just make sure you don't go too hard or you could seriously regret it and it could ruin your trip.
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bler
Feb 28, 2005, 7:24 PM
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buttermilks tear up your fingers..
otherwise the happy/sad boulder lavarock doesn't trash your fingers too bad..
and to prepare your fingers : use sandpaper ;)
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wings
Feb 28, 2005, 7:41 PM
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I've heard that many central American baseball players urinate on their hands as this has the effect of toughening up the skin (I don't know why). Give it at try and let us know how it affects your social life.
- Seyil
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quickclips
Feb 28, 2005, 8:06 PM
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Take a belt sander to them. I prefer 60 grit. Actually just climbing typically does it for me.
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speedywon
Feb 28, 2005, 8:41 PM
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I tape a strip of course grit (60+) sandpaper to the top of my hangboard to toughen up my finder tips. The back of the hands is a little harder to toughen up without resorting to self-mutilation.
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skidawg
Feb 28, 2005, 9:17 PM
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Yeah, basicly just working them as much as you can...I guess sand paper would speed up the process if you don't do it overkill. When I was on the crew team, I/we would soak our caluses in hydrogen peroxide. This was meant to harden them after you had worked that area. It can be sort of painfull, and you shouldn't work that area extensively after that or it can rub the callus off. It actually didn't work all that great for me, but it did for some of my friends (some of them also used some sort of balm that toughened the calluses, and skin, but I have no clue what it was....just don't use lotion, that will weaken the skin).
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dontfall
Feb 28, 2005, 10:23 PM
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rubbing sandpaper on your tips and palms works wonders.....as of what i have heard at least.
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jaflorence
Mar 1, 2005, 2:14 AM
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Peeing on your hands has the opposite effect... the urea will actually soften your skin. However, it has to soak in regardless.... ewww
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nrvna963
Mar 1, 2005, 2:36 AM
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ok, well first of all you go find a 2x4. Next get 100 needles, (this is very important, it must be exact), and drill 100 small holes about 2 centimeters deep and glue each needle in with epoxy. Make sure each hole is exactly 2 mm apart. Now for the training, all you have to do is smack your hands onto the needles as hard as you can, and repeat this 100 times, 4 times daily. Your hands will be hard as a rock within 2 weeks..... cough cough, or bloody as hell.
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stupidboulderer
Mar 1, 2005, 4:50 AM
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I glued some sharp granite rocks, that I got from Bishop, to the back of my hangboard with liquid nails caulking. Works pretty good, but gym climbing (and crew) is all I really need to build good calluses.
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malaka
Mar 1, 2005, 6:42 AM
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Here´s a tip for you, don´t work as a dishwasher! Turns your skin into white mush (think corpse in water) that rips off in quarter-sized pieces when you try to stick a hold. Good luck!
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maculated
Mar 1, 2005, 7:21 AM
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Well, I for one will be nice in this thread - dude, if you've been pulling on plastic with any regularity, and your hands are even one ounce as nasty as mine are, you're ready.
That said, I've been using this stuff for years on soft little dog tootsies and it seems to work well - I wonder if it works for people: Tuf-Foot.
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lemurboy
Mar 2, 2005, 1:36 PM
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Thanks for the great suggestions. I just wasn’t sure just how hard the granite is down there as I have heard horror stories of it eating your hands. I pull plastic 2 – 3 times a week so my hands are soft girly hands, I also work at a mould shop (engineer at a desk) where we deal with steel and aluminum a lot. I think I’m going to try messing around with some steel a bit, I hear if you get some steel shavings on your hands it will toughen them up pretty good.
Well I guess I will let you guys know!
Thanks
-Aaron
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rainontin
Mar 4, 2005, 1:49 AM
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Here is a tip for protecting your tips when you actually get there. The first day you are there, tape up two finger tips on each hand. The next day, tape the other two fingers on each hand. Keep rotating until you no longer feel the need to. I recommend surgical tape, it will stick all day long.
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