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Tenguka
Mar 7, 2008, 4:50 PM
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My wife and I have just started climbing in an indoor gym. My wife keeps tearing her hands up. Any advice on how to protect her hands...she doesn't want to end up with man-hands 
Maybe taping? or something like that? Any thoughts would be awesome.
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lena_chita
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Mar 7, 2008, 5:59 PM
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It is hard to tell what you mean by "tearing them up"-- wearing out skin on her fingertips? getting flappers? getting scratches?
Fingertips will get tougher as she climbs regularly.
Using something like climber-targeted skin balm, like Joshus Tree Salve, after climbing, can help.
If you are talking about random scratches-- that's the fact of climber's life.
If she is getting flappers a lot, using moisturizers after climbing and filing down the caluses helps.
But there is no question at all -- Climbing will toughen her skin, flatten her knuckles, and so on. If she wants pretty ladies' hands with smooth skin and long nails, climbing is not the best activity for that.
Taping will not help much. (unless we are talking about taping for crack climbing, but I don't think so)
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hexinduction
Mar 7, 2008, 6:14 PM
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What kind of tearing? Where on her hand specifically? What caused it? Was she climbing cracks? It's hard to advise without knowing some of this, but here goes some generic comments:
Some beginners (male and female) do have soft hands, and they can get pretty raw and torn up when they start climbing. But climbing WILL toughen her hands, so eventually she'll be less prone to this "tearing". It's just a natural process. Taping has its place (especially in cracks or on extremely abrasive rock), but here I think it would only slow down this necessary toughening process.
In the meantime, she can work on more controlled movement. If she's doing a lot of lunging, or trying to imitate the dynamic style of the average boulderer, she'll tend to shred more skin. The fundamentals of good technique apply: watching the feet closely until they're placed on their footholds, developing a sense of balance, etc.
After a climbing session she could use moisturizing lotion to help her skin recover from the "rock" and the chalk. She should also snip off any chunks or tabs of skin that are hanging, and obv. clean them as normal.
Climb on.
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Tenguka
Mar 8, 2008, 12:21 AM
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I guess tearing up wasn't the right wording. More like chafing, rubbing raw. I do understand that it takes time to "toughen" the hands. She's mostly concerned about growing calluses. I'll let her know about trying skin balm.
Thanks!
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Tenguka
Mar 8, 2008, 12:25 AM
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I believe your right about the controlled movement. Being a beginner does make it rough on the body. I know my hands are soft and I'm not chafing them or anything. Granted I have a bit more experience with climbing and tend to be light and monkey like as opposed to her who hasn't any experience so is learning as she goes. Thanks for the insight.
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catbird_seat
Mar 10, 2008, 4:30 AM
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Part of the problem my be technique, rather than soft skin. I think that as she gains experience she'll have less trouble with the skin on her hands.
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jacob80304
Mar 12, 2008, 7:18 PM
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Too bad. If you want to become a rock climber, you have to develop callus's on your palm and fingers. You have to bear the pain for about a week or so. Then your hands feel invincible. Rock climbers are not known for their hand modeling careers. Chalk also makes your hands extremely dry, but it is a nessecary tool for succesful ascent.
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uhoh
Mar 13, 2008, 4:09 PM
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Tenguka wrote: My wife and I have just started climbing in an indoor gym. My wife keeps tearing her hands up. Any advice on how to protect her hands...she doesn't want to end up with man-hands Maybe taping? or something like that? Any thoughts would be awesome.
Thought: I don't eat meat anymore but I occasionally have cravings for gyros. Does that make me a bad vegetarian?
Thought with regard to your problem: Don't climb? It's hard to give a quality response without having more details about the injuries your wife's hands are sustaining but the fact of the matter is that climbing is a powerful workout out and if she wants to continue climbing, she'll have to get used to calluses, cuts, scrapes, flappers, and a general strengthening of her hands and upper body. Unless she can find a mountain of pillows to climb on. That'd be pretty badass.
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Chris_sharma
Mar 13, 2008, 5:08 PM
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As was already said, Every rock climber tears their fingers apart over time. Though your wife might not want her fingers to become rougher, its all part of the journey. Tape is not recommended as it is not a good way to begin climbing because strong fingers are fundamental. And rough ones will spare you many rips in the future. Chalk is a good thing to use, and be sure to keep your hands chalked. I find focusing and taking your time on the routes will help prevent unnecessary finger strain. Currently i have the opportunity try some uncharted areas in Borneo, and am going to start organizing my journal to help others on the rock climbing communtity online. I wish to publish some of my thoughts on climbing in the future.
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jacob80304
Mar 13, 2008, 6:49 PM
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agreed "Chris" How was climbing that arch in the mediterrainian?
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theclimbergirl
Mar 15, 2008, 5:01 PM
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I'm a girl, and have been in this for over three years... I agree with the other responses that it's not so much about protecting, as it is about the skin just getting tougher. Based on my experience, I'd encourage your wife to start out slowly -- climb regularly, but at moderate grades with varying degrees of incline. That allows her skin to toughen up over time, and also, allows her tendons to slowly adjust to the new strain she's putting on them.
I tried rappel gloves for belaying when I was first starting out because I kept tearing up my hands and aside from the incessant mocking from my climbing partners (they kept peppering me with questions about falconing) gloves just prevent your hands from building up the natural defenses they need.
I don't "molt" after regular gym climbing now, but I do still have a molt after each outdoor trip. I don't often notice my own "man-hand-ness" but every once in awhile when I'm all done up for a meeting or event and someone catches sight of my post-trip flappers, torn cuticles and molting finger pads I do get comments about whether I have some sort of disease. I went ... once ... for a manicure and the very nice non-native-english-speaker on the other side of the manicure table was absolutely appalled by my hands.
Now -- one girl-specific (or, hygiene-oriented-individual-specific) thought... a lot of skincare products (think, facial exfoliants) have chemical or physical exfoliants in them, and you apply them with your bare fingers. This is counterproductive for us climber girls (and skincare-using climber boys). One product I was using put my fingers into constant exfoliation for about two weeks... I finally put two and two together and chucked it because seriously -- if it's doing that to my fingers, how many layers of my face do I want to lose? If you do use chemical or physical exfoliants, don't apply directly with your fingers, to save as much callous as possible!
Sigh.
After writing all this, I just remembered that I'm not in the Ladies Room. Sorry for the extended detail, boys...
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kostik
Mar 16, 2008, 1:29 AM
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theclimbergirl wrote: I'm a girl, and have been in this for over three years
lovely
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Tenguka
Mar 17, 2008, 3:44 PM
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when all you have is plastic...you use plastic 
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lrossi
Mar 17, 2008, 4:27 PM
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jammer wrote: Get off the plastic and on some rock. Plastic does not remove the heat from your hands as rock does, creating damage.
Huh?!?
What on earth are you talking about?
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jammer
Mar 17, 2008, 6:09 PM
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lrossi wrote: jammer wrote: Get off the plastic and on some rock. Plastic does not remove the heat from your hands as rock does, creating damage. Huh?!? What on earth are you talking about?
When you climb in the gum, the plastic holds do not remove the heat in your hands, creating overheating and damage after awhile. When climbing on rock, the heat from your hands is transfered to the rock, in a cooling fashion, where your muscles and tendons are not overheated and prone to damage.
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lrossi
Mar 17, 2008, 6:52 PM
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jammer wrote: When you climb in the gum, the plastic holds do not remove the heat in your hands, creating overheating and damage after awhile. When climbing on rock, the heat from your hands is transfered to the rock, in a cooling fashion, where your muscles and tendons are not overheated and prone to damage.
That's a very interesting theory.
First, the OP was talking about raw skin, not muscle and tendon damage. So your statement isn't relevant.
Second, your theory is ridiculous for several reasons. Care to cite a scientific source or is this a faith-based hypothesis?
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jammer
Mar 17, 2008, 7:07 PM
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lrossi wrote: jammer wrote: When you climb in the gum, the plastic holds do not remove the heat in your hands, creating overheating and damage after awhile. When climbing on rock, the heat from your hands is transfered to the rock, in a cooling fashion, where your muscles and tendons are not overheated and prone to damage. That's a very interesting theory. First, the OP was talking about raw skin, not muscle and tendon damage. So your statement isn't relevant. Second, your theory is ridiculous for several reasons. Care to cite a scientific source or is this a faith-based hypothesis?
I'll tell you what ... use the search too and read for yourself. You don't want to believe me, that's fine with me.
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chedontsurf
Mar 18, 2008, 4:39 PM
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i guess that theory holds up as long as the rock in question is cooler that the hand that's touching it and the plastic in question is hotter. but you're talking about one hell of a hot wall.
that aside, if you're worried about getting torn up, don't climb here. there's all these sharp crystals in the granite that's eat you alive. let me tell ya, there's nothing like seconding a blood trail up a sandbagged offwidth.
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chedontsurf
Mar 19, 2008, 12:29 AM
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no worries bro. i ice climb with a gu from new hampshire who lives out here now. sounds like a pretty cool place to climb.
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