EWolfe Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Do you tape up for hard cracks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Tape is aid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrogdortheBurninator Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 What about the "I don't climb hard cracks" selection? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFIVE Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Tape is cheating!! You miss out on the pain, which is exchanged for power. If you climb with out tape for a few years you get leather on backs of your hands and you don't get many gobis, unless it is a super hard sick splitter. Your gobis tell the story of what size you have been on, thus telling how hard your crack was! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billcoe Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 More than I use to. Â I still rarely tape, but noted that when we were running up Serenity-Sons of Yesterday last May and trying to make fast time, that you could almost just toss your hand in and pull. Toss and pull, toss and pull. No futzing around here or there to reposition cause the back of your hand found that sharp feldspar crystal or rugosite. It made a signifigant difference of speed especially higher up where the crack hadn't seen the pitons smoothing the crack out like the first 3 pitches got. Â When you add up 3 people doing like ? 9 pitches or whatever that was. How many hand placements would that be? 3000 per person for the route? Â The tape really speeded up the 3 of us outrunning the party of 2 below us. They started right on our 3rd persons ass and were on like P2 or so as we hit P7 or P8 something dramatic like that. I'd always used it to help minimise ripping the crap out of my little thin-skinned delicate pussy no-callosed hands. I never thought of taping to really increase your speed, but it helps a lot. Â Other than that, I've been taping the holy crap out of my foot the few times I've been getting out (but it still hurts even on easy cracks), and it helps to give some strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selkirk Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 After climbing without tape for a couple of years, you learn how to place your hands softly as well, and not to trash them. If I were out for a long, multiday crack climb I probably would but for 2 or 3 days with some recovery time afterwords the minor scrapes and rubs heal fine. Â Well, that, and chicks dig scars so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMR Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Do you tape up for hard cracks? no...hard means thin...can't get as good a fit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darstog Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 As a young man, throwing myself over and over again at Coach's crack, poor as all getup, and dumb as hell, I never used tape. Now, as an old man, after having been accused of stigmata (good god, you're hands are always bleeding, man), and having seen the light, I now actually occasionally use tape, sometimes, almost always at the UW wall. Any tips to help build up leathery hands? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMR Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 beat off 24-7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpinfox Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 After climbing without tape for a couple of years, you learn how to place your hands softly as well... Â I didn't realize you had been climbing more than a couple of years. Â Â Â A full tape job is indicated for certain routes (e.g. Royal Flush) or for multi-day climbing trips to preserve skin (a week in the creek), or for certain rock types (handcracks at Josh). Â Taping to support tendons while gym climbing is at least psychologically beneficial and maybe even physically. Â Tape is aid. Â This thread will go for 6 pages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMR Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Â i will beat it for 6 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Do you tape up for hard cracks? no...hard means thin...can't get as good a fit  So you wouldn't tape for offwidths, cause hard is thin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMR Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 actually, i don't tape for offwidths... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMR Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 but then again, i haven't tried any 5.12 offwidths either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFIVE Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Just spent two weeks in the creek. Didn't tape once! Only got two gobis (one on the right middle finger from Johnny cat) and (one on the center of the back of the right hand from incredible hand crack). Crack climbed in Oregon the last two weekends with no tape and the scabs are gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minx Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 good on ya for having good enough technique or leathery enough skin not to bleed. Â i on the other hand being a sucky climber see nothing wrong with some tape. especially since i have no desire to have leathery hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forrest_m Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 back when i rock climbed a lot more, i never taped up, 'cause once you have the callouses, it's all about the same. OTOH, i recently spent a week in the valley after barely climbing all summer. i taped religiously (though sparingly) because i figured i would not otherwise be able to climb many days in a row in order to take advantage of my short vacation. after climbing 7 days out of 8, my hands are still as smooth as a baby's bottom, so mission accomplished in that regard. Â interesting to note the different ways peopls tape up. i always make the "glove" style, which takes a bit longer the first time but then can be reused every day for about a week and don't slide downwards. (just replace the 3" long strip at the wrist each morning). my partner prefered to just wrap circles around the palm and back, which i hate because my palms sweat, and you have to totally re-do it every day. i saw this spanish guy in the grocery store who looked like he was making boxing gloves, dude must have had an entire roll of tape on his hands... Â as for finger tape, having torn both ring finger tendons, i almost always tape the knuckle prophalactically. this is kind of like anti-aid, as it actually reduces your crimp strength (because you can't bend the finger as far to get your weight over the pad), but it beats injuring yourself in the gym. i used to just make a "ring" on each side of th knuckle, but daler showed me a much more effective method of using a continuous thin strip (like 1/3 the width of the roll), making a loose ring below the knuckle, then pulling tight as you cross over the back of the knuckle, loose ring above, tight cross again coming back down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
selkirk Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 After climbing without tape for a couple of years, you learn how to place your hands softly as well...  I didn't realize you had been climbing more than a couple of years.    A full tape job is indicated for certain routes (e.g. Royal Flush) or for multi-day climbing trips to preserve skin (a week in the creek), or for certain rock types (handcracks at Josh).  Taping to support tendons while gym climbing is at least psychologically beneficial and maybe even physically.  Tape is aid.  This thread will go for 6 pages.  I've only been lead climbing and throwing gear for 2 years. But I was roped up and climbing for the first time 23 years ago and have been futzing around with cracks and tape for 5 or 6 years  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWolfe Posted October 27, 2005 Author Share Posted October 27, 2005 I never use tape unless I get bad gobies and am on a climbing trip. Even then I will usually sport climb or boulder for a few days until they are healed. Â I agree with Dru. Tape IS aid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Where did the word gobi start getting used for hand ouchies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMR Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 shoes are aid...climb nekkid... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 Ive seen people totally taping up to the elbows in the Slesse parking lot... not realizing they will be face climbing 99% of the time.... looks as dorky as shorts over polypro. Â You also see a lot of Washington gapers taped up like an Egyptian mummy heading for Diedre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWolfe Posted October 27, 2005 Author Share Posted October 27, 2005 Rrrrrrggggghhhhhh, offwidths! Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kix Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 A full tape job is indicated for certain routes (e.g. Royal Flush) Â Â route? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMR Posted October 27, 2005 Share Posted October 27, 2005 the only tape you use is for marking out your latest raddest gym route... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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