What does it take to climb? Bulging muscles, gleaming abs, oversized shoulders, or titanium fingers?
Above all, you need this vital yet fragile organ: the skin that covers the tips of your hands. How to develop and maintain “good” skin? Here are the answers to all your questions.
YOU WANT THE BASICS
If you climb occasionally, you may notice that some of your sessions at a climbing gym end with your fingertips red and sore, making it hard to imagine touching another hold. That’s normal: when you don’t climb regularly, your body (read: the tips of your fingers) can hardly acclimate to the plastic in climbing centers or the rock on boulders or outdoor walls.
The foundation of finger skin care is applying a cream after climbing. Make sure your hands are clean, and over time, you should develop thicker skin that will allow you to have longer or more frequent sessions. Pro tip: avoid repeatedly doing the same movement on slopers or aggressive crimps. This way, you will use up less skin…
YOU WANT TO CARE FOR YOUR FINGER SKIN (BUT AREN’T (YET) MANIACAL)
Perhaps you’ve been climbing for a while and the state of your skin is sometimes or often a limiting factor? Here are some tips. A range of products will help keep your hands in good condition. Since
everyone is different, you need to do some testing. Personally, I like all Rhino-Skin products, which leave little to no greasy film on the fingers. The best is to apply it before going to bed – so as not to
ruin the rest of your day with “creamed” hands. In any case, applying cream at the end of your session won’t yield exceptional results. Unfortunately, you can’t have it all: “good” skin for outdoor climbing will be a disadvantage for the plastic holds in the gym for indoor climbing, and vice versa.
For rock climbing, you will need to develop thicker, callused skin that will help you crush your fingers on sharp holds. This same callus is not very sticky on the polyurethane holds and volumes of your favorite climbing gym. Also, know that once you have this much sought-after callus, to bite onto small holds, you need to maintain it. You need to file, cut, and sand the cracks to prevent the callus from splitting.
Pro tip: don’t wait for your skin to become sensitive before applying cream. Applying it regularly will give you solid fingertips in no time.
YOU TAKE DETAILED NOTES ON THE CONDITION OF YOUR FINGER SKIN
At this stage, you know well the advanced tricks to take care of your finger skin. Here are some suggestions for new tricks that might give you the ideal skin, according to your needs. Some climbers apply creams shortly before climbing to try to reach the delicate balance between thicker but also flexible skin.
There are also categories of climbers with “special needs”: those whose skin becomes moist quickly and those, on the contrary, who have very (too) dry skin. For moist skin, there are two products that can help. The first is to apply a base layer of liquid chalk. Several brands work very well. The alcohol should help remove some moisture.
Another trick: use a product called “Antihydral,” which helps to dry out and thicken the skin. Use it sparingly because it’s quite an aggressive method if not dosed correctly! In the case of dry skin, some climbers keep a small bottle of water with them to sprinkle their hands before applying chalk. Test it if that’s your case.
Also, plan some aspects of your life around your climbing: scrubbing pots and pans in hot water without gloves is an excellent recipe for softening your skin… Same goes for baths.
Pro tip: if you have a project with one or more particularly sharp holds and want to maximize the number of your attempts, warm up on the route or boulder with your fingertips protected by tape. You’ll be able to do the moves without ruining all your chances.
Some ways to apply tape: