Climbing is enjoyable, and there are plenty of benefits of rock climbing. However, a climber must be extremely conscious of his hands in order to continue climbing without being annoyed or suffering any injuries.
Everything matters when it comes to the hand care of climbers, from washing hands to drying, moisturizing and filling calluses.
In addition to taking care of their hands while climbing, climbers should also take care of their hands before and after their ascent.
In-depth instructions on how to properly take care of your hands before, during, and after climbing are provided in this article:
Before Climbing Hand Care For Climbers
Here’s how a climber can take care of his/her hands before starting climbing:
Trim Your Nails
Do you want to be the person whose scratching nails drive everyone else crazy at the gym because they scrape up against the wall? For sure not.
It is advised to clip your nails and round the edges before climbing since they will continue to scrape against the wall.
Rounding nail edges is another way of avoiding hangnails that is commonly associated with climbers.
Additionally, climbing with fully grown nails is usually difficult for climbers because there is a constant risk of breaking the nails.
Moisturize Your Hands
One of the best hand care tips for climbers is to moisturize the hands before a climbing session because it is the right way to keep skin hydrated for a while.
Elastic skin is less at risk of cracking and spiriting, and with the proper application of hand moisturizer, you can make your skin elastic.
However, if you want to prevent your hands from sliding about when climbing, you shouldn't apply a wax-based lotion.
During Climbing Hand Care For Climbers
Here’s how a climber can take care of his/her hands during climbing:
Always Have A Look At Your Skin
It is necessary to keep a good eye on your hands during your climbing session. Whenever you feel there is a split or maybe a tear there, the best thing you can do is either file it down instantly or cut your session short.
There is no need to make an impression on others or feel ashamed of what people will think if I come down in the middle of the climbing session because your hands should be in the best possible manner to even think of reaching the top.
Choose A High-Quality Chalk
Compared to block or powdered chalk, liquid chalk has a greater grip and generates less dust. If your hands perspire or if you climb in warm weather, you should have a bottle of liquid chalk in your climbing equipment.
The worst thing you can do is use inferior liquid chalk since it will cause your hands to perspire while climbing, increasing the likelihood of making a climbing mistake.
After Climbing Hand Care For Climbers
Here’s how a climber can take care of his/her hands after climbing:
Wash Your Hands
After a climbing session, you should thoroughly wash your hands to remove any traces of dirt, sweat, chalk, oil, or anything else.
The mixture of grime, sweat, chalk, and grease will almost certainly cause skin damage if you don't wash your hands.
As one of the finest ways to care for climber's hands, it is preferable to wash your hands with appropriate hand soap and cold water after an aggressive climbing session.
File Your Calluses
Hand care for climbers becomes more difficult as you have to consider flappers as well. When callus snags and tears are on hold, flappers occur. The likelihood of them occurring increases when your calluses are large and protruding.
Filing down your calluses until they are flush with the rest of your skin is one way to reduce the number of flappers you get.
Filing away calluses is a simple process. Simply use pumice or a skin file to smooth them down once they become prominent. Don't remove them totally; rather, file them down until they are flush with the rest of your skin.
Wrapping Up
These hand care ways and tips for climbers are the best ones that can help take care of their skin and hands before, during, and after climbing.
We are certain that now you have a great understating of how a climber can take care of his hands to keep them safe even after an aggressive climbing session.
Do you have some hand-care tips for climbers? If you do, we’d love to know all of them.
Let’s write your heart out in the comments section below.
FAQs
Should climbers use lotion?
You should always moisturize on the day before climbing, regardless of your skin type. To achieve the greatest results, always moisturize before bed.
Should climbers remove calluses?
A climber should aim for smooth, flat calluses. It's crucial to lessen the likelihood that this would happen because if they aren't, they could tear and rupture. Just a little skin filing will do. Use a sandpaper file to remove calluses and frayed skin whenever you spot them.
Why do climbers sandpaper their hands?
If a climber's nails are too long, they could get caught on the rock and ripped off. Many times a day, calluses are filed down with emery boards or sandpaper to keep them from being deformed or too large.
Should I ice my hands after climbing?
After climbing, soak your hands in ice water to soothe discomfort. After a climbing session, it's only normal for your skin and muscles to feel a little sore. A cold soak is an effective home treatment for this. Your hands should spend a few minutes in a bowl filled with water and ice cubes.
