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knubs
May 2, 2011, 8:28 PM
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hello everyone! i'm 18, i have one hand, i live in joshua tree, and i love rocks! so today i am here to see if i can get any tips that may help me. before i lost my right hand i was mildly into climbing, but now i have been wanting to get into it a lot more. currently i have no gear other than a chalk sock and some climbing tape. my hand is lost about an inch above the wrist, so i still have wrist movement. most of the time i cover it completely with climbing tape so that i can abuse it a little more and grab around cracks and such. i do ok for having one hand but of course i stay on smaller rocks because i have no safety gear yet. everything i do i self taught. i live in joshua tree so i've been on the rocks informally for my whole life, but was never taught anything. so, are there any one handed climbers or people that could advise on it? i know with all the skilled climbers here, someone probably has some climbing tips and suggestions that they've picked up that could probably help me. also i am open to training suggestions as well, whether it be workouts or just climbing exercises, if it will make me better im open for it!!!
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Rudmin
May 2, 2011, 11:08 PM
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I have no experience, but I would think you'd want some kind of ice-tool-like prosthetic hand. I could imagine this to be superior to fingers in certain situations, like hooking micro edges. I'm sure there must be a number of alpinists out there who have lost fingers due to frost bite but still continue to climb.
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camhead
May 2, 2011, 11:30 PM
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if only there was some other user on this site who has one hand. Oh well, maybe someone else will sign up.
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carabiner96
May 2, 2011, 11:38 PM
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Hey knubs, I'm a climber with one hand, and I know at least two other one handed climbers who crank hard. Were you at the j-tree adaptive climbing clinic a few weeks ago??
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carabiner96
May 2, 2011, 11:42 PM
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Rudmin wrote: I have no experience, but I would think you'd want some kind of ice-tool-like prosthetic hand. I could imagine this to be superior to fingers in certain situations, like hooking micro edges. I'm sure there must be a number of alpinists out there who have lost fingers due to frost bite but still continue to climb. My one friend has been on a hell bent search for the perfect hand rock climbing prosthetic. He's been working on it 10+ years and still hasn't got it working. I think that wearing a proth sucks and just tape my stump. But its total personal preference, we're both congential, you're a trauma so you might need the extra protection around the stump. How'd you lose the hand? You and I would actually be a good match, the other two guys are right around the elbow but I also have some wrist movement. I've been thinking about visiting Jtree... (Ice axe attachment works for ice only. Skids all over rock).
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carabiner96
May 2, 2011, 11:43 PM
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PM me other info, I may have some gear that you can have if its the right size.
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Rudmin
May 3, 2011, 12:24 AM
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I am envisaging some sort of Edward Camhands contraption
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carabiner96
May 3, 2011, 12:48 AM
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Rudmin wrote: I am envisaging some sort of Edward Camhands contraption That one stays in the bed room.
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maldaly
May 3, 2011, 1:39 AM
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Hey Knubs, I run a nonprofit called Paradox Sports. We help amputees, paraplegics and whatever to get out a climb, surf, ride, kayak get out and get real. Check out our stuff at www.paradoxsports.org or our Facebook page. We have 3 hand/arm amps who climb with us on a regular basis. Check out their stories on our website. Also check this guy out: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1376020/Revolutionary-prosthetic-limbs-help-injured-mountaineer-climb-again.html He lost all his fingers to frostbite and he's getting after it. Shoot me an email at mdaly@paradoxsports.org and I'll hook you up with my crew. One of the, Pete Davis, was in JTree last weekend for the adaptive climbing weekend. did you make it out thete? Best, Mal
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JohnCook
May 3, 2011, 3:08 AM
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Read Jaimie Andrew, An arm and a leg. I think that is the name of the book. The rescue part has been made into a TV documentary. The book is an inspiration, and may help you in your future quest
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knubs
May 3, 2011, 7:00 AM
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wow! it is nice to see that i'm not alone! i wasn't even aware of the clinic actually. i dont hear about much around here. i didnt even know they held adaptive climbing clinics, good to know though. i started designing a prosthetic for climbing a couple months ago as well, but after a while i realized how valuable my knub was while climbing. i lost my hand march of last year... i've always been into fireworks and explosives and started making my own at 7 years old. i got bored with all the basic flash powders and cardboard tubes pretty quickly so i started making bigger and better things. by the beginning of high school i was making my own high explosives... what i really loved was designing things though so i designed a pull pin igniter system. long story short, i did a lot of testing on it before i put it on live ordinance, but i decided to bump up one of the chemicals by a tenth of a gram on the live test. that was all it took to make it go wrong. i pulled the pin (it's on a grenade basically) and it detonated half a second later in my hand. (this was in the middle of no where with some friends who were positioned far away, i was the only one in danger) it was a stupid hobby i will admit, but it was fun while it lasted and i really dont regret it honestly and there arent a lot of normal hobby options in the middle of the desert as you can see. lol i will also definitely check out paradox sports asap! Thanks everyone for the responses!! oh, and attached is a picture of my knub after a little bit of climbing, just to give everyone a visual.
(This post was edited by knubs on May 3, 2011, 7:01 AM)
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bearbreeder
May 3, 2011, 5:58 PM
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i have absolutely no experience so take this as you may ... but have you tried slab climbing ... might be easier for you and can be no less adventurous ... there are classic multipitch slab climbs in many places hand/fist sized crack climbing may also be something to consider
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kiwiprincess
May 3, 2011, 9:01 PM
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i have seen a guy climbing at the gym. He had a metal Pincer type hand. He was training for mountaineering and it was super good when he was practicing prussicking up the rope and rescue stuff but not too flash on the climbing.
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majid_sabet
May 3, 2011, 11:09 PM
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if I get some free time and support,I bet I can make a special cam/hook combo device where it will be attached to your arm and you could crack and face climb if you got arm rotation and movement. edit; which hand ? left or right ?
(This post was edited by majid_sabet on May 3, 2011, 11:11 PM)
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ceebo
May 3, 2011, 11:44 PM
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Nice to see you trying. I seen a tool use in aid climbing, but the name escapes me. It was basically a L shaped tool (used upside down) that he put on a rather small hold, it was just his weight on that made it stick. I guess if you used a similar tool, perhaps made it slightly smaller so it can also fit into monos etc.. it would work well. You could also put a thin layer of rubber on the part that makes contact with the rock to give some grip. Perhaps even have 3 parts to it. First part would imitate a normal climbing hand position. Rotate the entire forearm 90 degree and have another style tool on that angle. Rotate a further 90 degree and again another style tool on that. Being realistic your never going to be able to use micro pinch type holds, but you could certainly cover a large majority of hold types if you designed the L shapes/angle and sizes in a broad manner. The rubber would be a must though i would imagine.
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carabiner96
May 4, 2011, 12:00 AM
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With a taped stump and sticky rock, you'd be surprised what sort of crimpers you can stick to.
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knubs
May 4, 2011, 6:20 AM
Post #18 of 28
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thanks for the offer but in the end i think it would be better to not use a prosthetic. like Carabiner96 said, it is surprising what you can do without one. i've noticed that the physical aspect isnt nearly as grueling as the mental though. a lot of the stuff i know i could physically do but when it comes to doing it i find myself to be overly cautious. in the end it comes down to not wanting to permanently injure myself for a hobby again. i'm sure that part will ease eventually once i can get a rope that i can use as a safety line though.
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ceebo
May 4, 2011, 11:36 AM
Post #19 of 28
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knubs wrote: thanks for the offer but in the end i think it would be better to not use a prosthetic. like Carabiner96 said, it is surprising what you can do without one. i've noticed that the physical aspect isnt nearly as grueling as the mental though. a lot of the stuff i know i could physically do but when it comes to doing it i find myself to be overly cautious. in the end it comes down to not wanting to permanently injure myself for a hobby again. i'm sure that part will ease eventually once i can get a rope that i can use as a safety line though. Was just thinking later down the line if you decide to get into partner leading or roped solo. Trying to vision climbing like this it would seem most of the taking in or clipping would be done by the hand.. so the more the prosthetic can hold onto (like thin cracks and mono's) the more choice of routes i would have.
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climber49er
May 4, 2011, 12:44 PM
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I love it when people don't say "I can't, because...!" Climb on!
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JAB
May 6, 2011, 10:57 AM
Post #21 of 28
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knubs wrote: hello everyone! i'm 18, i have one hand, i live in joshua tree, and i love rocks! so today i am here to see if i can get any tips that may help me. before i lost my right hand i was mildly into climbing, but now i have been wanting to get into it a lot more. currently i have no gear other than a chalk sock and some climbing tape. my hand is lost about an inch above the wrist, so i still have wrist movement. most of the time i cover it completely with climbing tape so that i can abuse it a little more and grab around cracks and such. i do ok for having one hand but of course i stay on smaller rocks because i have no safety gear yet. everything i do i self taught. i live in joshua tree so i've been on the rocks informally for my whole life, but was never taught anything. so, are there any one handed climbers or people that could advise on it? i know with all the skilled climbers here, someone probably has some climbing tips and suggestions that they've picked up that could probably help me. also i am open to training suggestions as well, whether it be workouts or just climbing exercises, if it will make me better im open for it!!! There's a fairly well known climber in the UK whos left hand looks a bit like yours. His name is Kev Shields, and he has a blog too: http://kevshieldsclimbing.blogspot.com/
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dindolino32
May 12, 2011, 5:27 AM
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Hi there, I am really excited. I am a prosthetist and a climber. I have been thinking about what difficulties climbers would have without an arm. I have Aron Ralston"s prototype pictures that I picked up from a recent convention and thought that there could be better. PM me if you wanna try out something. I have a sheet of stealth onyx rubber, all the tools to make a prosthesis (prosthetic is an adjective). I would be in heaven if I could do the two things that I love at once.
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yodadave
May 13, 2011, 11:37 AM
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the J-tree event was organised by a guy called Ronnie Dickson. It was sponsored by evolv and sanuk. Google around and you should find some great vids of the event and of Ronnie climbing.
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knubs
Sep 1, 2011, 3:38 AM
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well, i have a bit of gear now and i've been climbing a lot. im now climbing 5.9-5.10's . some climbs have been interesting, and contain moves that i flat out cant do, but so far i've managed to come up with different moves and styles and i've been able to conquer almost everything i've tried so far. i've even been able to complete some difficult moves that my climbing partners couldnt do :) my tips for one-handed climbers are as follows- 1.) if you are going to belay for TR then i highly recommend tying an ascender tied to your nub. you can put this on the rope and use it to pull in slack. this leaves your hand available for the brake 2.) wrap your nub. i personally always wrap my nub in climbing tape. it helps it stick a lot. 3.) get good at foot work!!!! people ask me "how do you climb with one hand?" my answer is "with my feet." 4.) dont be afraid to use your chin or other odd body parts!!! i've had to balance myself using my chin and nub together a few times, but as long as you can get your hand free to move for the next hold, you are golden. 5.)be creative. you are going to see a lot of people do a lot of things that you cant. that doesnt mean you cant do the climb, it means you have to figure out something that works for YOU. 6.) imagine the looks on your friends faces when you pull some bad ass move with your nub 7.) try using your nub for balance, not power (as much as possible anyways) 8.) dont push too hard!!!! so far over my short life i've torn the tendons in my right arm(my nub arm) twice and i know how painful it is. be very careful to not damage your tendons, especially in your good arm. i climb 2-3 times a week and i am currently taking a break. i can feel my tendons start to ache. last thing i want to do is injure my good arm/hand 9.) if your nub is wedge shaped like mine, you may need a nut tool to get it out of a crack. ok, well that was a joke, but seriously, be careful not to get your nub stuck 10.) dont give up!
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nkane
Sep 1, 2011, 3:47 AM
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Awesome! Most of this is actually good advice even for people with both hands!
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