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climbing_chick
Jun 23, 2003, 8:43 PM
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i just started climbing, and every time I go climbing i end up with scrapes on my knees and legs. the other people i go with never even scratch their legs. i really dont fall that much, i just must hit my legs alot. what can i do to help prevent this, and is it normal because i am inexpeirenced or what? thanks
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crotch
Jun 23, 2003, 8:45 PM
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gone
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sroehlk
Jun 23, 2003, 9:01 PM
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It just takes time. I still bang my knees up, but more so when I'm in the gym as opposed to outside. Some of those huge jugs hang out pretty far and klutz that I am bangs into them.
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mhr2000
Jun 23, 2003, 9:10 PM
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For me finess will just have to come with time. One thing I learned though is finess came much quicker for me while I was on lead. On toprope I was more dynamic and sorta slopped my way up because I had no fear of hands or feet slipping (no fall factor). On lead however, I took my time to insure every hand and foot was placed well before making that next move (fall factor). I'm to new at climbing to know how long the scrapes will continue for me, but I hope to at least keep 50% of my skin after every trip until the day comes where I can manage to keep 100% :lol:
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jumpingrock
Jun 23, 2003, 10:40 PM
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I have heard that girls generally scrape up their legs more than guys do. No matter what skill level you are you are still bound to scrap something somewhere. I believe there was a topic on this in the ladies room (don't ask how I know :oops:) a little while back.
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robbovius
Jun 23, 2003, 10:57 PM
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I scrape my legs alot too, but I find more on routes that I'm hurrying the moves or struggling and not able to take time to really finesse things and be methodical.
a matter of technique and ability that will develop with time I assume...
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grigriese
Jun 23, 2003, 11:02 PM
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I know lots of people who climb pretty damn hard who still get scraped up. I think it's more about pushing yourself than anything else!
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thedesertnomad
Jun 23, 2003, 11:12 PM
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I find that once you learn to trust your gear and your hands more... the less you will mash yourself against the wall (or in a good crack) scrapes are good though... lol Great for a "bubble party" after climbing (hydrogen pyroxide) :lol:
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sspssp
Jun 23, 2003, 11:19 PM
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Unless it is too hot, wear long pants. You can also pick up neoprene knee supports that work pretty well for protection. Although you may have to search a bit to find one that is flexible enough and does not have a cut out (a hole right at the top of the knee). I first wore these for light aid climbing and offwidth practice, but I now wear them in many other scenerios.
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thedesertnomad
Jun 23, 2003, 11:23 PM
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In reply to: Unless it is too hot, wear long pants. You can also pick up neoprene knee supports that work pretty well for protection. Although you may have to search a bit to find one that is flexible enough and does not have a cut out (a hole right at the top of the knee). I first wore these for light aid climbing and offwidth practice, but I now wear them in many other scenerios.
Oh.... aid climbing YES YES YES !!!! to knee pads
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m.a.h
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Jun 24, 2003, 12:50 AM
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I have also just started climbing and I have left a fair amount of skin and blood behind too. For me it is due to my fear of heights. I am not keeping my hips back over my feet, rather I am leaning into the rock. Resulting in a set of scraped knees (and I wore shorts). My wife much more at ease with heights (and long pants) no scrapes.
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pinkamy
Jun 24, 2003, 12:55 AM
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I get cuts and stuff every now and then. They're battle wounds. What's the big deal?
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ptone
Jun 24, 2003, 1:37 AM
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I was so proud of my first flapper!
:roll:
When I started climbing, I noticed all these scrapes and pains and stuff, and would try to take better care, and even an extra day off...
Now I'll be in the shower the next morning, turn and -sting!- look down to see a three inch scrape that must've(?) hurt when it happened, presumably climbing the day before...
I don't know if it really gets better, if you keep pushing, hell, it is skin on rock right?
However, I can guarantee you you'll end up paying less and less attention to it.
I think my rule of thumb now is 'if it is still bleeding in the morning, I'll tape it shut !'
Happy day,
-p
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petsfed
Jun 24, 2003, 2:27 AM
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It will, as noted below, come with finesse. Unless you climb wide cracks a lot. In which case it will come when you pick a different medium.
For example: I usually climb at Vedauwoo. Home of the razor sharp fat crack. So I went down to Boulder to see my father (I didn't come home for Father's day you see). And I went up to Boulder Canyon with my old climbing partner. 1 pitch of hand and foot jamming later, with no tape, and I haven't lost an ounce of blood or a square inch of skin. Twas bizarre I tell you. I haven't stayed unpunctured climbing in nearly a year.
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maddog
Jun 24, 2003, 2:13 PM
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You should just tough it out and get used to it. There may be things you can do to help prevent the number of scrapes, but come on! If you dont wanna get banged/torn up, quit climbing, start swimming. I actually like cuts/bruises, I dont know why, i think i got used to it after the 6 years of agressive rollerblading I used to do. I just dont ever wanna dislocate my shoulder, or pop my knee again.
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rendog
Jun 24, 2003, 3:28 PM
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well I've been doing this sport for a while now, and man alive I still get scraped up.
I have sooooo many little bits of bone floating around in my elbows it's not even funny anymore.
at a comp i was in a few years ago I heard a really good line...:
"if ya ain't bleeding ya ain't tryin' hard enough"
words to live by.
"D"
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brutusofwyde
Jun 24, 2003, 4:22 PM
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Knee pads, elbow pads, long pants, hand jammies, and tape. Full body armor is my solution. In one offwidth I even ace-bandaged my head for the mandatory occipital-mandible bridge.
Brutus of Wyde
Old Climbers' Home
Oakland, California
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overlord
Jun 24, 2003, 4:23 PM
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i sometimes still scratch mine, especially when a foothold slips. so mind your footwork.
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ephemeral
Jun 24, 2003, 5:01 PM
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Buy a Climb On bar. Stops the bleeding right away and helps heal it really fast. I bleed from the knees all the time. On one climb on rough sandstone I looked down to see blood running into my shoe. You should have seen the rocks, looked like someone took a screamer right into the face :lol:
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snowrocker
Jul 2, 2003, 11:38 PM
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it is perfectly normal
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vegastradguy
Jul 3, 2003, 12:12 AM
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if you're not bleeding, it's not a good day. :D
better footwork and body positioning lead to less scraping.
the more you climb, the less you scrape.
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moabbeth
Jul 3, 2003, 12:20 AM
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You'll get less scrapes as you improve. I used to scrape my hands a lot when I first started crack climbing and now I rarely do cause I know better technique. There's always gonna be times you'll get scrapes though, it's the nature of the sport (climbing on rock). I was climbing out at Queen Creek with Bill 2 weeks ago...didn't get a single cut or scrape from the climbs themselves but got attacked by all the pointy sharp desert flora on the descent climb. Cut up my legs all to hell. Scrapes will happen no matter if you're on rock on not.
Two words though: hydrogen peroxide!! It costs a buck a bottle and if you toss some on your scrapes at the end of the day they'll heal really fast and it'll knock out any bacteria. And it bubbles up when it's killing the bacteria so it's fun to apply and watch :lol: !!
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bakedjake
Jul 3, 2003, 12:23 AM
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i'm a noob so i don't like to give product and climbing advice but i just consider it all in a normal day's climbing activity. i took a good one a couple weeks back and am still picking at the scab. i kinda like it.
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a510poser
Jul 3, 2003, 12:47 AM
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Well yeah it is normal at first, at least for me. Eventually I noticed that all the people I considered "real climbers" wore pants. So I started wearing pants too and all of a sudden I wasn't scraping my legs anymore. Yeah it was that easy. Of course ten years later (last week) I climbed Fairview Dome in shorts, cause it was so hot and came back totally scraped up. Go figure, I must have missed something along the way. Good luck!
PS
I learned to climb on Yosemite cracks and when I'm squirming around in those cracks half the time my knee or what ever else I can get friction from becomes a climbing tool. Also I always tell beginners that climbing is a hard, dirty and groveling sport. We are as fragile as water balloons in that medium and we will all get scraped up on a good day. It's just part of the game. Of course, I might also just be lame!
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tradkelly
Jul 3, 2003, 1:25 AM
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Chicks dig scars. (Right????) (God, I hope so...) (Oh, wait, I'm still single. Maybe that philosphy isn't working. Damn.)
And a day without drawn blood means you're not climbing hard enough, or scaring yourself enough. Or you're out with newbies and playing ropegun. :P
It's all in the technique. And really, it will come as you progress up the way, particularly in cracks - and if it don't, jus' tell 'em you're marking your territory. Works wonders for me. 8) Happy climbing. Need to let out some bad blood, and I'm fresh outta leeches. Who's up for Vedauwoo?
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