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General Climbing Discussion

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Uber classic oz offwidths 13-Jan-2017 At 12:32:52 PM Wendy

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On 13/01/2017 PThomson wrote:
>Superstu - I've addressed exactly your comment twice previously.
>So far, no one has written a response which addresses my justification,
>nor -for that matter- presents a contrary viewpoint to my position (all
>I'm seeing are tangentially related comments/statements, none of which
>present any sort of counter-point).
>
>I addressed why using tape or hand jammies ( and subsequently changing
>hand size) is more of an unbalanced artificial aid (with respect to difficulty)
>than using chalk or climbing shoes.

I get the message that you think that tape changes basic physical features effecting climbing more than chalk. I just don't happen to agree with it! I'll try another example. I have tiny feet. People assure me this is a great adantage on small foot holds. You might say this advantage is a counter balance to my being a foot shorter than these owners of flippers and it all works out in the end. However, these big feet can be put in shoes specifically designed to make standing on small holds easier. I could put my little feet into them as well, but the relative benefit would be much less than for the person with big feet.

Or we could take alfclark or ODH of the sweating extravaganzas. I have way less sweaty hands, but they address their outrageous sweatiness with liquid chalk and the like. The relative advantage of the liquid chalk (even chalk full stop) benefits the over sweaty more than the less sweaty. They aren't balancing out other physical difference such as these guys towering over me such as you suggest hand size is a balancing feature until we add gloves.

>I also addressed why using chalk or climbing shoes is less of a detriment
>(in fact, a relatively minor one) to the physiological challenge of a crack
>climb, as opposed to using hand jammies or tape. The key word there
>is physiological as opposed to physical or masochistic.

Physiological: relating to the way in which a living organism or bodily part functions

I think shoes and chalk change the way a body part functions too ...

I started climbing those classic indian creek 5.10 fat hand/fist for me cracks in my access shoes before because it hurt less (and also fit better) than my climbing shoes. Not too many people would accuse one of making a climb easier by not wearing climbing shoes.

The main benefit aside from protection in wearing tape gloves is not actually changing one's hand size (which they do very minimally) - it's in the addition of friction. Much in the same way as shoes. Tape might not be rubber, but it is much better than a sweaty hand in a glassy crack.

on the one occasion I can remember trying to tape my fingers into a fat finger slot size, it failed abysmally anyway because you can't feel what the lock is doing, the tape move and it become a pain in the ass for all the other finger slots on the route. I rapidly returned to the single layer of tape purely to protect my skin.