Holy Blisters

Yesterday I climbed at the Gravity Vault for a solid 3 hours..I was climbing pretty hards on the boulders and felt great..
Until i slipped off a hold and felt like all the skin got ripped off my index finger..
I looked down
I HAD A FLAPPER!
a blister had formed unbeknownst to me and when i slipped it ripped open leaving a huge raw spot on my finger..

Were going to go again today..but how can i cover this raw spot?..Tape? Any specific kind?

Athletic tape is a popular way to protect flappers. Moisturizing regularly can keep the caluses you will build soft and flexible. If you think one is going to rip off, tape it asap. I made the mistake of not doing this last night and am now missing skin on both pinkies (which are now taped for work).

Just grabbed some cloth tape..hopefully this holds my one finger from paining me too much later..

for really bad flappers, I have actually ripped the bandage part of a band-aid off and stuck it to climbing tape (the mueller stuff is best). it protects the wound and won't gunk it up.

Isn't it pretty hard to get tape to stay on a fingertip when you're climbing? Won't it peel off?

FrankPS wrote:Isn't it pretty hard to get tape to stay on a fingertip when you're climbing? Won't it peel off?

Holy crap, YGD!!

Wrap with tape when climbing and use salve when not climbing. Joshua tree works great, or I'm sure you could find something locally made at a hippie co-op store. 3 days for a 90% heal. Embrace ugly hands and feet.

Buff Johnson wrote:Holy crap, YGD!!

Steven Groetken wrote:Wrap with tape when climbing and use salve when not climbing. Joshua tree works great, or I'm sure you could find something locally made at a hippie co-op store. 3 days for a 90% heal. Embrace ugly hands and feet.

adrianna melody wrote: YGD?

I've used superglue when it was bad with tape over it. Same for cracks I couldn't get to heal.

sometimes you are just out of the game though...

Where yours is at should be fine with some tape. If it comes off, put more on.

FrankPS wrote: You're Gonna Die

FrankPS wrote: You're Gonna Die

• Yer

if the tape threatens to come off get some tincture of benzoin and put it on under the tape. it will make the tape stick better, it hardens the skin and, because it has a ton of alcohol in it, it will sterilize the wound.

If your callouses get too thick and rigid they can tear off even without a blister underneath. I can't tell from the photo, but this might be what happened.

It can be useful to maintain your hands with an eye to not letting them get too thick. Sandpaper works well, but err on the side of caution to begin with as you work out how much to remove.

The last time I got a bad flapper at a terribly inconvenient time, I put four or five layers of liquid skin on (maybe excessive but I wanted to be sure to keep any dirt out), and then taped over the top. The liquid skin was a bit irksome to remove afterwards, but I was able to climb at full strength on top of the wound.

Find a salve that works for you. I personally like "all good goop" and find it better than the handful of others that I've tried.

I'd also recommend getting one roll of each width of tape. Thin and middling is good for digits, and the really wide stuff is good for "H-wraps" if the issue is too close to a joint.

DaveBaker wrote:If your callouses get too thick and rigid they can tear off even without a blister underneath. I can't tell from the photo, but this might be what happened. It can be useful to maintain your hands with an eye to not letting them get too thick. Sandpaper works well, but err on the side of caution to begin with as you work out how much to remove. The last time I got a bad flapper at a terribly inconvenient time, I put four or five layers of liquid skin on (maybe excessive but I wanted to be sure to keep any dirt out), and then taped over the top. The liquid skin was a bit irksome to remove afterwards, but I was able to climb at full strength on top of the wound. Find a salve that works for you. I personally like "all good goop" and find it better than the handful of others that I've tried. I'd also recommend getting one roll of each width of tape. Thin and middling is good for digits, and the really wide stuff is good for "H-wraps" if the issue is too close to a joint.

superglue

Steven Groetken wrote: *Yer Gotta make sure she is aligned with proper etiquette, pronunciation and spelling.

Ditto the superglue.