Hand Jammies

come on man - maybe goldenlocks would be really 5.8 this way...!

I live near Vedauwoo, and do a fair amount of lunchtime and after work bouldering in the area. The hand jammies are nice for a quick "tape substitute" when you wander by a crack you want to do.

They probably provide some advantage on some wider-size hand cracks, making them feel really solid. But on tight hands or fingers they actually get in the way.

On the whole, they are easy and quick and protect your hands, but they don't really provide a climbing advantage, except with wider handcracks.

For a serious day of crack climbing, you are probably better off to tape up.

tenesmus wrote:come on man - maybe goldenlocks would be really 5.8 this way...!

Golden Locks -- slowly I turned . . .

Heh heh, if I couldn't get up Golden Locks without those silly finger condoms, I'd just as soon stop climbing and become a telemarketer!

JL

I'll go "Proud Send" but, I'm bringing tri-cams.

Nothing called "jammies" will go anywhere near my body, I'd rather go in the buff.

Mark Nelson wrote:Nothing called "jammies" will go anywhere near my body, I'd rather go in the buff.

Would you feel better if they were called "Hand Jammers" or "Spider Mitts"?

Nah, I've got a better term. Personal Use Superimposed Seam Yankers.

That's a mouthful...better find a good abbreviation!

Ron, and Mark; you guys crack me up.
You so crazy!(in a good way)

G

That's hilarious, Mark.

An excellent forum post! :)

I think some of you hit on the problem.

It was the marketing... I remember first seeing them in a shop, etc. I think I remember the marketing saying something like, "climbing shoes for your hands." Which gave the implication that it was somehow cheating, or gave me the question of "why in the hell do I need climbing shoes for my hands?" Plus, the 'jammies' part just gave me a wussy feeling. Overall, I think I was repelled because of marketing. When I think about it, if they would have promoted them as eco-friendly (why waste all of the that tape, think of the tape garbage seen around some crags, etc.) then they could have played to a different part of my brain. If they were called HAND PROTECTORS, then I might have viewed it like a helmet, or at the very least would have seen them as something to protect me from sharp cracks, crystals, etc. Instead, they played to the idea that they were needed to help in cracks, or were going to help in cracks.

My mentors instilled a no tape mentality into me. Something to the effect of "if you need tape, you have shitty technique." Which I learned to be true enough for 80 percent of cracks.

Anyway, thanks for the thoughts. They are just a tool, no need to give climbers shit who wear them (maybe I'll try them someday), I do think the 'jammies' part just didn't help any...

Ron Olsen wrote:For your "proud" send, make sure you're doing the following: * Not using lame-ass Hand Jammies or tape. * Not using chalk. * Not using sticky-rubber climbing shoes; only EBs. * Not using C4 Camalots; only old BD slung hexes. * Not using a new skinny rope; only an old, heavy 11mm model (50m only, not those wussy longer ones). * You are tying in with a swami, no leg loops, aren't you? Modern harnesses are for pussies. * You're climbing to the top of the rock, and not bailing using those wussy bolts about 100' up, aren't you? Those bolts probably weren't there on the first ascent! Follow these guidelines for a PROUD send; anything else is lame-ass WEAK SAUCE.

Actually if you really want to avoid the weak sauce, be sure to climb in painter's pants, tie a hemp cord directly around your waist and use mountaineering boots. Don't forget to tell your second to give you a hip belay.

brad schierer wrote: Actually if you really want to avoid the weak sauce, be sure to climb in painter's pants, tie a hemp cord directly around your waist and use mountaineering boots. Don't forget to tell your second to give you a hip belay.

Here's the role model for proud ascents: Gaston Rebuffat.

Is he on Aiguille du Midi?

Ron Olsen wrote:Back in the early 80s, old-school climbers thought cams were cheating too.

And they were absolutely right. Compared to the FA of Supercrack using hexes, the cattle call that goes up that thing now is weak sauce. And noting that I am one of them is an ad hominem argument.

Likewise, jammies are different and relatively "weak sauce", at least where they actually help. It's like putting huge amounts of tape on for a wide crack. Every wrap is more weak.

For me, they're just not that useful, and they would take away from my feeling of accomplishment. like touching the ground on a boulder problem.

I'm still a n00b at crack technique. I learned how to hand jam in the gym using hand jammies, but not before being taught how to tape up by an old trad master.

The thinking was that hand jammies are good for training, and that tape doesn't change your hand size as much (you can also vary the thickness of the tape).

In Yosemite Valley I have rarely taped up. Sometimes I have done so in Tuolumne Meadows. I definitely tape up in Joshua Tree. I have never been to Indian Creek. I guess for me it depends on how messed up my hands are going to get.

An experienced climber once told me that the way to jam effectively without tape or jammies is to entirely relax the hand until it is in the crack exactly where you want it. The shredding apparently happens when you jam the hand in and tense the muscles before finding the sweet spot. I have yet to master this technique. Thoughts ?

Taint. Call it what it is - another taint, pure and simple. Just as sure as tape, shoes, chalk, rope, harnesses, bolts, cams, pro are all taints. All part of the continuum from nude free-solo on-sight to previewed, rehearsed hang-dogging to direct aid to ladders to helicopters. All taints - the only question is, how much are you going to accept in your own _personal _ ethic?

(Me? Depends on the situation - but for the most part, I'm happy with things that reduce pain...)

Mark Nelson wrote:Nah, I've got a better term. Personal Use Superimposed Seam Yankers.

"P.U.S.S.Y." ??

I can hear it now
"Wow that crack hurt!!! I need to get my hands on some . . .!!"

I think that everyone is missing the main point here: Do what ever is most fun. If you're having a good time then who cares what you're using to do it. Some guys like aid climbing other guys despise it...to each's own do what you can however is best for you.

Rich Servantes III wrote: I can hear it now "Wow that crack hurt!!! I need to get my hands on some . . .

Totally Acceptable Penetration Equipment.

There's actually a point to climbing??