Pulling on razors?? (Read 11913 times)

Fiend · January 23, 2018, 09:15:15 am

(Ideally miles above filed down RPs in a loose flake).

You know the stuff. Gratons, tinies, rat crimps, rugosities, 1980s brick edges etc etc. Sharp little fuckers, preferably on vertical or over a bit, with small / smeary / no feet. I find them quite difficult to use despite liking crimps in theory.

Obviously the two critical factors are:

1. Being an anorexic weirdo and thus having almost no bodyweight to hang off said razors.

2. Having indestructible rhino hide skin that moulds precisely onto said razors instead of getting eviscerated by them.

Assuming that both of those miracles aren't particularly imminent, what's the trick? Is there any useful training to be able to pull hard on these? Footwork and flexibility will play role too I know, what else can be done?

Nibile · January 23, 2018, 01:36:27 pm

Specificity. Pull on razors.
A custom made pointy 6 mm edge could be a good alternative.

Monolith · January 23, 2018, 02:02:55 pm

Rub fingers in crushed garlic the night before. Leave for 20 mins, dust off and go to bed. The next day you'll honestly be amazed at how much thicker and more durably malleable the ends of your tips feel (and how fewer friends you'll have). I'm not kidding.

I've made a lot of custom ratties in my time and if I get back to my parents garage, I can fashion you some mate.

SA Chris · January 23, 2018, 03:14:45 pm

Having fat fingers makes it hard to do too.

Training on those tiny beastmaker crimps?

Duncan campbell · January 23, 2018, 04:59:59 pm

Think like a rat..?

Climbing in Dartmoor Granite also helps I think

Oldmanmatt · January 23, 2018, 05:28:17 pm

Quote from: Duncan campbell on January 23, 2018, 04:59:59 pm

Think like a rat..?

Climbing in Dartmoor Granite also helps I think

This.
Or head to Can Boquet. Though I always described that as “ boning down on broken CDs”.
Until one Lad said “what’s a CD?”

tomtom · January 24, 2018, 12:39:32 am

Quote from: Monolith on January 23, 2018, 02:02:55 pm

Rub fingers in crushed garlic the night before. Leave for 20 mins, dust off and go to bed. The next day you'll honestly be amazed at how much thicker and more durably malleable the ends of your tips feel (and how fewer friends you'll have). I'm not kidding.

Ahhh... thats your secret!!

shark · January 24, 2018, 08:10:43 am

Quote from: tomtom on January 24, 2018, 12:39:32 am

Quote from: Monolith on January 23, 2018, 02:02:55 pm
Rub fingers in crushed garlic the night before. Leave for 20 mins, dust off and go to bed. The next day you'll honestly be amazed at how much thicker and more durably malleable the ends of your tips feel (and how fewer friends you'll have). I'm not kidding.

Ahhh... thats your secret!!

A new one on me. Why hasn't this been mentioned before?

Will Hunt · January 24, 2018, 09:44:03 am

Quote from: Monolith on January 23, 2018, 02:02:55 pm

Rub fingers in crushed garlic the night before. Leave for 20 mins, dust off and go to bed. The next day you'll honestly be amazed at how much thicker and more durably malleable the ends of your tips feel (and how fewer friends you'll have). I'm not kidding.

I've made a lot of custom ratties in my time and if I get back to my parents garage, I can fashion you some mate.

Is there any science behind this or is it mere climbing mythology?

tc · January 24, 2018, 11:03:16 am

Spend a few weeks at Pex Hill and The Breck.

Monolith · January 24, 2018, 11:05:00 am

Quote from: Will Hunt on January 24, 2018, 09:44:03 am

Quote from: Monolith on January 23, 2018, 02:02:55 pm
Rub fingers in crushed garlic the night before. Leave for 20 mins, dust off and go to bed. The next day you'll honestly be amazed at how much thicker and more durably malleable the ends of your tips feel (and how fewer friends you'll have). I'm not kidding.

I've made a lot of custom ratties in my time and if I get back to my parents garage, I can fashion you some mate.

Is there any science behind this or is it mere climbing mythology?

On a multi day trip to Magic Wood about 10 years ago, resident jester Andy Jennings advised that this would thicken your tips if they were reddened by repeated abrasive contact (not in those words, he wasn't Alan Partridge). Like a moth to a flame, I tried it and lo and behold, the next day it worked a treat. I've tried it since and noticed that my tips feel thicker the next morning.

He also poured vinegar in to an open wound of mine once in a chip shop but that wasn't a pro tip. That was just him being a twat.

Will Hunt · January 24, 2018, 11:05:30 am

Quote from: tc on January 24, 2018, 11:03:16 am

Spend a few weeks at Pex Hill and The Breck.

This is just general good advice for anyone. Pex is pretty skin friendly I think.

Dexter · January 24, 2018, 11:31:10 am

Quote from: Will Hunt on January 24, 2018, 09:44:03 am

Quote from: Monolith on January 23, 2018, 02:02:55 pm
Rub fingers in crushed garlic the night before. Leave for 20 mins, dust off and go to bed. The next day you'll honestly be amazed at how much thicker and more durably malleable the ends of your tips feel (and how fewer friends you'll have). I'm not kidding.

I've made a lot of custom ratties in my time and if I get back to my parents garage, I can fashion you some mate.

Is there any science behind this or is it mere climbing mythology?

Garlic is good antibacterial/antiviral I think plus it has a fair bit of vitamin E (the stuff they put in a lot of hand creams)

fatneck · January 24, 2018, 12:33:33 pm

Quote from: Monolith

Rub fingers in crushed garlic the night before

Ha! Fond memories of you and Crouchy hunkering down on the floor of a gite in borrowed sleeping bags with just the tips of your fingers poking out all glistening with the garlic juice. You were both tired, happy, skinless and completely lacking in life skills

Halcyon days!

andy popp · January 24, 2018, 01:12:01 pm

Quote from: tc on January 24, 2018, 11:03:16 am

Spend a few weeks at Pex Hill and The Breck.

I don't know the Breck but Harmers is generally crimpier than Pex.

Will Hunt · January 24, 2018, 01:21:36 pm

Quote from: fatneck on January 24, 2018, 12:33:33 pm

Quote from: Monolith
Rub fingers in crushed garlic the night before

Ha! Fond memories of you and Crouchy hunkering down on the floor of a gite in borrowed sleeping bags with just the tips of your fingers poking out all glistening with the garlic juice. You were both tired, happy, skinless and completely lacking in life skills
Halcyon days!

Current leader in 2018 UKB Post of the Year contest.

Fiend · January 24, 2018, 03:28:12 pm

Pex is a great idea just because it's Pex

Beastmaker smallest crimps are actually quite comfy and don't train the misery factory enough! The moon hangboard crimps are much more suitable being bloody horrible, but TCA Glasgow decided to take it's moon rail down and replace it with a fucking SlagBoard of all things (which seems to have temporarily disappeared anyway).

Specificity is good Nibble I will try to find more mingers to pull on.

Not sure about the garlic I am stinky enough as it is, but will get back on the anti-hydral...

Dexter · January 24, 2018, 03:49:40 pm

Quote from: Fiend on January 24, 2018, 03:28:12 pm

Pex is a great idea just because it's Pex
I will try to find more mingers to pull on.

Not sure what effect your sexual preferences have on your crimping ability but whatever gets you up the problem I guess

teestub · January 24, 2018, 05:06:04 pm

Quote from: Fiend on January 24, 2018, 03:28:12 pm

Beastmaker smallest crimps are actually quite comfy and don't train the misery factory enough!

Probably referring to the BM 6mm Micros ( https://www.beastmaker.co.uk/collections/micros ) rather than the small slot on the 2K which, as you say is comfy.

mark20 · January 24, 2018, 06:01:08 pm

I think as edges get smaller, it gets increasingly more dependant on condtions and finger pulp. Steve Mac mentions it here https://www.thebmc.co.uk/steve-mcclure-climbing-at-his-limit-and-beyond, and this https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21451181 states that "The results confirm the common perception that maximum lifting force on a deep edge ("strength") does not predict maximum force production on very shallow edges". The Anderson brothers say this is trainable. ie train on tiny holds

Fiend · January 27, 2018, 09:31:38 am

Good call on the pulp. Anyone got any spare??

mark20 · January 27, 2018, 01:07:55 pm

Unfortunately not

Now about anti hydral, until recently I was applying it the night before climbing. About halfway through the session and the top couple of layers of good tough skin are worn through I'd be back to where I was before with thin, weepy tips. Haydn recommended putting it on 2 nights before, with a rest day before climbing, which allows the anti hydral to penetrate all the way through so that even when your skin gets thin, those layers are still tough. This seems to work much better now. And as the skin is now fully hardened, the effects seem to last a good few days. Good tip

Fiend · January 30, 2018, 08:58:08 pm

Cheers I might try that, although I do find the "night before" fairly effective.

I did some testing at the wall today and noticed that: 1. It just really is fucking hard and painful if you're heavy. And 2. Given current indoor conditions and AH usage, it feels less about sweaty / thin / raw skin, and more about straight up pain in the pulp, as it were. A few sharp things I pulled on, I came off and the chalk on my tips was barely disturbed but the pressure through them was still....inhibitory...

teestub · January 30, 2018, 09:35:38 pm

You get used to/adapted to the added pressure relatively quickly. As minging as they are the Eva Lopez boards might be a good tool for working down to smaller sharper holds, if they have one at the wall.

Andy W · February 02, 2018, 05:12:30 pm

I think you just have to try really hard and really want the problem...also keep movement on the hold as minimal as possible. I had a long term project that had a crimp that split a tip, usually after three goes. Several years later after many attempts, on a cold day with a bit of extra power and a firm belief that it was worth it, I climbed it.