Fingers Peeling Bad

by John
(Provo, UT)

My roommate and I have been climbing pretty regularly for about 4 months now, both outside and at the local indoor place. My problem is that when I boulder at the local place, I can usually do only one or two problems before my fingers start peeling really bad and I have a hard time even grabbing any holds. What's the best way to prevent this from happening so quickly or to remedy it once it does happen?

John that is a great question. Since you are still pretty new to climbing you'll find that that can happen a lot. For me it typically goes in cycles of every 4 months or so.

Here is what you can do. Some people feel that after you climb you should put lotion on your hands which will help with the peeling but can often soften up your hands. Which can make them more prone to rips and such.

You'll also want to avoid spending a lot of time in water especially hot tubs. You can also try to file your hands down every now and then.

For the most part it just happens and we as climbers have to deal with it.

Hope that helps

the Climbing Expert