It’s the last day of a road trip, you’ve been falling on the last move of your project, but are psyched to give it one last ditch effort.  Devastatingly though, you’ve got a split tip, the rest of your skin is soft and sweaty, and even looking at a crimp makes you wince in pain.  Essentially, you’ve destroyed your skin and it prevents you from sending.  We’ve all been there and unfortunately battling with bad skin is often part of climbing.  However, with better skin care tactics you can prolong the life of your climbing skin and hopefully prevent it from being what shuts you down.

To help, here’s an article from Climbing Magazine by professional climber Chris Schulte in which he lays out all the skin care techniques you will need to keep your skin ready for your next burn.

“After 20 years of bouldering, I’ve gathered a set of guidelines on how to take proper care of your skin for climbing. Whether you’re blessed with hard, smooth calluses and tips, or plagued by constant shredding and splits, keep in mind these few basic tenets of preventive care and post-traumatic restoration.” – Chris Shulte

In his in depth article, Schulte lays out pretty much everything you need to know to keep your skin in the best condition possible.  He covers:

  • What to do before climbing
  • What type of skin different rock types demand
  • What to do when you are faced with splits or flappers
  • Some basic skin care tips
  • What you should put into your skin care kit.

While following Schutle’s advice totally won’t stop your skin from eventually wearing out, it will definitely help improve the overall quality of your skin.  This means more climbing, more often, and for longer.  What’s not to like!  Give the full article a read by clicking through below.

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Click Here: Ultimate Rock Climbing Skin Care Handbook

(photo courtesy of climbing.com)

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