2016 Climbing magazine - Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

GEAR
THE KIT
Recover Right
Get stronger faster with these 6 recovery tools
GO TAPE
What is kinesiology tape
anyway? This stretchy tape
goes on skin over sore or
injured areas and supports
muscles, promotes blood
flow, and relieves pain,
which all add up to making
recovery time more efficient.
Applying the tape before,
during, or after climbing
offers a continuous sensory
feedback to your brain
that helps regenerate the
communication between
muscles and the brain so
the nervous system comes
back online and does its important job of reviving and
rebuilding damaged tissues.
Between three different
brands, GO Tape stood out
for our testers because of
the mucho-sticky adhesive
that’s designed to adhere
specifically to sweaty skin.
By aging the adhesive
slightly, a more stable
connection is created, and
testers found they could
wear this tape for up to
three days, including two
long, sweaty bouldering
sessions and three showers.
It comes in uncut or pre-cut
cotton and synthetic varieties. $14; gotape.com
ARMAID RUBBIT
“The best all-purpose
self-massager I’ve ever
used and a top invention
of the sports recovery
world,” one tester exclaimed
after a month of using the
Rubbit three to five times
a week. “I can massage
my forearms, upper arms,
and entire legs thanks to
the adjustable size and
different roller options,
38
making this perfect for after
everything from hard bouldering sessions to 16-hour
alpine romps.” Based on
the original Armaid tool, the
Rubbit has a wider span to
fit around the larger upper
arms and legs, and half the
unit can be detached to use
as a handheld roller for any
other part of the body—testers found it was perfect
for the back of the neck
to prevent belayer’s aches
and pains. A few different
attachments offer varying
levels of intensity and
precision when massaging, and an included thick
rubber band adds a lot of
resistance for deep release.
“Use this after every climbing session, and you’ll come
back three times as fast.”
$50; armaid.com
THERA CANE
Labeled as a “deep pressure
massager,” the Thera Cane
shines for releasing tight
knots and trigger points on
all parts of the body, and
our testers found it especially useful on the upper
and lower back, as well as
the shoulders. “Climbing on
any terrain, especially overhangs, makes the muscles
in between my shoulder
blades feel constantly
wonky and tweaky, but
being able to dig in and release those knots helps me
feel ready to climb multiple
days in a row,” one tester
said. Using the Thera Cane
on problem spots increases
the flow of oxygenated
blood into those tight areas,
which promotes recovery of
the surrounding muscle tissue. Six strategically placed
knobs and a curved shape
increase leverage to really
focus on hard-to-reach
spots on the back, but be
careful not to dig too deep,
as that could cause permanent damage to muscles.
$40; theracane.com
VIMMIA X LEGGINGS
They might look like just
another pair of yoga pants,
but the Vimmia X Leggings do a lot more than
just make your butt look
good. The yarn regulates
temperature and helps you
stay cooler in hot temps
and warmer in cold temps;
this also translates to the
body using less energy to
keep your core temperature stable so it has more
energy for the demands of
climbing. The compression
fit and bioactive minerals in
the yarn combine to significantly increase blood flow,
great for mitigating fatigue.
Testers wore these while
traveling, training, and
even sleeping, and one user
especially liked them as a
baselayer for a cold alpine
climb: “They kept me warm
and my legs feeling fresh
when I was on my feet for
14 hours.” Bonus: The temperature regulation of these
tights were perfect for hotthen-cold-then-hot-again
airports and airplanes, and
the compression benefits
left one tester’s legs feeling
“rested and ready to crush,”
even after a 30-hour day
of travel. Ding: Price.
$128–$172; vimmia.com
Testers found that the
three-dimensional shape
of the grid pattern moved
tissue more effectively
than rollers with a flat
surface, offering “a mini
massage that felt more
like the real thing than just
rolling around on a hard,
unforgiving piece of foam.”
$25; tptherapy.com
TRIGGER POINT GRID
MINI FOAM ROLLER
JOSHUA TREE
CLIMBING SALVE
This bite-size foam roller
packs all the punch of a
full-size (read: cumbersome) foam roller, with a
specialized grid pattern in
the foam. The smaller size
along with the proprietary
Distrodensity zones (a
grid pattern with different
size sections) in the EVA
foam allowed testers to
address problem areas
directly, instead of rolling a
large surface area at once,
which can feel ineffective.
“It combines the benefits
of a gentle massage and
zoning in on trigger points.”
At four inches tall and 5.5
inches across, it takes up
zero room when packed and
only weighs eight ounces.
Despite the dozens of new
climber-focused balms and
lotions on the market every
year, Joshua Tree continues
to be our testers’ favorite thanks to its ability to
moisturize and heal without
leaving a greased-out
feeling. One tester with extremely dry hands that bleed
at the very thought of crimps
and cracks claimed that this
salve “works overnight to
heal my scaly mitts.” The
specialized formula, with
ingredients like beeswax,
calendula, and echinacea,
moisturizes skin without
peeling your hard-earned calluses, which are your skin’s
natural form of protection.
$6; jtreelife.com
PHOTO BY ELLIOTT NATZ
BY MAX RITTER
— DECEMBER / JANUARY 2016
341_Gear_PROOF.indd 38
10/29/15 10:13 AM
TESTED
Field Notes
THE LATEST AND GREATEST FROM OUR DILIGENT TESTERS
By Julie Ellison
[Treehouse tent]
TENTSILE STINGRAY
DMM PIVOT
While most auto-blocking belay devices perform similar duties and
aren’t too noticeably different, the new DMM Pivot has one massive
advantage: “Far superior lowering capabilities,” according to one tester
who’s had the device for more than three months. And that’s the whole
point, as designers put a clip-in hole (for attaching to the anchor) that
pivots for a more controlled lower of one or two followers.“The rope
released sooner, and the leverage created offered a more predictable,
smoother lower.” The Pivot also performed superbly for belaying, guide
mode, and rappelling, and it weighs in at a scant 2.5 ounces. Although
the ability to control a lower is greatly increased with this device, it’s
always recommended to back up the system with a friction hitch and
redirect the lowering sling through the anchor for added control.
$30; dmmclimbing.com
PHOTO BY ELLIOTT NATZ
“All the fun of camping and playing in a treehouse combined!” said one
tester who took this tent all around the Mountain West. This giant,
suspended platform offers the comfort of a hammock with the liveability
and utility of a tent, including a massive 80 square feet and a high ceiling—“not like a ‘three-person’ tent that only fits two people comfortably.”
All you need are three sturdy anchors, such as a tree, a car, or a boulder,
and after a few trial runs, our tester was able to set the Stingray up in
five minutes by himself. He loved the possibilities opened up by not
needing flat, solid ground, including sleeping over a stream and setting
up on a steep hill. While it’s pricey and quite heavy (19 lbs.), you get what
you pay for with “the sturdy Rolls Royce of super-fun car camping tents.”
$675; tentsile.com
[More versatile belay device]
CLIMBING.COM —
341_Gear_PROOF.indd 39
39
10/29/15 10:47 AM