Wednesday 15 May 2013

Non-slip Kneepad Beta

A couple of people have asked me for the full on, no holds barred kneepad beta for reducing slippage, so I figured I'd put it up here for anyone interested. None of this is my own invention, it's all shamelessly stolen from the Yanks. Just so you know not to blame me for bringing leg shaving into climbing.

You will need:
1. A razor. I'm assured that ladies ones are rather more luxurious for those who don't mind splashing out or can steal one from their girlfriend.
2. A big fat roll of gaffa tape.
3. Some sports adhesive spray like this
4. A pair of shorts. I like lime green, they make me feel like Jerry. Although Jerry probably never shaved his leg to climb something. The punter. Some people have no dedication.
5. An open mind.

Preparation:
Shave your leg. You'll see why in a second. Don't forget to shave a bit higher than your pad goes, or the following could become rather painful.

At the crag:
Slip on your shorts. Or hotpants. Or mankini (Doyle). Anything other than trousers really. Now spray your freshly hairless thigh with the adhesive spray and position the pad appropriately. For this you ideally need to know how high/low you want it to sit for your chosen route. Then take the gaffa and go once round the top of the pad, once round half on the pad and half on your leg and once just on your leg. Careful if the kneebar comes far up the pad - you might need to do away with the first turn to avoid kneebaring direct onto the slippy tape. This works fine.

If anyone has improved beta then leave a comment.

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