The Different Types of Climbing Tape and When to Use
If there’s one guarantee in rock climbing, it’s that your hands won’t stay pretty for long. Raw fingertips, calluses, scrapes, and flappers are all common parts of climbing. But if you stopped every time your skin developed a minor issue, it would be difficult to build a consistent routine.
That’s where climbing tape comes in. The right tape can protect worn skin, provide basic support around a sore joint, or shield your hands during crack climbing. This guide explains the main types of climbing tape and when to use each one.
Climbing Tape Characteristics and Limitations
Climbing tape varies in width, thickness, stretch, and adhesion. For many climbing applications, look for tape with these characteristics:
Width: Common options include 1.5 inches, 0.5 inches, or 13mm (about 0.5 inches).
Rigidity: Rigid tape with little to no stretch can provide a more secure wrap.
Adhesive: Zinc oxide is commonly used to improve adhesion.
Tearability: Tape that tears easily in multiple directions is easier to shape around fingers, joints, and wrists.
Climbing tape can help you extend a session while your skin or tendons recover, but it cannot fix every injury. Never use tape to cover active bleeding. Stop climbing, clean the wound, and let it heal. If you bleed on a climbing hold, alert gym staff so they can sanitize the area.
When you use tape for tendon or joint support, pay attention to your pain level. Remove the tape and stop climbing if the pain becomes sharp or throbbing, if you lose circulation, or if you hear a “pop.”
Choose the Right Climbing Tape for Your Needs
There are three common situations in which you may reach for a roll of climbing tape: skin protection, minor injury support, and crack climbing.
1. Skin Protection
Many climbers use tape as a preventative measure when their skin starts to wear thin. A layer of tape over fraying skin can help reduce the risk of flappers and splits, allowing you to finish a session more comfortably.
A flapper is a large piece of skin that tears away, exposing a raw area. If you already have one, follow these steps:
Clean the wound.
Use nail clippers to remove only loose skin.
Fold a small piece of tape over the raw area so the adhesive does not touch the wound.
Wrap the area securely without restricting circulation.
A split is a small but deep tear across the finger pad, usually along a crease. Because splits occur on a surface that contacts holds, choose thin, sticky tape. It is less likely to slide off during a climb or limit your range of motion.
Some options for skin protection include:
2. Supporting Minor Injuries
Climbing tape can provide a basic support wrap for minor tendon, pulley, or joint tweaks in the fingers and wrists. It is not a substitute for diagnosis, rehabilitation, or medical care.
For a support wrap around a wrist or finger joint, wrap the tape about one and a half times around the sore area. Do not wrap it so tightly that it affects circulation. Remove the tape immediately if your hand or fingers begin to feel numb, cold, or painful.
For wrists, useful options include Friction Labs Athletic Finger Tape (Original Zinc Oxide) and Metolius Climbing Tape. You can also use them around finger joints; tear the tape into thinner strips so it better follows the shape of your fingers. Thin, sticky tapes listed in the skin-protection section may work as well.
For a tweaky pulley, climbers commonly use H-taping or X-taping. The videos below explain how to apply each pattern and when it may be useful:
Taping is not a replacement for proper rehabilitation. If you are in significant pain, stop climbing and seek medical advice.
3. Crack Climbing
Crack climbing is especially common in trad climbing. It involves jamming your hands and feet into cracks of different sizes, which can abrade exposed skin and knuckles.
Trad climbers generally use tape for two reasons:
To protect their knuckles and skin from abrasions.
To increase the hand size so the hand fits better in a wider crack.
For both purposes, choose a wider tape that covers more surface area. Crack climbing relies less on fingertip strength than crimping, so you have less need for very thin, sticky tape that stays in place on small holds or preserves maximum finger mobility.
Friction Labs Athletic Finger Tape (Original Zinc Oxide) and Metolius Climbing Tape are both options for crack climbing.
Keep Climbing Tape in Your Bag
Climbing tape is a simple tool that can help many climbers spend more time on the wall. Keep a roll or two in your climbing bag or chalk bucket so you are prepared for a split, a worn patch of skin, or a day of crack climbing.
You can purchase climbing tape in the retail shops at all Alta Climbing locations. Do you have a favorite brand or a taping technique that works well for you? Share it in the comments to help your fellow climbers.
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