Split Fingertips When Camping, Hiking, or Climbing in the Winter: How to Fix It and How to Avoid It
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I have very dry hands. I get that genetic trait from my dad, it seems.
That’s great for rock climbing. I (typically) don’t tend to get sweaty hands and so don’t need to rely on chalk to keep them dry. Chalk actually has worse friction than skin - as long as the skin is dry.
But it also means that in the winter I tend to easily get split fingertips next to my nails. It can but all the way down to the point where it bleeds. And at that point, it also stings… very badly.
Many years ago on Denali, I ended up needing to super glue the wounds shut just so I could use my equipment without suffering each time I grasped something. And while that worked, and allowed me to effectively set tents and prime stoves and use my ice axe without debilitating pain, the solution was - itself - incredibly painful. Glue in open wounds is not a pleasant experience.
That was enough to teach me that I needed to better manage this issue, as winter activities make it all the more likely to happen. It basically comes down to careful moisture management of my skin. Too much moisture on my hands (like, say, from handling snow) can lead to quick evaporation in the cold, dry, winter air. That just dries out my hands more. Not enough moisture and, well, that’s obvious.
So, using skin-care moisturizer and also the occasional vapor-barrier glove, has managed to do the trick.
But also, despite my best efforts, there are simply times that I don’t do enough, don’t stick to the routine as rigorously as I should. Then I have to deal with the split fingertips, again. Well, I’ve found a solution that works better than super glue.
So, here’s a brief video on how I work to avoid having this painful issue pop up and how I now better fix the issue if it shows up despite my best efforts. And for those of you interested in the products I mention, here are some links:
Eucerin Original Healing Lotion (1oz)