UKC

I’ve been out of action for a while with some pretty bad skin injuries to my hands.
They seem fine now. I can climb on them ok. But I’ve been holding off belaying, basically from lack of confidence.
I’ve got plenty of hand strength, and an Edelrid Jul (among others), I’m just worried about rope friction on the scars.
I used to be a confident belayer and enjoy knowing I was a safe pair of hands.

Anyone got any experience of belay gloves?
Things to look out for / avoid?

I’m worried I’ll be mistaken for a visiting American

In reply to Si_G:

I've had a pair of these Edelrid gloves for a few years now and find them really good for keeping general dirt and oil off the fingers while handling ropes, particularly if i'm working a very crimpy route and want really clean fingers. They also no doubt do a decent job of protecting your skin, so might fit the bill for you.

https://www.bananafingers.co.uk/edelrid-skinny-glove-p-3340.html

I've had to restitch the edge seam of the right index finger where it had opened after a bit of use but other than that I'm very happy with how they've performed.

In reply to Si_G:

I use leather gardening gloves which work well.

In reply to Si_G:
I use these: http://eu.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_GB/climbing-gloves/crag-half-finger-...

Not so much for belaying these days, but for anything where I expect to be doing lots of abbing, via ferrata, long scrambly descents etc

In reply to Si_G:

Well defo don't buy any black diamond ones. Didn't last a season. Replaced with some decathlon fingerless ones which are going well after a couple of years. And a bargain at about 15 quid. Truth be told, the fancy leather ones from petzl are better but pricey and I wanted fingerless ones for multipitch routes. Especially when a bit chilly. You can keep em on for more stuff and every little helps on a windy route on gogarth. And they really help on big massive routes like in the verdon where I suffer big time from fatigued skin and general wear and tear from rope work.

In reply to snoop6060:
The fingers are the problem. Some of them were taken down to the muscle by rope friction, and I’m paranoid about it now.

In reply to Si_G:

In addition to belay gloves, give careful consideration to your belay device and rope(s). I'd suggest using something with a bit more friction and not the skinniest of ropes.

I have used various gloves over 40 years climbing. All have been cheap gardening gloves, some with leather fingers and palms, some full leather. I've only had to hold a few large leader falls as a trad climber, but not had any problems with rope burn using a Sticht plate, Betterbrake, DMM Bug or Wild Country variable controller on 9mm ropes.

As a matter of interest, which belay device were you using, with what diameter rope(s), what was the fall factor and how long was the fall ?

In reply to IPPurewater:

I didn’t get burnt belaying. I was injured grabbing a rope in a 30ft ground fall when it all went pear shaped.
But it’s left me with self doubt for belaying as my hands are now soft and sensitive instead of leathery, like they were.

In reply to Si_G:

Ah. Oh dear. It will take a while to harden the skin again - plenty of mileage will do this as I'm sure you know.

All I would say then is get some gloves and try them. Make sure they fit snuggly but still allow dexterity. After a bit of practice you will forget you are wearing them.

Good luck.