Mountain Project Logo

Hand Warmers on wrists?

Original Post
Luke Koppa · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 125

So as Ice climbing/Ski season approach, I wanted to look into a rumor I had heard last year. A guy told me to tape hand warmers on your wrist, around where you can see your veins, and that this will keep your fingers just as warm as using the warmers on your palm or back of the hand. I haven't tried it, but I wanted to know if anyone did this because it seems like it would be awesome for warm fingers while maintaining dexterity. And I know I should just suffer through the screamin barfies and all but I figured I'd ask.
thanks!

Marc801 C · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65
Luke Koppa wrote:So as Ice climbing/Ski season approach, I wanted to look into a rumor I had heard last year. A guy told me to tape hand warmers on your wrist, around where you can see your veins, and that this will keep your fingers just as warm as using the warmers on your palm or back of the hand. I haven't tried it, but I wanted to know if anyone did this because it seems like it would be awesome for warm fingers while maintaining dexterity. And I know I should just suffer through the screamin barfies and all but I figured I'd ask. thanks!
That's exactly what I do, and it works quite well (for skiing at any rate - I haven't ice climbed since 1985). In fact I have a pair of hand warmer sized pouches with velcro straps to do the same thing but without the tape and easily removable. They are made by Grabber, the primary maker of chemical hand warmers.
Mark E Dixon · · Possunt, nec posse videntur · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 974

I can't speak for ice climbing, but for cold rock climbs I use a system with knit wrist warmers.
I cut holes in them and slip the iron oxide type chemical hand warmers inside before putting them on my wrists. I never had much luck with a hand warmer in my chalk bag, but these seem to help a lot.
They don't work if wet though, which might limit their use ice climbing.

Marty Theriault · · Quebec, QC · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 310

Yer Gonna Die! probably from 6th degree frost burns !

aikibujin · · Castle Rock, CO · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 300

I have climbed in really cold weather by putting hand warmers at the wrist opening of a pair of fingerless gloves, and use the Velcro on the gloves to keep them in place. What happened was that my fingertips were totally numb from touching the rock, yet my palms were really warm to the point of sweating. It was a very weird feeling.

Marty Theriault · · Quebec, QC · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 310

I just shove them on the top of my hands under my lead gloves, they dont move at all.

Ernest W · · Asheville, NC · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 25

Yep, works like a charm. The heat dilates the blood vessels going to the hand. More blood flow = warmer hands. Have used it a lot (the Grabber Velcro ones) on cold rock.

Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450
Marc801 wrote: That's exactly what I do, and it works quite well (for skiing at any rate - I haven't ice climbed since 1985). In fact I have a pair of hand warmer sized pouches with velcro straps to do the same thing but without the tape and easily removable. They are made by Grabber, the primary maker of chemical hand warmers.
I was just googling around and couldn't find the pouches you mentioned, do you have a link to them? They sound handy.
Marc801 C · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65
Optimistic wrote: I was just googling around and couldn't find the pouches you mentioned, do you have a link to them? They sound handy.
Unfortunately no. They were given to me by a friend quite a few years ago.
EeT · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2015 · Points: 0

For rock climbs I put a heating pad in my chalk bag... works like a warm chalk sock

Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450
Marc801 wrote: Unfortunately no. They were given to me by a friend quite a few years ago.
Thanks... My wife is very handy with a needle and thread, probably she can help me cobble something up.
Jake wander · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 195

what if you just cut the end off of a sock. put the sock (now a tube) over your wrist. lay the handwarmer on the sock and roll it up. seems like it would work.

B Jolley · · Utah · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 172

I was always told to place hand warmers on the top of your hands, because the blood flows to the fingers on top and returns to your heart on the bottom.

mikemxc · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2015 · Points: 0

I can't wait for ski season. I used some reusable hand warmers, from wantitgotit here but you can probably get them cheaper on ebay

Paul Hutton · · Nephi, UT · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 740

I'm a Navy Corpsman. Doing the figure 8 wrap around the wrist and palm of your hand should work great to hold a hand warmer to the frontal wrist! The brachial artery is near the skin, which would/should transport heat from the heated tissue around the blood vessel to the fingers. Seems like a great idea!

Georgehh · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2015 · Points: 0
Paul Hutton wrote:I'm a Navy Corpsman. Doing the figure 8 wrap around the wrist and palm of your hand should work great to hold a hand warmer to the frontal wrist! The brachial artery is near the skin, which would/should transport heat from the heated tissue around the blood vessel to the fingers. Seems like a great idea!
I hate to break it to you, but there is no brachial artery in the wrist. Also, I have no idea of what you mean by frontal wrist.
Aleks Zebastian · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 175

Climbing friend,

Do you even flash?

Your seeking of the comfort is complete contraire to ice climbing sport on the climbing ice rocks. You must simply toughen yourself up and practice the dipping your arms in ice bucket longer and longer times, possibly while having your climbing girlfriend slap you about the head with a frozen fish, possible while also doing the meditation or watching star wars and thinking on the force.

Zac St Jules · · New Hampshire · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 1,188
Theriault wrote:I just shove them on the top of my hands under my lead gloves, they dont move at all.
Damn Marty, I knew you were a badass but do you really need to wear lead gloves.

;)
Marty Theriault · · Quebec, QC · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 310
Zac.St.Jules wrote: Damn Marty, I knew you were a badass but do you really need to wear lead gloves. ;)
hahah Im french ;) so pulling the french card here !
Beean · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 0

I generally just take a teaspoon of cement before heading out. Works a charm

But seriously, hand warmer in the gauntlet of the glove or on the wrist is a winner. My gf made me wrist warmers, which are a sock with a thumb hole.

Paul Hutton · · Nephi, UT · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 740
Georgehh wrote: I hate to break it to you, but there is no brachial artery in the wrist. Also, I have no idea of what you mean by frontal wrist.
Eh, radial artery. Close enough. The palm side of the wrist is part of the frontal anatomy. You may know it better as the anterior wrist. Dorsal wrist would be the backhand side, which some will call posterior wrist. The way I prefer to look at anatomy--frontal and dorsal concerns superficial aspects, anterior and posterior concerns interior aspects. I think this eliminates confusion, most of the time, when communication occurs between care-givers in the medical field. A lot of people like to use anterior and posterior, no matter what, which irks me when we're talking about an objective detail.

Google "frontal wrist". You'll get results.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Climbing Gear Discussion
Post a Reply to "Hand Warmers on wrists?"

Log In to Reply

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.