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Indian Creek Hand Cracks & Shoe Wear

• September 2015
• Hi Steph Climb Gear

Steph,
I am coming down to Indian creek for my second trip this fall. I have a two part question for you
1) Do you have recommendations for nice warm-up hand cracks that are more ‘women’s hand’ size? Supercrack was incredibly wide hands on me, whereas chocolate corner felt pretty good. The guidebook seems to be based on men’s hands. It would be fun to turn the tables on my fat-handed boyfriend occasionally 🙂

2) I keep wearing out the leather (not the rubber) on the outside of my foot, right where my baby toe sits. On the last trip to the creek I actually put a hole in my mythos and had to try and patch it with duct tape. Do you have any recommendations for either how to avoid this or how to repair it? It is a shame to have to toss a pair of shoes with perfectly good rubber. I have very wide toes, so I typically have the laces and tongue area as wide as it gets, but I haven’t found anyone else with this issue!
Julie

Hi Julie,
The beauty of pure crack climbing is there’s no way around the understanding that ratings make no sense whatsoever, and climbing is always size and body dependent in some way. Difficulty is based on your own personal size and your own personal strengths and weaknesses. So you can quit with the excel spreadsheets, and just go climbing! 🙂

Since you are a smaller type person, if you want nice cruiser hand cracks, look for climbs that are described as “thin hands.” At Battle of the Bulge, Three Strikes (next to Swedin Ringle) is a long, classic route that you will like, and also My Piece of Real Estate (also known as Hole in the Wall). A lot of routes are nice for all size people because they are various. You and your boyfriend will both love Crack Attack, so make sure to check that out too.

For your shoes, I know that a lot of people like the mythos at Indian Creek, but for me it has to be a slipper. If there’s anything on top of the shoe–laces, layers of extra material, etc, it’s a wear point and can also cause pain from the pressure. I’d recommend you check out some slippers and make sure to size them large so your toes aren’t curled. If your toes are bent, it’s a pressure point for wear. You can also put a layer of shoe goo on top the shoe where you tend to wear it out, for some added protection.
🙂 Steph