Tips for Better Mixed Climbing

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Most climbers know to put rubber tape on the upper grip of their ice tools if they didn’t already come that way, yet most don’t continue the tape all the way to the head. Though you don’t grab this part of the tool with your hands, completely covering the shaft with a thick layer of tape offers benefits. One of the most common ways for me to “holster” a tool is in my mouth. Obviously biting into tape is more comfortable than biting into metal. Tape can add a bit of extra friction when jamming the tools into cracks. Tape also adds a thin layer of protection when pounding on things or dropping them short distances.