My first "Oh, F...!!" moment while climbing.

[Winchman]

While descending from a nice climb this morning, the finger fabric of my Hardy glove got sucked into the ZigZag linkage, strangling my finger, and trapping my hand to the ZZ. I was about thirty feet up, couldn't reach the trunk, and couldn't go up or down. Definitely not the time or place for panic to set in.

I put my ascender above the ZZ, and managed to relieve the pressure enough with my foot and one hand to remove my trapped hand from the glove. The glove finger was still stuck alongside the rope lower two elements of the linkage. It took me several minutes making tiny movements up and down while pulling as hard as I could on the glove to get it free. The glove was missing a little of its rubber coating, the ZZ wasn't damaged, and my hand was fine, so I came on down. The fabric of Hardy gloves is amazingly strong and stretchy.

I've been using Hardy gloves since I started climbing with no problems. I can't imagine what I did differently this time that got the glove caught up in the ZZ, but I certainly don't want it to happen again.

 

[Benjo75]

It happens. Got mine caught up in my rope runner a time or two. Not as bad as yours. Just pushed up on it and released it. If you're sliding your hand down the rope just below your device it can get pulled in. Another good reason to carry a knife of some sort on your saddle. A pocket knife is nearly impossible to reach while wearing a saddle.

 

[Jonny]

Still no foot ascender? I think it’d be a game changer for you.

Saw a guy get his beard caught in a Blake’s hitch before. Looked like it hurt.

 

[Winchman]

I do have a line from my ascender to a loop on my shoe, so I'm using my leg quite a bit while climbing in the clear. It's not as helpful when moving around limbs in the canopy, though.

 

[oldoakman]

Winchman I swear I'm going to turn up on your doorstep some weekend to climb.

 

[rico]

Sorry to hear about the mishap Winchman, and I'm glad your still not stuck up there... This is why real men don't wear gloves.....

 

[Burrapeg]

Same EXACT thing happened to me about a year ago, Hardy gloves, ZZ, and all. I think I even posted about it back then. Pinched the hell out of my finger but no real damage except to the glove. I quit wearing gloves on a climb unless it is really cold weather.

 

[Winchman]

Wow, I wasn't expecting that it would have happened to someone else.

I had removed my gloves to tie knots in some string after I got in the canopy that day, and I put them back on just before I came down. I'm wondering if I didn't pull them all the way on like I usually do, and that looseness led to the problem. I'm going to keep wearing the gloves, but I'll be more careful about keeping them tight and where I grip the ZZ.