Volume: Volumes are wood or fiberglass structures that are supported by the climbing wall. They are generally giant, prism-like features that are introduced to change the dynamics of the wall. In Europe large climbing holds can be considered volumes, while in the US, the actual surface volume of the wall is changed by a volume. As I mentioned above, finding consistency wasn’t easy in this test. To make matters more difficult, the more I used the salves the harder it was to wear down my skin for testing. If you ever want an incentive to train all the time, salve testing is a good last resort. Whenever possible, these results were corroborated by a fellow tester who would apply the same two salves (reversing which was on the dominant/non-dominant hand). It turns out to be hard to convince someone to spend a month and a half talking about hand salves, so I enlisted a rotating crew of testers.

ClimbSkin is another aggressively marketed product courtesy of our friends at FrictionLabs (who sell in the USA for the Spain-based ClimbSkin). It’s neither oily nor obtrusive, and it stays on without getting in the way. The ingredients are plant-based or beeswax, and all are food-grade, which is important for some customers. Because this is the primary function of the salves, this category was weighted most heavily in scoring. Feel Dolan, Timothy. "Fixed Anchors and the Wilderness Act: Is the Adventure Over." University of San Francisco Law Review 34.2 (2000): 355–378.Like the Joshua Tree, it’s a soft solid that sits in a tin and allows a fingertip or two to be dipped in at a time. It smells pleasantly citrus-y and it’s easy to apply. Belaying a climber from the top of a route, bringing them up to walk off or continue on to next pitch. A similarly safe system of climbing a route as top-roping, except the belayer has set the anchors at the top of the climb (normally after leading a route, in which case the climber is "seconding") to belay the climber either indirectly (belayer is part of the system and can be vulnerable when exposed to unexpected directions of pull and loading of the rope) or directly (belayer is not part of the system and belaying is done directly from the anchors using either an Italian / Munter Hitch or adapted use of a belay device), up the route from the top. If bolts have been clipped or traditional gear placements have been made, it is the job of the climber to collect and clean the route.

ClimbOn is one of the more well-known climbing salve brands, and it turns out the respect is warranted. To make matters worse, the oily residue means that it’s impossible to do anything else for about 10 minutes after application. Unless you have the time to sit and wait for your hands to dry, this is a pain.Crimp/Crimper: A crimp hold allows climbers to use their fingertips to grab edges; the fingers arch. ClimbOn isn’t the cheapest product we tested, but it’s far from the most expensive, and it’s in the ballpark of most salves we tested. It helps that you don’t have to use too much — the bar feels like it will last quite a while. Recovery-wise, the ClimbOn seemed to produce the most reliable healing. I personally care most about performance outdoors, which means that I like my tips to be ready for a beating. The ClimbOn heals without softening much, which is helpful for maintaining a solid layer of durable skin. Arvesen, Amelia (17 February 2020). "Climb Assist Beta Provides 3D Topo Maps of Popular Climbing Destinations". www.climbing.com . Retrieved May 13, 2020.

Hörst, Eric J. (2003). Training for Climbing: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Climbing. Guilford, Connecticut; Helena, Montana: Falcon Publishing. p.151. ISBN 0762723130.The ClimbSkin was the most pleasant to handle of any product in our test. It’s a soft tan cream that’s slightly cool to the touch, and it feels lovely on the skin.