Back in the day when I learned to tape my hands my climbing mentor taught me an elaborate process of how to do it. First we would bust out this huge bottle of adhesive spray (the size of a spray paint can) and apply it on our hands, followed by the application of the tape. It was ridiculous, but it worked. The tape would never slip off, but it was a bitch to get off. If we had only known about Mueller Euro Tape then we could have avoided carrying a bottle of adhesive spray to the crags.
“Euro Tape” as most climbers refer to it, is simply the stickiest tape on the market, and from what I’ve seen: it is the best. I’ve been using it for the last year or so for climbing at Indian Creek, and it sticks to the skin far greater than your typical athletic tape. While old school Creek climbers used to say, “tape is aid” that sentiment is practically dead with most climbers opting to use tape instead of having their hands covered in gobies.
On that note, the one side effect of the Euro Tape is getting it off. It is quite painful to remove, and will leave black sticky marks all over your hands. Also, obviously if you have an aversion to latex this product is not for you.
An additional note is that some climbers simply don’t need to tape. While I would put this in the five-percentage range, certain people naturally have tough skin that does not easily cut.
But if you’re like most of us and do tape up when crack climbing, Mueller Euro Tape is simply the best.
Check out a video from Trango about the tape.
-LM
