How To Take Care Of Hard Working Hands

Climb On! The perfect product for any woman (or man) who wants to take care of their hardworking hands.

 A product recommendation by Jackie Lambert.

Whoo hoo! Now that I'm a member, I would like to share my 'Can't live without' product. 
 
For calming down hot, sore windsurfers' hands, (without compromising our much prized callouses!) try 'Climb On'. It comes both as a solid bar, that you rub around your hands like you would with soap - great for straight off the water, or as a rich cream for more intensive repair. It is 100% natural, a 1oz bar lasts for ages and we have converted almost everyone that we know to using it, (blokes as well!) because it really works! It kept our soft, winter hands that had not been wrapped around a boom for months in perfect windsurfing condition for 2 weeks of intense sailing in Margarita, when all around us had their blisters strapped up with duct tape within days!
 
The cream is also great as a soothing moisturiser for chapped cheeks, chafed chubbybits or sunburnt snozzles. Both the cream and the bar smell rather lovely too.
 
I usually buy Climb On on line from Needle Sports or Kudu Bikes, but it is available from many other outdoor retailers. The name clearly indicates that it is aimed at Rock Jocks with abraded fingertips, but I think that it is a fab product with equal application for we wind junkies!
 
Just found that it has its own website http://www.climbonproducts.com/ in the US of A. PS I don't work for Climb On - I just think that it is a great product that really works! 
 
Enjoy!
 
Jackie

Thanks a lot Jackie, this stuff sounds amazing, might have to get myself some in the future! And great timing too as I have just put up an article all about climbing, check it out http://www.flowindsurfing.com/node/442  

I've recently been in contact with Polly Reynolds, founder of Climb On, here's what she has to say:

' Some good information for the ladies out there.  Although Climb On! was initially invented for rock climber's hands, I invented if for my sister (Amy) who is a rock climber and her friends, it has a lot of other purposes too!  So, it's a woman invented and owned product line that is 100% free of synthetics and fillers.  Great for everyone which includes animals and the environment.  We are a sponsor of the Vans Triple Crown and they love the Mineral Sunblock Climb On! sells.' 

4 Reasons Climbing is Awesome

4 reasons climbing is awesome, a guest post by Louise Jackett (number 4's my favourite).

 

When the wind or waves have failed us yet again we need to turn to something that will keep us from checking the weather report every ten minutes to see if the wind has returned. Climbing is not only fun and exhilarating but can also help you build strength and balance that can help you out on the water. 

Here are just some of the reasons why climbing is awesome: 

Accessibility 

Anyone can climb! It doesn’t matter if you are already a grade 7a climber or struggle getting up the stairs. There really is something for everyone and every  ability.

You don’t need a roof rack

The equipment required for climbing is far less expensive and less bulky than transporting around your windsurf board, countless sails and wetsuit. In fact, you don’t need any equipment at all if you are climbing at an indoor centre as most centres will have equipment available for you to hire at minimal cost. 

Fitness

We all feel the pressure around Christmas when we have not been brave enough to venture out on to icy waters. We all feel the Christmas pies coming back for revenge and the turkey protruding over the new belt Santa brought us. Climbing tones the entire body and builds muscle strength as well as improving balance. It can be done at any time of the year, especially as there are many indoor climbing centres popping up all over the UK. 

Hot men

I am all for Women’s Rights, Girl Power, Independent Women, but let’s face it we all like a sneaky peak at the opposite sex. Climbers have a tendency to remain topless all year round. You are guaranteed to find a hot, toned, topless male at nearly any climbing centre or spot. (Ok so I can’t really guarantee this but it’s a nice thought) 

Hopefully I have your attention by now and have you interested in rocking up to the climbing wall. Here is a quick guide to getting started: 

Firstly you are going to need a friend. Climbing involves a climber and a belayer, unless you fancy a bit of free climbing (not recommended). Having your girl friends around to laugh at you, encourage you and remain totally confused with you about how to do the next move guarantees a great time. If you are a total loner and have no friends then bouldering is another option and they will have areas in climbing centres or sometimes whole centres dedicated to bouldering. Bouldering is climbing without a rope but you remain fairly close to the ground. As you don’t have a rope, you don’t need a belayer – hey presto. 

Secondly you are going to need the right kit. Clothes that are pretty comfortable and fitted around the waste are advisable as you can end up putting your body into some interesting moves and you don’t want to flash your butt to the poor children below. All the essential equipment can be hired at climbing centres. These include climbing shoes, harness and helmet (optional). Chalk bags are not hired out but are very useful to have, especially in the summer when your hands get a bit sweaty. Purchasing your own kit is advisable if you get the climbing bug. Although it is not expensive to rent it is nicer to wear shoes that have not been worn by many people before and you can find a pair that fits you perfectly. 

Most climbing centres have shops where you can buy kit from. Some online and high street stores  that sell climbing gear include: 

 www.rocksun.com

 www.outside.co.uk

 www.cotswoldoutdoor.com

 www.joe-brown.com

 www.snowandrock.com

 www.blacks.co.uk

Thirdly you need a place to go. There are many indoor climbing centres in the UK who run course and offer membership and hire. You only require basic belaying skills in order to be able to climb without supervision. Climbing courses are relatively cheap and will teach you all the skills you might need. Alternatively you can join a local climbing club or find a friend who already knows how to climb to teach you. Here are a few links to climbing centres in the UK: 

www.ukclimbing.com

www.indoorclimbing.com

If you would like to take your climbing skills outside you will need a lot more kit, or have access to kit. Most outdoor climbing in the UK is traditional climbing which requires a lot more gear than the sport climbing you will find in Europe. 

www.thebmc.co.uk

www.rockfax.com

There are also some climbing and mountaineering courses and groups aimed at women:

www.chicks-unleashed.co.uk

www.mountaingirl.eu

Hopefully this has inspired a few of you to give climbing a go, and it may even, like me, gain a spot in your heart next to windsurfing. 

Written by Louise Jackett

Shortly after putting together this article I received a great product recommendation from FLOW member Jackie Lambert, a climbing product loved by climbers, windsurfers and anyone that want's to take care of their hardworking hands - Climb On. Check it out http://www.flowindsurfing.com/node/446  

Get Low For Windsurfing with Shawna Cropas

Windsurfing top tips on refining your stance with Shawna Cropas.

Flo finds out all about how getting down low will help your windsurfing, no matter what your level, from esteemed coach and talented water woman Shawna Cropas: 

For the basics about stance in all different winds conditions and sailing levels, please read my article, Hippy Hippy Twist on my website here.

In continuation with my stance tips series:

THE LOW DOWN ON GETTING LOW

Staying low and hanging off the boom when not using the harness in certain situations is the key to many successful maneuvers while windsurfing; such as getting going after beachstarting without falling off backwards, getting up from a waterstart without getting pulled over the front or successfully getting around a jibe. Getting low is the only way to handle a powered up sail when not using the harness, without letting out the back hand (sheeting out), losing mast foot pressure, and/or getting catapulted over the ‘handle bars’, so to speak!

HOW LOW SHOULD YOU GO AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

Getting low means hanging off the boom with straight arms as though you were a monkey swinging form limb to limb. Basically you want to hang without using a stitch of upper body strength by using the full weight of your body to counteract the power in the sail to keep sheeted in and remain in control. Your weight should fall back over the back leg while the front leg remains straight with some give in it to handle chop but mostly it’s locked out if you’re not carve jibing or bottom turning. Ideally your head should be looking up wind watching out for gusts or lulls.... Unless you are bottom turning on a wave or going into the turn of a jibe. Getting low does not mean leaning back so you fall off backwards all the time. You’re weight is

down over the board not the water and how low you go depends on how much power there is in your sail.

WHY GET SO LOW?

We want to use our weight rather than the strength of our arms to counteract the power of the wind in the sail and keep the nose of the board down with mast foot pressure (the result of your weight hanging or harnessed to the boom putting pressure down through the mast so you don’t sink the back of the board). Using your arms rather than your weight is futile... It’s the equivalent of doing pull ups reps on a bar, which I can barely manage five of... But I can hang from a bar all day long. Below are some of the problem you may have encountered by not getting low enough in certain situations.

a) Falling off backwards when you first get up on a windsurfer by sinking the back of the board.

b) Losing speed

c) catapults

d) spin outs

e) slogging

WHEN TO GET LOW

1. BEACHSTARTS: If the winds are moderate to high it is ideal to get low as soon as you jump on your windsurfer so you don’t get pulled over a mere five feet from shore. Hanging low also keeps the nose of the board down via mast foot pressure so you don’t sink the back of board and fall of backwards the moment your feet touch the board. Get on your windsurfer and stay low until you are comfortable and stable while sailing away. You can eventually ease to a more upright position if the wind calls for it.... But who knows you might have to get lower if a gust is racing in your direction!

2. WATERSTARTS: Staying low when you first get up insures you don’t just get blown over  the front again. Waterstarts take time to learn on a good day, but there is nothing more frustrating than swimming all the gear around, getting the angles to the wind correct, pulling the sail out of the water and finally getting up on to the board only to be pulled right over the front by a gust. It’s exhausting and can reduce a grown man to tears to have to start the whole process again! Stay low over the board once you’re up! Not too much that you fall off backwards.... Though falling off backward is better than the latter, at least you fall back into waterstart position. Just imagine how powered up your sail has to be to lift you out of the water and if you don’t stay low you’ll be over the front before you know it. Once you’re up and stable it also helps to head up wind to depower the sail.

3. GETTING PLANING: It is best to head out on the broadest reach possible to get planing quickly. In doing so, the sail gets super powered up which means you are going to have to get aggressively low and/or sink down into the harness to get speed and keep sheeted in so you’re not doing impressions of bull riding, which as we all know ends with a graceless dismount. When you start using your arms and not your weight, gust of wind easily pull the sail out your back hand (loss of

mast foot pressure) which lifts the nose out of the water and you lose control. 

4. GYBING: Staying low through out the gybe is one of the keys to getting around and back on the other tack as the lower you are the better your balance and it maintains the pressure down through the mast so the board sticks in the water through out the turn when not in the harness. It’s especially crucial to keep your weight down while flipping the sail as there’s an extra pull of power in the sail at that time. It also really helps to look back upwind while flipping the sail to bring the sail forward and into the sweet spot of balance rather than letting it drop behind you.

5. BOTTOM TURNS: When you’re riding waves the bottom turn is something like going into a jibe but just before you would be flipping the sail, you cut back at the top of the wave instead. To ride waves you unhook but your feet remain in the footstraps. As you can imagine when you’re unhooked heading in the same direction of the wind, along a wave which adds more speed to the turn, you’re going to need to get your weight way down to handle all the power in the sail! You don’t want to be spinning out on a wave ( which is caused by the nose lifting up due to a lack of mast foot pressure and air getting caught around the fins) and/or slow down as the board sinks and slugs through a turn.

Enjoy getting out there and GETTING DOWN!

Aloha,

Shawna

Sportsister Loves Windsurfing

Sportsister is the sports magazine for women, launched in 2008 by Danielle Sellwood and Louise Hudson. 

The site ( www.sportsister.com  ) is full of useful information for every sports woman, covering everything from sailing and surfing, to running, mountain biking, badminton and many many more. A particularly great section is the 'Getting Started' guides, which gives a run down of how to get into a variety of sports, and now includes windsurfing, written by yours truly. Check out the article and the rest of the site here.

More About The Sportsister Ladies

Danielle: has over fifteen years experience in the sports industry, working as a senior designer for many popular sports brands. She was also the Active Sports editor at wgsn.com, the world’s leading international online news and information service for the global style industries. She is a keen sportswoman and former international canoeist. She regularly enjoys badminton, runs half marathons and loves surfing.

Louise: has worked in the fashion and design industry for seven years. She was the Youth/Junior editor at wgsn.com which is where she and Danielle first met. In 2006 they set up Grace Design & Consulting, which has developed in to a successful sports design and marketing consultancy. She is a keen traveller and loves sports too. Top of the list are snowboarding, tennis and surfing (badly!)

A Guide to SUP - Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Stand Up Paddle boarding, or SUP for short, is an easy to learn and versatile watersport...that's great for your fitness too!

Originating in Hawaii, the sport involves standing on a board, similar to a surfing longboard but a little bigger, and using a paddle to propel yourself along rather than laying down and paddling. This makes it easier and more likely that you will catch even the smaller waves, meaning your session can be a lot more fun! It is the perfect light wind alternative and will get you out on the water in any conditions.

Flo finds out more from all round water woman Shawna Cropas and young, talented British competitor Bobbie Cooper.

Shawna Cropas:

There's no better sport for social feminine style fun as SUP. 

It's relatively easy to learn and it's great outdoor exercise on the water while catching up with your girlfriends doing coast runs or surfing mellow kind. Last summer a friend of mine, Suzie Cooney organized a mellow paddle down the Wailea Coast on the south side of Maui and more then four hundred women showed up for the fun! It's almost of unheard of to get that many female participants in a water sports event!  The beauty of Stand Up Paddling is it's accessibility,  you can do it in all sorts of different conditions and environments from dead calm lakes to roaring ocean, breathless to nuclear winds, flat as a pancake water states to double over head barreling waves, river channels to ocean crossing. You name it and you can do it on your SUP.... What more could you want from a board!  

Here in Maui when the waves retreat and the winds crank during the summer months on the north shore, we have a blast  getting groups of girlfriends together to do coast runs. We sweep (Maui slang for SUP) the ocean clean from Ho'okipa to Kanaha surfing wind swells while chatting, goofing around and working out our core! It's almost better than chocolate!  

For me personally SUP was a saving grace when I got pregnant as I could no longer surf or windsurfing with my growing belly. I'm one of those people that need to get out on the water so SUP kept me sane and fit through out my pregnancy and got me right back into shape after Reef was born.

I was back  on a windsurfer in no time and doing the JP photo shoot three and half months after giving birth. Though I would not advise pregnant women to SUP unless they have loads of experience on the water doing board sports and know what they are doing as risks are involved. 

One of the best things I like to do on a SUP if I'm not doing a coast run or surfing is throw a snorkel around my neck and head out on a flat calm glassy day, paddle a ways off shore and go check out the sea life underneath with the safety of my board at arms reach in deeper waters.

SUP can also help your windsurfing as it will improve your board balance in general and wave awareness should you get into surfing wind swells or waves.

SUP covers it all, whether you're cruising in a daydream or looking for a full throttle adrenaline workout. 

Get a board, get a paddle and get out there!

Check out Shawna's website for more info on SUP and windsurfing

www.shawnacropas.com

Bobbie Cooper:

I’d previously seen my boss taking part in the sport and was intrigued to have a go. I’d surfed for a few years before taking up SUP and it definitely helped.  When I first stood on an SUP I was quite cocky and started from standing rather than my knees, I found it surprisingly easy and I really enjoyed it, from that day on I was hooked!

I just loved the feeling of being able to move on water without waves or wind! It’s definitely a great no-wind sport. After about half an hour of constant paddling I had the hang of it and was eager to hit the waves, luckily there were only baby ones that day! 

A week later I took part in my first competition as a bit of fun, I really enjoyed it.  At the time I was in the junior division and carried the competitions on to win the 2008 Junior title. I am currently competing for the women’s 2010 title. It’s great once you get your own board as you’re able to go out when and where you like, it gives you another kind of freedom. I love the distance paddling as well as the wave riding.

The events are not only for competing, there are free demos and often free coaching to go with it so head down to next event nearest to you and have a go! You don’t have to be an expert to have a go!

Some useful SUP links...

http://www.bsupa.org.uk

http://standuppaddlesurf.co.uk