Cuts on hands

[pertierr 0]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, I couldn't find it on a search.

On every skydive so far i've noticed that i have cuts on my hands/fingers when i go to collapse the slider. I have no clue how i get them, anyone experienced this before, and/or know the cause? It's pretty clear I get them between exiting the plane and end of deployment....

Weird.

[dgskydive 0]

use lotion

Dom

[pertierr 0]

ok, ok i guess i had that coming.

[skytash 0]

depends on where they are. I've had a riser take a (small) chunk out my little finger, because without knowing it I reach for my risers on deployment. (good call on big ways 'cos I can steer away from other canopies quickly if necessary) I now always wear gloves as I don't like to take my rings off. If a riser can do that my skin, who knows what would happen if I caught my ring on it - I like having all my 10 digits!

tash

Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is a special occasion. Avril Sloe

[headoverheels 333]

Wear gloves.

[Remster 30]

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Wear gloves.

I always ended up with cuts and scrapes on my hands... I pretty much always wear gloves now...

Remster

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

My hands get beat up pretty badly on skydives, sometimes for no apparent reason. Reaching up for my risers on tandem jumps and competiton jumps under my Velo expose my fingers to riser slap. I generally always wear gloves on tandems because I
know my hands are likely to get beat up, but I only very-rarely use gloves when I am jumping my Velo. Also, the narrow dive loops on my Wings risers, while easy to grab also cut into the side of my hand where my pinkie meets my palm. The worst mysteries to me are when my hands get cut up on wingsuit jumps. I cannot explain that at all, but it happened at least four different times at Rantoul.

[goose491 0]

Just don't reach for the risers until you are properly stood up.

I have a habit of steering my snivel around with the rears. lol Every now and then I reach for 'em a little too early though and lose a chunk of finger to riser slap.

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[BillyVance 34]

I've cut my fingers a few times reaching for my risers on deployment. I've learned to wait until the canopy is out of the bag and inflating before I put my hands on the risers.

You can also get your fingers cut on exit, especially if you're hanging onto something, like a steel "L" bracket on some King Airs above the door. Once I got my wedding band caught on the "L" bracket when I was trying to get in position on the climb out and the next guy out bumped me over before I was ready, and I'm hanging going OWOWOWOW GODDAMNIT!! before letting go... I get back on the ground and there's a big blood-filled blister on my finger under the ring on the palm side...

Wear gloves if you're doing any kind of skydive unless you really need the exact feel of skin on something for precise gripping purposes. I won't wear gloves on demo jumps where I'm flying some kind of attachments such as a flag or smoke grenades suspended on a steel cable lanyard.

Blue Skies
Billy

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[beezyshaw 0]

It took me a long time to figure out that I got lots of cuts on my fingers, around my nails, from gripping other jumpers. The pull forces of freefall cut my cuticles all the time. As everyone has said, gloves fix the problem, but I hate having to skydive in gloves. It's like taking a bath with your socks on.

[FrogNog 1]

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It took me a long time to figure out that I got lots of cuts on my fingers, around my nails, from gripping other jumpers. The pull forces of freefall cut my cuticles all the time. As everyone has said, gloves fix the problem, but I hate having to skydive in gloves. It's like taking a bath with your socks on.

I found this while I was still on student status - I would cut my cuticles regularly on my pull hand only, probably from when I grasped the BOC ripcord in my iron claw of life and extracted it with a consistent singularity of purpose.

So I went to gloves. In the winter that's a no-brainer. In the summer, I wear lighter gloves and I accept that things feel different and the strut is slipperier than bare hands. But now I don't bleed under canopy and I appreciate the extra protection the gloves will afford in case I bump the plane wrong with a hand.

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[mjosparky 4]

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now always wear gloves as I don't like to take my rings off. If a riser can do that my skin, who knows what would happen if I caught my ring on it - I like having all my 10 digits!

Gloves will only offer so much protection, your rings can still get caught on something.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[AdD 1]

I opened up a cut when i was front risering one time, didn't notice till i saw the blood all over my jumpsuit and the lines. The FJC's really like that kinda stuff.

Life is ez
On the dz
Every jumper's dream
3 rigs and an airstream

[wee 0]

everytime??? is it from dryness (mine get dry but never THAT dry) or are your toggles digging in? that is really weird! i'm iffy about gloves...

If the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off!

[pertierr 0]

Well, there's been several things pointed out here and I think it's a combination between the cuticle issue mentioned by someone and cuts from the risers, etc. I never reach for the risers until I have checked the canopy, i have plenty of time because i'm mostly doing high-pulls. I've gotten both cuts on my fingers from (?) and the cuticles, but on both hands, not only my PC hand.

I'm iffy about gloves too because I have low # jumps, plus pillow handles on my new rig. Unless it's really a bad issue, i would rather be cold and be able to feel my handles quickly. Sometimes the rig loosens up a little on opening and my handles move all over the place.

Thanks for all the input!

[jumperconway 0]

Quote

depends on where they are. I've had a riser take a (small) chunk out my little finger, because without knowing it I reach for my risers on deployment. (good call on big ways 'cos I can steer away from other canopies quickly if necessary) I now always wear gloves as I don't like to take my rings off. If a riser can do that my skin, who knows what would happen if I caught my ring on it - I like having all my 10 digits!

------------------
I've heard the story in Texas about a lady losing most of a finger that had a ring on it inside a glove! It stayed with the plane! Please take the rings off.

tash

[mr2mk1g 10]

You could always spend a couple of bucks on getting the soft reserve pad switched for a d-ring.

The choice between pad and ring is a balancing of different risks. Each choice has it's own set of risk factors which we tailor to suit our own needs.

Different jumps or disciplines involve different risks - some of which may be associated with a d-ring. I would bet that you are not doing the kinds of jumps which cause a d-ring to become a risk.

If a d-ring is not introducing risks there is no reason not to have one. Pillows introduce risks themselves so what you have is essentially a rig which could be made safer for you for want of a couple of bucks.

Switching out the pillow for a d-ring shouldn't cost a great deal at all. You may even be able to part ex the pillow with the rigger to cut down the cost to nearly nothing or alternatively keep it for some time down the road when a pillow might be more appropriate for you.

It's good to see that you're paying attention to what you put on your hands though. I think far too few people even think about that and it's a recipe for disaster. Personally I'm quite anal about it and put a lot of thaught into the feel and grip I have in a pair of gloves.

[bch7773 0]

yeah i've noticed that too. in fact, last weekend i somehow took out a chunk of skin on both wrists... reaching up for risers too soon?

also, part of it i think is that the freefall dries out the skin around your fingernails, and riser slap, taking grips, and packing tears open that skin.
at least thats my theory on why my fingers end up bleeding every weekend from the fingernails.

MB 3528, RB 1182