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charley
Feb 12, 2003, 12:02 AM
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I know
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vegastradguy
Feb 12, 2003, 12:04 AM
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chalk = think stick.
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totigers
Feb 12, 2003, 12:08 AM
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Superglue without the sticky
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climbincajun
Feb 12, 2003, 12:09 AM
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I almost never use chalk. Why? Because I find that 99% of the time, I don't need it.
I know what you're thinking..."of course you dont use chalk, there's no moisture in Arizona." Well, you're right. But even climbing in the Southeast, I rarely used it.
All my partners are firm believers in it, however, though they will freely admit that it is mostly a psychological tool.
Unless it is MAD humid out, or I am super nervous with a sweaty palm fest happening, I find chalk pretty unnecessary.
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drector
Feb 12, 2003, 12:30 AM
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I use the absolute tiniest (almost none) amount possible for the Psychological effect of preparing for a climb but otherwise chalk up only if my hands feel wet. A chalk ball helps me prevent over-use.
Dave
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pbcowboy77
Feb 12, 2003, 12:37 AM
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Most of the time when I chalk up it's to rest and think my moves out. I tend to climb fast and I don't think much. So it slows me down and reminds me to place pro, and look at the crux.
I don't find that I stick better with it. It only drys my swetty a$$ hands.
Try climbing on limestone that is all chalked up. It's slick as hell, so I don't know about the whole sticky BS.
-Zac
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moabbeth
Feb 12, 2003, 12:38 AM
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I love chalk. It makes my hands get a better grip on the rock.
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nailzz
Feb 12, 2003, 12:57 AM
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Although I agree that it's effect is likely at least 50% psychological, I do have an example where it made a real and noticeable physical difference.
We had just gotten a hangboard where I work so a climber buddy and I were checking out all the holds. The top sloper was decent to hang on, but our hands would slide off so that we'd fall off within 15 seconds or so. Finally, I decided to run to my car and grab my chalk. I powdered my palm and fingers just a little bit, nothing excessive, and slapped them back on the sloper. The difference was AMAZING! I hung, and hung, and hung and finally got off so my co-worker could try it with chalk. He had the same reaction that I did.
So, I'm pretty convinced that most of the time the difference is probably not even noticeable, and most of probably use too much chalk altogether. But, in case anybody was wondering, it does make a difference at least on plastic slopers, a huge difference.
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curt
Feb 12, 2003, 1:22 AM
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There is no question that chalk will improve the friction between your fingers and the rock. When it is cold, the difference may not be that great, but as the temperature increases, the difference in the coefficient of friction between skin and the rock may be 30% or higher when chalk is used.
When climbing near your limit, 30% more friction on the holds can make a huge difference. BTW, the 30% increase was measured by John Stannard, PhD physics, and lead Gunks climber of the late '60s and early '70s.
Curt
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rprp
Feb 12, 2003, 3:31 AM
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Hmmm, maybe you people just need to learn to control your sweat glands. I almost never use chalk. Sometimes I'll wipe my hand on my shirt which is nice and quick, but I've never cared to dig around in a chalk bag when I could be climbing.
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godsmybelayer
Feb 12, 2003, 3:52 AM
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I use chalk...because poop smells bad
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curt
Feb 12, 2003, 4:02 AM
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rprp,
Please tell us exactly what type of things you usually climb. I will be extremely impressed if you are doing current "state-of-the-art" climbing without the use of chalk.
Curt
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wachy
Feb 12, 2003, 4:27 AM
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I use a lot of chalk. My hands sweat a lot, so I have to keep using it to dry them out. One thing I don't understand though is why the chalk doesn't stick so well to my hands.
I see people walking around with WHITE WHITE hands from the cahlk. Mine are barely noticeable no matter how much I put on.
The annoying thing about chalk-- and the reason people carry toothbrushes-- is that too much caked onto a hold makes it really hard to hold that hold. And hold and stuff...
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dlintz
Feb 12, 2003, 5:07 AM
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Chalking up for me is more about a ritual. It's a way to rest my fingers as I look over a route or contemplate the next sequence, and it has a mentally relaxing quality to it. On that note maybe I should carry a second chalkbag to hold my coffee.
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jumpingrock
Feb 12, 2003, 8:33 AM
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Chalk is very useful in the gym where the plastic makes your hand sweat more. (This is what I have heard at least) This leads us unfortunate gym monkeys (read prefer to climb outdoors but can't) to become dependant on chalk. When I was down in J-Tree I tried doing a couple routes and simply the physcological presense of (or lack of when I tried to go w/o) helped me climb. Its kinda wierd. But in reality in the gym chalk is practically a nessesity. Not so much in the mountains.
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overlord
Feb 12, 2003, 10:26 AM
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IMHO not using chalk damages routes more than using it. chalk is easy to brush off holds, whereas grease from hands is almost impossible to clean offf natural routes without damaging the ston (at least limestone, granite would probably take it). nothing polishes the holds like grease.
CLIMB ON
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daisuke
Feb 12, 2003, 1:00 PM
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I usually use chalk at the bottom of a route, chalk up and then get going, most of the time I don do it again once I on my way up unless I need it, for me it not a think stick... and chalk is much better than rosin, there are some ppl in chile that use rosin and I'd like to kill them for it, there is one route in las chilcas which has so much on it you slip off it with no problem whatsoever, one of these days I going to take a steel brush to it (that is assuming I get back to chile)
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katydid
Feb 12, 2003, 1:40 PM
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IMO there are two different kinds of chalk:
1. Psychological Chalk, which is the stuff you use when you're starting a hard/unfamiliar route and want to feel like your hands are as sticky as your shoes
2. Necessary Chalk, which is the stuff you use when your hands are so sweaty that you couldn't keep them from slipping off a doorknob.
I use #1 quite a lot at the gym, and sometimes at the crag. I use #2 relatively infrequently, and often find that I forget that I even have chalk with me in the middle of a route.
Kate
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josephine
Feb 12, 2003, 2:06 PM
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I don't use it much!Almost never!
I don't like chalk!Yuk!
Sometimes on the gym for psychological reasons.[I don't sweat much!]
Outdoors never,no chalk!
Penny
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mwbtle
Feb 12, 2003, 3:42 PM
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In the gym, its pretty much a necessity for me. Its all humid and the holds are glassy even before I have sweaty hands. So I chalk a lot there because my hands get gross fast in the heat and humidity, and it works better than wiping them on my shirt. Before I got chalk thats what I did, and I slipped off things a lot. Plus it gives me something to do when I rest. I do tend to find that really chalky holds are terrible, but I usually stick better to them with chalk than without.
Outside, I've never even looked at chalk. I haven't been outdoors much, but my hands don't sweat nearly as much while I'm there, and I stick like glue even chalkless.
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rprp
Feb 12, 2003, 4:18 PM
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Well Curt,
I don't know what you mean by "state of the art". They don't write me up in the mags or anything. I climb up to low 12 cracks and mid to upper 12 sport (at least when I was doing more sport). One of my partners has wet hands and is always griping about "greasy" rock on warm days while I feel that the rock is just right. Since my hands are fairly dry, I don't feel like I usually gain if I stop to chalk during hard sections since endurance isn't one of my stronger points.
I don't much like climbing on hot rock with or without chalk. But, say, slightly warm granite--no problem.
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curt
Feb 12, 2003, 4:37 PM
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rprp,
I am sorry if my question to you sounded like an attack or something. I was just curious because although I know lots of folks who do easier (5.5 to 5.8 or so) climbs without chalk, I know very few who do hard climbs chalkless. And 5.12 is plenty hard. I couldn't even think about doing a 5.12 without chalk.
Curt
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rprp
Feb 13, 2003, 12:42 AM
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No, it didn't sound like an attack. And I'll grant that most everyone I climb with uses plenty. The guy I mentioned above is basic snowstorm.
When I was first starting out, I used to climb 5.8s and 9s in the blazing sun with little water. I wouldn't now. Instead I try to hunt up a bit of shade since no amount of chalk can keep me from wilting in the heat.
[ This Message was edited by: rprp on 2003-02-12 16:46 ]
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godsmybelayer
Feb 14, 2003, 12:51 AM
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I think I'd have to agree with curt on this one! Once you progress to a certain level of climbing chalk becomes an almost necessity. Even the natural oils on unchalked hands can cause problems at certain levels...I have no clue about sandstone, I don't climb it, I have a phobia. But on other types of rock I am dead positive that chalk manifests itself as far more than a psycological climbing booster. Especially when I'm pumped or getting run out!
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mark99
Feb 14, 2003, 2:28 AM
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Registered: Feb 3, 2003
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Chalk is magic fairy dust that makes you climb better... sprinkle it on and away you go...
or was that how you fly?
Maybe I should stop sniffing the stuff as well...
oh not sure if it helps or not but it has become a thing I just do now..... makes me relaxed.....
or was that something else...
oh crack
Mark
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