Chalk

I had a good discussion about chalk a little while back with my friend and fellow climbing buddy Edwin. It  got me thinking I should write up an entry on the use of chalk.  Yup, that good ol' magnesium carbonate or MgCO3.  So, we'll take a look at it and the issues around it and see if maybe you can't learn a little something that makes you think a bit more about when to use it and especially when not to use it.

In the relatively short history of climbing, the use of chalk is even shorter.  It started to show up more and more in the 80s and climbers starting coming from the realm of gymnastics.  Climbs started getting steeper, more overhung and just generally harder.  The use of chalk had a big role in this.  As the gymnasts and weightlifters already knew, chalk helped keep your hands dry thus enabling you to maintain your grip on the bars, rings and weights.  The transition to rock climbing was inevitable.

Fast-forward to today and a chalk bag is on the list for every newbie climber buying gear.  You see all types of chalk bags from every major climbing gear company.  Hell I've even sent off some unique cloth that I've picked up to be made into chalk bags by Misty Mountain in North Carolina (seriously, they'll do it for like $25...custom chalk bag...pretty sweet and makes a great gift. Misty is such a cool company!).  Chalk balls have also become commonplace.  As opposed to loose chalk sitting in the chalk bag (which can easily spill), chalk balls are essentially a small sock or cheesecloth filled with chalk.  Most gyms require people to use chalk balls instead of loose chalk to help limit the amount of chalk in the air and their ventilation systems (and your lungs).

How much chalk a climber uses varies widely from person to person (especially climber type), region to region and even seasonally.  Some people's hands just sweat more for one reason or another and so they probably end up chalking up more.  Climbers at a crag in the middle of a humid Southeast US summer will quite likely use more chalk than those in Yosemite or Joshua Tree.  But those same Southeast US climbers might not use quite as much come October or November when the temps and humidity come down.  I mentioned climber type because I'd venture a guess that boulderers probably use the most, followed by sport climbers and finally trad climbers.  This really has more to do with the amount of traffic a route sees and proximity to chalk than anything else.  I do all three of these and I use chalk as needed.  When I'm bouldering, I know I'm using more chalk because I have a good bit of down-time between routes.  Putting your hand in your chalk bag just becomes a rather thoughtless action when waiting to hit the next boulder problem.  Whereas when I'm trad climbing I'm typically more concerned with placing gear and moving to the next stance.  Chalking up is something I do when I have a stance and can relax for a moment.  Sport climbing tends to fall in between.


Sadly, chalk gets used waaaaaay too much by climbers, sometimes to the point of actually making the route harder and the holds more difficult to grip.  Just go climb something like Exoduster at the New River Gorge.  It's a great route, but the crux is obviously more difficult because chalk is caked on the holds so thickly that it actually makes the sequence more difficult.  I'm sure there are plenty of other examples out there.  Actually, all you have to do is go to your local gym and over a couple of weeks pay attention to a particularly popular, but difficult bouldering route.  Assuming the holds are generally clean from the beginning, you'll see the changes from when it's first set and then over the next few weeks as more and more people chalk up the holds and hardly anyone brushes them.

But then of course you have places that just don't allow chalk.  Probably the most well-known "no-chalk" area is Elbsandsteingebierge on the Germany-Czech Republic border (another good link is here).  My buddy Alan visited there a few years ago and he said what climbing they were able to do (it rained a good bit) was fantastic.  There is also the rule there of no metallic protection, so you place knots in the rock.  Just before he left for that trip we climbed Ecstasy at Seneca Rocks in WV.  It was a warm, sunny, early summer day and he did the route without chalk.  Good on ya Al!

One last thing.  Take some time and use a few different types of chalk to see what works best for you.  Different chalks work for different people.  I used to use Metolius Super Chalk (who also makes an Eco friendly, non-marking chalk) and before that it was Bison.  Then I had to get a chalk ball of SoIll because I was out of chalk and it's what my gym has available for sale.  For some reason, SoIll just works for me like nothing else.  Black Diamond also makes a very popular chalk, White Gold.  I haven't used it so I can't really comment on it. 

So in the end, what's the conclusion here?  Chalk is going to be used by climbers.  But it's up to us to try to use it sparingly, and rely more on our skills as climbers not something as minor as chalk.  Blaming a lack of chalk for your inability to climb something is just a cheap, sad excuse for your lack of skills...don't use that as a way out.  Lots of hard routes were put up and climbed repeatedly by climbers without chalk.  Want an example?  Here's a great one: Cemetery Gates. This route is E1 5b (about 5.9+/5.10a) and was put up in 1951.  This video is of the FA crew repeating the route 33 years later.  Note the shoes and the protection they're using.  Listen to what he's saying about 'wet holds'...and then realize that neither one of them has a chalkbag...f'n badass man!  Oh and if anyone wants to get on some nasty, chalk-caked route and clean it up with a big ol' metal wire grill brush (or maybe a powerwasher!) you'll be doing the community a great service and I doubt if you'll get any hecklers. If you do, send 'em my way! :-)