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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Poll Option Votes Graph
Yes I use chalk 126
82% 
No I don't use chalk 28
18% 

 Page 1 of 12. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 60 | 61 to 80 | 81 to 100 | 101 to 120 | 121 to 140 | 141 to 160 | 161 to 180 | 181 to 200 | 201 to 220 | 221 to 227
Author
To Chalk or not to Chalk

LittleMac
31-Mar-2005
2:38:29 PM
Seems like chalk use is again becoming a popular topic, so lets find out how many of us actually use chalk. I know we've discussed this before, but we seem to just skirt around the subject and never actually ask anyone to form a definitive, yes I do or no I don't to chalk, so let's find out.

As this is a secret ballot system, be honest, if you use chalk tell us, if you don't then tell us that too. Feel free to make comment on this sensitiive topic.

We're talking outdoor climbing here.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
31-Mar-2005
2:50:21 PM
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oweng
31-Mar-2005
2:54:17 PM
I love it. I will continue to use it until such a time that consensus dictates that its use is no longer acceptable.

On most of the climbing I do its use is not really an issue, as its slabby or vertical rock, where the chalk washes of the next time it rains. (Im assuming of course that the main problem with chalk is its unsightlyness).

Of course, if there was an alternative product that does the job and is less visually offensive, id switch to it quick smart. Hell id even pay a premium.

LittleMac
31-Mar-2005
2:55:06 PM
I use chalk and I'm not afraid to admit it. I do however try to use it sparingly and I also use a chalk ball which minimises the amount of chalk tou spread all over the place. Use of a chalk ball also helps to stop you dumping chalk all over belay ledges etc. I don't think the use of chalk is a problem, inappropriate use of chalk is a problem.

Also where would I store my precious bolt plates, and I also use the cord that attaches my chalk bag to me, to rack items such as accessory cord etc.

Nick Kaz
31-Mar-2005
2:59:24 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
nmonteith- thats been discussed before blah blah.....
buffer zone
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(thanks for the inspiration hex ;))

I Love my chalkball, but I hate loose chalk! It's much nicer on the eye to use a ball, and I find it dries my hands better than 5kg of dust. The only problem I have is HUGE tick marks, ticks are fine if they are little dots or lines.IMO huge stripes and blobs suck and ruin photos. Anyone who thinks chalk should be banded is a wowser.

Mike TS
31-Mar-2005
3:02:52 PM
I voted no. Because I don't have as sweaty hands, or do hard routes, and I don't like the look on rock. My no means that I hardly ever use it.

rhinckle
31-Mar-2005
3:15:42 PM
i've been using the same chalk ball since 1997, without a refill.
i usually forget to use it, after initially chalking up, realizing i haven't tied in, ending up with it on the rope, and off i go, oblivious of the chalk bag, apart from when i need a bolt plate..

i'm not offended by chalk.
i like it when i find a bit when i'm wondering if i'm on route or not.
i like seeing it on bluestone walls and knowing that someone's been there.
it's the climbing version of dog piss.
if you don't like white marks on rock, what are you going to do about falcons and other cliff nesting birds.

has anyone ever climbed with riggers gloves?
i was scoping some rock one cold morning and thought bugger it i'll give it a go.
felt good.
the leather doesn't sweat & isn't greasy.
fingers have enough friction on the inside of the glove
there's still good rock feel.
worried that the gloves would pop off, but that didn't happen, wouldn't have mattered as i was on toprope w/- grigri.

adski
31-Mar-2005
4:07:09 PM
I am against ticks. These bloodsucking parasites drain my onsight attempts of their lifeblood.

cruze
31-Mar-2005
4:15:42 PM
Until such time as I am strong enough to climb exclusively on overhanging terrain I make no bones about the fact that I am a chalkaholic and proud of it.

Long live the mighty white!

IdratherbeclimbingM9
31-Mar-2005
4:32:24 PM
Chalk was originally intended for the fingers/hands to improve friction not for ticking stone, so I am with adski on this.

Like rhinckle I use it sparingly and have just refilled my chalkball for the 3rd time since chalk became commonly used in Australia, (late 80's??).
Like oweng I only use it on less than (or) vertical surfaces, where it will get rained off. I never use it when aid climbing.

>has anyone ever climbed with riggers gloves?
Yes, and I did not like them due to being too insensitive.

I do however use fingerless riggers gloves while aiding (generally) and still pull the odd free move (handjam etc) with them. They are OK for infrequent moves like this but when I went out on a hot day to thrash my way up an handjam-to-offwidth type route I found that my hands sweated so much inside them they crept/slid and made the climbing harder due to less grip.

I don't enjoy climbing through chalk marked sequences, or for that matter through bird poop or bat guano!
The mental component of working out the moves is an integral part (preferred) of the experience for me.

gordoste
31-Mar-2005
5:11:01 PM
i also only use it rarely, and agree with most of the comments offered so far. it really does spoil the look of a cliff - e.g. Tannin, the Gallery, etc. I also think it's fairly unnecessary on anything under grade 20.

Nick Kaz
31-Mar-2005
5:15:47 PM
On 31/03/2005 M8iswhereitsat wrote:
>Chalk was originally intended for the fingers/hands to improve friction
>not for ticking stone, so I am with adski on this.

Adski is an old prune.

sabu
31-Mar-2005
5:17:24 PM
i only use it on indoor climbs, i hav recently stopped using it on outdoor routes as i hav seen it's affect of dot to dot scarring, ther itsn't a real need for it to be used on rock. chalk just makes the cliff ugly and the holds slimey and bad.

nmonteith
31-Mar-2005
5:37:56 PM
I reckon I go through a block of chalk every two weeks or so. I can't imagine only refilling a chalk ball once in 20 years?! I would need to do it every second day.
bob
31-Mar-2005
6:56:56 PM
i use it indoors and out doors i stick my hands in sand before if i need to and try to minamise the use on aney thing hard but if i do it's usaley just at the start of the climb and i leave the bag behind to put off temtashion ( i try to be green i have onley used it out doors 2 times in the larst 2 and a bit years)

bob

AlanD
31-Mar-2005
6:59:50 PM
I use a chalk ball, but very sparingly, mostly I forget to use it for the whole climbing session.

klareralt
31-Mar-2005
7:25:14 PM
I didn't use chalk 'till I came to Australia....

Here I discovered the jig-saw nature of sportsclimbing, trying to a) fiddle a boltplate off the biner you've stuck them on, b) try to fiddle the boltplate onto a rusty, bent and loose excuse for a bolt (a real, fresh carrot would probably be safer), c) clip the boltplate from the correct side, without it spinning or falling off, d) clip the rope....

Then someone asked me why I didn't just carry the boltplates in a chalkbag.

Well, there's no sense in a chalkbag with no chalk, right? Right!

So now I use chalk.... or at least it's a good excuse....

Andy
WM
31-Mar-2005
8:26:51 PM
Yes.

>On most of the climbing I do its use is not really an issue, as its slabby
>or vertical rock, where the chalk washes of the next time it rains. (Im
>assuming of course that the main problem with chalk is its unsightlyness).

The chalk has washed off these routes but there's still a problem...



gordoste
1-Apr-2005
12:32:34 AM
Are you sure that discolouration is caused by chalk or is it just water seeping from the crack?

anthonyk
1-Apr-2005
1:43:46 AM
On 1/04/2005 gordoste wrote:
>Are you sure that discolouration is caused by chalk or is it just water
>seeping from the crack?

no, scared climbers

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There are 227 messages in this topic.

 

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