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To Chalk or not to Chalk 1-Apr-2005 At 1:30:35 PM Goodvibes

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On 1/04/2005 nmonteith wrote:
>I am actually quite suprised at the poll results. I had no idea there was
>so much of a backlash against chalk.

Look at it this way Neil, how may people have you seen at the crags not using chalk. I can think of a grand total of 1 and he hasn't been climbing very long so will no doubt end up realising it's usefullness soon enough.

I love how i seems to be ok to use a bit of chalk on the easier routes but you should be damned to hell if you use it anything steep. Or that it is infered that chalk aiding performance is just a myth and people hardly ever slip off holds anyway, WTF. Sure maybe if you are climbing exclusevely on jugs but get on something a little smaller, a little less positive and see how you fare. Sure there will always be someone out there who can send my projects while sleepwalking in their flip flops wearing mittens but for the vast majority of us climbers, chalk does actually aid in our quest to get to the anchors.

I am like Neil and go through it pretty quickly, training on the woody uses up most of it I guess but my performance on the rock would plummet without it.

Now, I do realise that chalk can be an issue if it is in areas where some fu@#wit tourists that have nothing better to do in their lives sees it and complains to the authorities so sure there is a need to reduce our impact. Like many have said before, chalking up can become a bit of a habit even when you don't need to. Use it only when you need to and take along a brush and give some of the holds a bit of a scrub on the way down.