Climbing Chalk

Chalk - and you get a good grip

Who doesn't know the magic dust that is part of the standard equipment of all climbers? What the climber calls chalk is magnesium carbonate for the chemist and magnesia for the gymnast. It dries your hands very efficiently and prevents you from dripping away on each and every climbing hold. During summerly temperatures passages with small handles and routes with slopers become impossible to handle without chalk.

Where chalk cannot be used

Chalk made its way into climbing with John Gill, the man known as the father of bouldering. Having had its start in the USA chalk spread quickly in the climbing scene. The first critics raised their voices very early. In their opinion magnesia was an illegal support for climbers. Apart from that it stained and destroyed the rock. The latter is particularly true for sandstone. In Saxon Switzerland (an area in the eastern part of Germany which is well-known for its beautiful sandstone formations) climbing with chalk powder is prohibited.

Chalk balls and liquid chalk in climbing halls

In climbing halls, where temperatures rise when you get closer to the ceiling, a lot of people use chalk. But in these halls space is very limited and the emission of particulate matter can indeed reach very high levels. Many halls prohibit the use of powder chalk. Chalk ball and liquid chalk are alternatives.