Who Would Have Thought?
I for one am glad the days of the chalk argument is over. There are many climbs that I don’t believe would ever had been climbed had it not been for the white gold. Consider for a moment Devils Lake, Wisconsin. The Quartzite holds have always felt like “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter®”. Of course some may think of me as a Fabio look alike but lets not get too far off subject. The holds at DL are a prime example to me of a climbing area where chalk makes the climbing much more doable, not as a direct aid but rather to keep the hands dry enough to not slip off the holds.
At Higher Ground, we are a chalk ball only facility. A couple reasons why are 1. Our inside Air Quality has improved drastically 2. Our furnace and air conditioner repair bills have decrease dramatically, helping us keep our prices down, 3. We spent a fortune on our flooring, we are spending a lot more time keeping it clean. Loose chalk on the floor only makes it much more work vacuuming and we were told by the manufacturer will cause the padding to wear out much faster than anticipated.
So, here are a couple suggestions.1. Experiment with different chalk balls. if you find one that you think dispenses well but are not please with the actual chalk replace the chalk inside with another kind. Our good friend and climbing partner, Ric Berlinski, mixes his own blend that works best for him. 2. Try Liquid Chalk. Either the blends made for climbing or try “Dry Hands” which is available at most any Golf Store. or 3. Really throw deep and use a combination of the two. Put the Liquid Chalk on your hands first and while it is drying squeeze your chalk ball. this extra drying boost will help your hands stay dryer between your chalking up squeezes of the ball.
So while we don’t allow loose chalk at Higher Ground and many other facilities do not either, don’t be dismayed. There are some great alternatives out there. Sure nothing beats the feeling that accompanies shoving your paws into a deep bag full of the smooth white stuff there are other alternatives that will work as good or better.
See you at the gym
Chalk One Up For The Home Team
3/25/10
Back in the 1970’s a great debate raged as to whether or not Chalking up was direct aid or not. For a FA I had done in 1974 at Pound Ridge, New York, called “Remembrance of Things Past and Present” we went so far as to rate it 5.8 A1 because I dipped into my “little red bad of white courage’ to manage the seeping finger crack.