are you effin kidding me?

I wonder if chalk gets discussed on gymnastics or weightlifting forums, and a subset of users tell everyone else not to even bother with the stuff as its only benefit is psychological (unless you have pathologically sweaty hands).

CLIMBSTUFF PLAIN OL' CHALK is super cheap at $2.59 for 9oz.

Cron wrote:

This compromise is not worth it. I’ve switched over to the spray-on stuff so it never touches my hands.

I use a sunscreen stick which usually surprises most new partners since it looks so much like a stick of deodorant.

pfwein wrote: I wonder if chalk gets discussed on gymnastics or weightlifting forums, and a subset of users tell everyone else not to even bother with the stuff as its only benefit is psychological (unless you have pathologically sweaty hands).

Chalk is used in gymnastics and weightlifting as an ANTI-friction lubricant.  To keep sweaty skin from sticking. 

I would need Botox in my hands to not use chalk.

I wonder if that's a viable idea.... 

also the fancy dry Neutrogena oil free 'sport face' sun screen is nice for reapplication during climbing. 

Climbstuff's 35% discount off everything is still going but this seems like a killer deal for chalk:
CLIMBSTUFF PLAIN OL' CHALK @ $2.59 for 9oz., 1/2 to 1/6th the price of other chalk companies. Good luck.

Eugenel Espiritu wrote: CLIMBSTUFF PLAIN OL' CHALK is super cheap at $2.59 for 9oz.

Actually, that entire site has pretty good deals. They have cams for less than $40, for example.

Has anybody ordered from them before? I've never heard of them.

David K wrote:

Actually, that entire site has pretty good deals. They have cams for less than $40, for example.

Has anybody ordered from them before? I've never heard of them.

Yes, they are definitely legit. Have ordered from them multiple times.

Agreed the only place I can find block chalk is Englewood Earth treks super annoying.

Nowhere wants to sell the block anymore so they can rip you on brands like friction and BD black gold. Chalk is Chalk the only high end chalk is liquid chalk. 

Mark Pilate wrote:

Chalk is used in gymnastics and weightlifting as an ANTI-friction lubricant.  To keep sweaty skin from sticking. 

I can't speak to gymnastics, but this is certainly not true for weight lifting. Source: I lifted for a while, deadlifted >400lbs at 180lbs for a bit, needed all the friction I could get.

Mark Pilate wrote:

Chalk is used in gymnastics and weightlifting as an ANTI-friction lubricant.  To keep sweaty skin from sticking. 

Um, no. As any gymnast will attest, friction is pretty important on the highbar, rings, parallel bars, and pommel horse. Chalk is just used to keep your hands DRY from sweat. It’s not an “anti-friction lubricant.” That would be disastrous.

Chris Fedorczak wrote:

Um, no. As any gymnast will attest, friction is pretty important on the highbar, rings, parallel bars, and pommel horse. Chalk is just used to keep your hands DRY from sweat. It’s not an “anti-friction lubricant.” That would be disastrous.

I retract my apparent misinformation.  Years ago it was a parallel bar gymnast who told me it was so that their sweaty palms wouldn’t bind up and blister when rotating around the bars.  

Interestingly enough, while checking on this myself, I’ve found various papers and studies with conflicting results on the friction component.  No disagreement on the drying aspect, but whether it  hurts or helps for friction is more complicated.  
The takeaway from all scientific studies however Seems to point to a “less is more” principle. 

Mark Pilate wrote:

I retract my apparent misinformation.  Years ago it was a parallel bar gymnast who told me it was so that their sweaty palms wouldn’t bind up and blister when rotating around the bars.  

Interestingly enough, while checking on this myself, I’ve found various papers and studies with conflicting results on the friction component.  No disagreement on the drying aspect, but whether it  hurts or helps for friction is more complicated.  
The takeaway from all scientific studies however Seems to point to a “less is more” principle. 

No worries. And I agree, an egregious amount of chalk could definitely make things a little slippery. In gymnastics (just like in climbing) we just used it to control swampy palms, which was definitely no bueno when your hands are the only things preventing you from face planting into the vault at full speed during somersaults or randomly flinging off the high bar during giants (which I did... no fun at all). 

David K wrote: You probably want to buy bulk 2lb buckets. Example.

The cheapest 2oz blocks listed on this thread are $1-$1.50. That cost per-pound comes to around $16. The cost per pound for the big buckets comes to around $10.

Some people's hands sweat a lot, some people's don't. I suspect the folks saying that chalk is psychological are in the latter group.

I bought the Salty Lance bucket in October because it was the cheapest chalk I could find at the time. They have increased the price. It used to be $13.99, not $19.99 : https://camelcamelcamel.com/Salty-Lance-lb-Chalk-Bucket/product/B07BTJ9953

Here is the table I made at that time of the chalks I could find on amazon in the cheapest sizes:

CHALK,WEIGHT,AMZN_PRICE,PRICE_PER_OZ
Salty Lance,2lb,$13.99,$0.44
Black Diamond White Gold,300g,$11.90,$1.12
Metolius Super Chalk,15oz,$7.15,$0.48
Friction Labs Unicorn Dust,10oz,$25,$2.50
RAGE Fitness,1lb,$13.99,$0.87
Primo Chalk,5lb,$104.68,$1.30
SPRI,1lb,$15.20,$0.95
Frank Endo,1lb,$17.95,$1.12
Chalk Ness Monster,1lb,$13.95,$0.87

As you can see, Metolius Super Chalk in the big bag was the best buy among major brands. Friction Labs is for suckers.

Mark Pilate wrote:

I retract my apparent misinformation.  Years ago it was a parallel bar gymnast who told me it was so that their sweaty palms wouldn’t bind up and blister when rotating around the bars.  

Interestingly enough, while checking on this myself, I’ve found various papers and studies with conflicting results on the friction component.  No disagreement on the drying aspect, but whether it  hurts or helps for friction is more complicated.  
The takeaway from all scientific studies however Seems to point to a “less is more” principle. 

i never used chalk when i did rings, but i always used it for high bar. i guess for sweat, but also to let my hands slip and rotate freely when doing giants. and yes, dont chal up and youll tear open the  "pads" on your palms near where your fingers join the hand.....been there.....unless you used those leaher strap on thingies that i never felt comfortable with....im thinking the chalk lets you grip a bit better, ive ripped open with chalk and without, but without im afraid id fly right off the bar if i was sweaty (did that once too.....it wasnt pretty)

EFS wrote:

i never used chalk when i did rings, but i always used it for high bar. i guess for sweat, but also to let my hands slip and rotate freely when doing giants. and yes, dont chal up and youll tear open the  "pads" on your palms near where your fingers join the hand.....been there.....unless you used those leaher strap on thingies that i never felt comfortable with....im thinking the chalk lets you grip a bit better, ive ripped open with chalk and without, but without im afraid id fly right off the bar if i was sweaty (did that once too.....it wasnt pretty)

Gymnast (crummy one, admittedly), circa 1970s. Chalk, then, was used on uneven bars for sure. Without, your hands got ripped to shreds. But, toes would also get dipped into chalk, for the beam.

My experience way back when, always made me lean toward doubting chalk as upping friction, just in itself. Drying sweaty hands, sure, but if my hands are sweaty, I'm overheating and in trouble anyway. I read somewhere that a small damp rag is as good, perhaps better, a solution as chalk, for sweaty hands.

I am one of the rare ones who would rather skip chalk, if I can. It just bugs me, and makes no difference, except if I'm headed for sweaty hands from overheating. 

I will say? Chalking up seems to be a huge, huge part of the head game for some. One partner chalks his shoes. That, makes no sense to me, when I am at the same route, and swiping my shoes on my pant legs to get the dirt off, once it's my turn to climb!

Best, Helen