Need some advice for building calluses

After not climbing most of the winter, I have lost all my calluses. The rock wall at UWYO finally opened and I have been several times, but find that it is extremely difficult to build calluses because the holds are all super rough and basically sand off my skin. This severely limits the amount of time I can spend climbing - my skin on my hands is totally raw after only 30 minutes of climbing, well before my muscles start to feel it. Anyone have any suggestions? I am already using Joshua Tree climbing salve and starting to tape up some fingers.

I've always been a big fan of Hoofmaker, a veterinary lotion that is made for strengthening horse hooves. Whereas salves like Climb On or Jtree are made more for putting on existing gobies and scrapes, this is more preventative; you apply it daily. Super cheap, and if used with an emery board it toughens up your skin without causing major callus buildups that can later rip off.

I'm a fan of working hands brand salve. You can buy it at Ace hardware here in Laramie. It seems to help most if you apply it before you go to bed. As far as general skin maintenance goes, I've found that shorter batches of climbing a couple times a day is better than one longer session, especially as you're building your skin up. Think morning and afternoon sessions at the half acre for about 30-45 minutes instead of gettin down for an hour or more at a time.

Also...the sun is shining at vedauwoo!

Climb on real rock.

I get a thicker tougher callous from a week on granite than I could ever get training on plastic. I think in general there is more direct pressure and less rotating/sliding around on holds on real rock compared to the gym, and holds tend to be smaller and gripped longer. I believe it's the pressure, rather than abrasion, that triggers increased skin thickness.