Slippery gym holds

I talk to the setters all the time, I'll ask later this week and find out.

Ignatius Piwrote:

Hah! Selective quoting can be great for comic effect.

Brilliant!

rock climbing wrote:

With a lot of pressure water will cut steel. Garden hose is good enough to wash holds.

If the holds in my gym were 20 years old I would carry with me some 24 or 40 grit sand paper to fix them. 

I used vinegar for years to clean holds as power washing can dull texture. No scrubbing necessary with vinegar, just let em soak.

Skyler Maxwellwrote:

Ive been climbing in this gym near Ft Myers while on vacation and for some reason everyone who climbs there uses liquid chalk that the gym provides for free. Almost every route has one hold near the crux that is just super slimy because of the liquid chalk. Its almost as if brushing wont even help. The walls also seem to be never reset.

Lots of liquid chalks have rosin in them (also called pof or colophium). This crap leaves that sticky/slick coating on holds. I cannot believe that climbing companies sell it, or that people buy it, or that gyms allow it. Climbers have known about the damage rosin does to holds for decades yet for some reason it's come back recently.

Nkane 1wrote:

Lots of liquid chalks have rosin in them (also called pof or colophium). This crap leaves that sticky/slick coating on holds. I cannot believe that climbing companies sell it, or that people buy it, or that gyms allow it. Climbers have known about the damage rosin does to holds for decades yet for some reason it's come back recently.

I cant comprehend why no one in the gym uses powder chalk. It seems to be a vacation centric clientele (and/or kid parties) or for climbers that have no other option. Next closest gym is 2 hours away. Whats wild is membership is 150 a month and day passes are 30. The sets are not awful but I cant stand the constant sliminess of the liquid chalk that everyone uses. 

Nkane 1wrote:

yet for some reason it's come back recently.

At least at my gym, it was a Covid thing - liquid chalk only. (not the current policy). The one they were selling was the Frictionlabs stuff, the only ingredient that sounds suspect in it is hydroxypropyl guar. I don't usually use liquid chalk as its pricey, but on occasion, it's helped me top some pretty difficult pinks in the corner. 

Long Rangerwrote:

At least at my gym, it was a Covid thing - liquid chalk only. (not the current policy). The one they were selling was the Frictionlabs stuff, the only ingredient that sounds suspect in it is hydroxypropyl guar. I don't usually use liquid chalk as its pricey, but on occasion, it's helped me top some pretty difficult pinks in the corner. 

Friction Labs liquid chalk is rosin-free. I think there are some other brands as well that are rosin-free. 

Peter Bealwrote:

That's super interesting to see. Is there any info on who does this and what the process actually is?

I know Allgäu holds (Germany) does this, and the results look just like the insta pictures. I set a route with recoated holds some time ago, pretty high friction stuff, really nice touch. Texture seems to last for a while. They do have a "painted over" kind of look due to manufacurer's labels being coated as well and fine structures will probably disappear

I also saw the blocz upcycling kit on a trade fair recently for recoating the holds yourself, but they only ship to EU countries and you seem to need a shit ton of equipment 

rock climbing wrote:

With a lot of pressure water will cut steel. Garden hose is good enough to wash holds. 

Something tells me you haven't cleaned holds for a gym, ever   

For you slippery hold lovers out there,... here's some shots of the holds I mentioned in my first comment. I'd put the over/under at 20 years. 

Note that you need to crimp the top part of the one in the first pic to move off it. 

Are those Vex holds circa mid 1990s?  They were slick from the start. I loved them! :-)

BFKwrote:

For you slippery hold lovers out there,... here's some shots of the holds I mentioned in my first comment. I'd put the over/under at 20 years. 

Note that you need to crimp the top part of the one in the first pic to move off it. 

Bad for training, leads to over gripping and dry firing.

Im my OG gym we made holds out of clay with exposed grog, pretty much felt like sandstone, but some of the more sensitive bouldering types didn’t like them because their skin couldn’t handle it. 

BFKwrote:

For you slippery hold lovers out there,... here's some shots of the holds I mentioned in my first comment. I'd put the over/under at 20 years. 

Note that you need to crimp the top part of the one in the first pic to move off it. 

I'll be damned, Santa Barbara Rock Gym has those very same holds. and in about the same condition. I don't even know how, the gym only opened 10 years ago!

Are those Vex holds circa mid 1990s?  They were slick from the start. I loved them! :-)

Not sure about manufacturer but I'll take your word for it. I definitely remember these holds from Rocks and Ropes in Tucson circa 1999 when I started climbing there.

I'll be damned, Santa Barbara Rock Gym has those very same holds

Agree, I see these holds everywhere. They're like the Gideon Bible of climbing holds,... if you open a gym they just show up one day. 

Frank Steinwrote:

Are those Vex holds circa mid 1990s?  They were slick from the start. I loved them! :-)

They’re Teknik, no? Unless another company puts that little star on their holds 

Devin .wrote:

They’re Teknik, no? Unless another company puts that little star on their holds 

Not sure of the make (there might have been two) but these are evil.  I had set some devious cruxes with them,  I have not seen them in a long time but I guess they live on in gyms I no longer visit!

Teknik tron discs! Classic grips, one of the earliest holds to put your tips on plastic instead of the wall, now it’s all the rage.

And the climblab ultrasonic washer is the future. It’s awesome and does an incredible job, holds feel better than they do new.