Have you been rock climbing for a while now? Whether that’s a yes, you may perhaps know the significance of chalk for improved friction and better grip. Particularly when temperatures are hot and hands are slippery, this essence allows to dry out the secreted oils and moistness. Yet, while searching for the correct chalk product, you might have come across two primary diverse types and were perplexed wondering which one to pick. Climbing chalk or regular chalk? Is climbing chalk different from regular chalk? Read on to discover more on that!

Regular chalk and climbing chalk are identical. They all suit the identical objective of maintaining your hands dry; they supply you with the exact benefits. Also, they consist of the same chemical elements, and they convey the same narrative.

What is Climbing Chalk Made Of?

Most climbing chalk consists of magnesium carbonate (MgCO3). You will in many instances white chalk, but other colors are possible. Climbing chalk’s elements are mostly identical to the chalk that other athletes use to dry their hands and enhance their grip. This goes without saying!

Every climber has an individual chalk taste. Yet, some businesses appear to deliver chalk that’s more compelling at drying your hands and enhancing your grip than others. The mystery of these high-end climbing chalks is their added components. These typically incorporate limestone, essential oils, and drying element.

Various Types of Climbing Chalk

There are precisely 4 types of chalk typically used in rock climbing. Those are:

• Block chalk
• Liquid chalk
• Loose chalk powder structure
• Chalk in a form of powder stored in a cloth bag

Purchasing a chalk block is typically the most affordable choice. When manufacturers assemble chalk in block format, it cuts down on the refining as they don’t have to destroy and filter it. Yet, this can be chaotic for you as you’ll have to split it apart to place it in the chalk bag.

Tip: Place the chalk block in a long-lasting plastic pack, crumble it, and then count to your chalk pack as required. Make certain you let the air out of the pack before crushing it to stop it from bursting.

Liquid chalk is magnesium chalk powder that has been liquefied in alcohol or a different solvent. To spread, press some onto your palm just as you would when using hand cream. Buff it out and allow it dry. This offers you a pleasant, dense coating of chalk that remains on your hands much lengthy.

It’s best employed when mountaineering or as a ground layer for longer pathways. When mountaineering, you take breaks in between issues, letting you reapply liquid chalk. You’re likewise doing actions at the boundary of your capacity when even a slight boost in grip could be the key to sending your task.

Tip: Did you know that your old climbing rope may be beneficial in many ways, except the climbing.

There Is More to This

Tip: If you want the ideal results, apply a layer of liquid chalk, let it dry, and then use powdered chalk on top. The liquid chalk will hold your hands parched and help the other chalk stake.

Loose chalk is one of the most typically purchased chalks for climbing. It may come either as a fine powder or the same with chunks. Both consistencies have their advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage of loose chalk is that it frequently builds a huge dust cloud when used. It can likewise readily escape from chalk bags, leaving chalky chaos. This goes without saying!

To fight the messy core of powder chalk, chalk orbs came into space. You can purchase refillable chalk socks to place your lax chalk into. Set the chalk ball into your chalk pack and squeeze it to protect your hands as you climb. It takes a bit more struggle to get a fine layer from a chalk ball, yet, multiple climbers pick them.

Particular businesses also sell unfillable chalk balls. These usually arrived with new chalk bags. Still, investing in a sack that you can refill time and again is a little, yet valuable, investment.

Is Climbing Chalk Bad For You?

Climbing chalk is typically safe for humankind. You could even consume little scraps of it, and you would be okay. The primary trouble with chalk when it comes to human health is specifically inhalation.

Breathing in magnesium carbonate powder in tiny amounts won’t do you much damage. That’s the unwritten rule! Yet, in rock climbing gyms, there can frequently be a lot of chalk dust drifting around. What’s more, a 2016 statement on gym air contaminants discovered that chalk with powder yielded high levels of chalk dust in the air.

Know that any type of dust in huge amounts can be dangerous to people with allergies or chronic respiratory illnesses. What’s more, it’s one of the quickest ways for bacteria to be conveyed from one individual to another. Bacteria work to move everywhere in the air. Yet, if there is dust or something they can attach to, they can transit more efficiently.

Long story short, climbing chalk is not perilous for people, yet it can have negative outcomes when airborne in high concentrations inside. Specific climbing gyms do have ventilation, air cleansing procedures, and cleaning regimens to lessen the effect of chalk dust, but the air rate alters by location.

Many climbing gyms prohibit chalks with powder, telling your best choice is to utilize liquid chalk or a chalk ball.

Environmental Footprint of Climbing Chalk

When climbing began to acquire popularity, climbing chalk evolved to be an industry of its own. Currently, it’d be hard to locate a climber that doesn’t hold chalky hands when they climb. Nonetheless, some purists decline to employ chalk at all. There are actually some places in Colorado, Minnesota, and Utah that prohibit chalk use.

In some areas, chalk is prohibited as it is hideous for other people to appreciate the landscape. In theory, climbing chalk does not pose a massive hazard when used on rocks such as granite and quartzite. On more porous rocks, such as sandstone and limestone, the chalk can be absorbed leaving behind polished blemishes.

The extensive prevalence of magnesium carbonate chalk arrives out of mines in China. Sadly, these mines have caught some drastic environmental shifts because of the uptick in customer needs. Mining disgorges dust, which sinks to the ground near the mine. This dust yet forms a tough crust that pollutes the surrounding earth.

Over time, the layer of magnesium carbonate begins to inhibit soil functions and ecological processes. It can prevent plant growth and slow water entrance rates. Often, we worry about the effect we are holding when we employ chalk outside. It appears that the authentic environmental impairment is done before we get to the peak.

Dry Chalk vs. Liquid Chalk

One drawback of dry chalk is that it goes with a pigsty on the ground after applying. When you catch some of it from your sack and use it on your hands, some parts may drop on the ground and need cleaning. That isn’t the point with liquid chalk. As it oftentimes arrives in a tube, you just spray a tiny amount on your palms and apply it all over your hands without departing any clutter.

However, dry chalk is a better choice for your skin. Do you have extra sensitive skin that’s exposed to over-drying and breaking? In that case, dry chalk is a better option. One fact is that liquid chalk has alcohol and stays longer. What you need to know is that the longer it stays, the more it persists drying out your sensitive hands. That might not go well for individuals with sensitive skin.

What’s the Difference?

The primary disparity between these two is the one you can notify by peeking at their names – one is liquid, and the other is powdered. The next contrast: liquid chalk is typically calcium carbonate or perhaps magnesium carbonate combined with liquor, rosin, and a thickening agent while dry chalk is magnesium carbonate and might hold extra drying agents. The ethanol in liquid chalk is what liquefies the Rosin and maintains the calcium carbonate in the fluid-structure. After being used on your hands, the alcohol disappears quickly and vacates a more substantial essence to offer the much-needed variance and grip.

Is liquid chalk superior to regular chalk? Across the board, liquid chalk is more suitable on most occasions. The main departure is if your skin is prone to over-drying and if you would rather spend less. But when it comes to spending less on dry chalk, also think that you’re more prone to lose dry chalk when using liquid chalk. Why don’t you test both of them to see which one is a better option for you?

Tip: While rock climbing, think of the weather. How cold is too cold for rock climbing, is there any difference?

Wrap-Up

Hopefully, this article was useful and you appreciated the pointers about climbing chalk! To sum everything up, magnesium carbonate is the primary component in climbing chalk, Various brands do add more additives.