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bigevilgrape
Feb 9, 2002, 12:36 AM
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i was reading in Climbing magazine and there was an article said we are all addicted to chalk. the more i think about this the more sense it makes. i have very dry hands but when i get to hard moves i always go for my chalk, and feel stronger after. i often find myself. for no particular reason, playing with my bison ball between climbs. if you stop and think about it chalk really is a dermaly induced drug that makes you feel stronger.
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daggerx
Feb 9, 2002, 1:47 AM
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I cant say I fully agree cause I usally have really sweaty hands once I begin climbing, but befour I even start I usally reach for my bag.
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jules
Feb 9, 2002, 1:52 AM
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I only use chalk when I'm really sweating or if the person who climbed before me was. I try not to rely on it because it's not always there.
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treyr
Feb 9, 2002, 1:47 PM
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I use chalk a lot because it gives me confidence and help and I think it really helps!!!
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kunzie
Jun 18, 2002, 11:30 AM
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I have never used chalk before, on outdoor and indoor climbs and I feel proud of it.
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killclimbz
Jun 18, 2002, 12:52 PM
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I've got a chalk problem. I use it just about every other move. I can't help it, I like my hands to be dry. It is definitely an addiction. I think I'll look into some classes.
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doosh
Jun 18, 2002, 1:54 PM
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For it to be an "addiction," you would have to experience some sort of physical NEED for the substance.
Your habit of reaching for your chalk is probably that... a habit.
You do it not only for the actual physical aspect, but for teh comfort and familiarity that the act allows.
If Climbing can make you feel that bad about yourself, I wonder what Cosmo would do...
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ubangie
Jun 18, 2002, 2:35 PM
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Hi I'm Rye and I'm a chalk-o-holic...
I used chalk when I started climbing but I gave it up because it was drying my hands out too much, they would start to crack and bleed at times.
Now I just tape my fingers and wipe my hands on my shorts when they get a little sweaty.
[ This Message was edited by: ubangie on 2002-06-18 07:39 ]
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rock_climbin_06
Jun 18, 2002, 5:43 PM
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I had never used chalk until I climbed outdoors and when I figured out how much it helped my hands from sweating I seemed to use it alot more. Its not an addiction just a habit.
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wiegs
Jun 18, 2002, 5:54 PM
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I'm a chalk user too. I get really sweaty hands, so if I don't use it, I really have trouble doing anything...
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mikepeddle
Jun 18, 2002, 6:51 PM
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I think we should start a support group... Chalkaholics Anonymous!
I use chalk alot too, I always make sure my hand are nice and white before I leave the ground. Then I chalk up when I pause to think about a move. My hands are really sweaty anyways (they're sweating while I use this keyboard!) and I definetly feel more confident with a nice layer of chalk though. If I stop for any length of time at all I'll dip a few times!!! I think I have a problem.
For me its both a mental and performance thing.
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sheppe
Jun 18, 2002, 6:52 PM
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Nah, it's not an addiction for me. I only use it if my hands are sweaty. I used to use it a lot more, but then I realized it wasn't necessary, so....
-Sheppe
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tenderfoot
Jun 18, 2002, 7:22 PM
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I use chalk when my hands get sweaty and sometimes when I seriously lack the required technique
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climbsomething
Jun 18, 2002, 8:43 PM
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I use chalk a lot more in the gym, where it's warmer and the holds are more slippery. Plus it's a good stress reliever to squeeze the chalk ball when I'm hang-doggin' and feeling lame for doing so On a typical outdoor climb though, I only chalk once, maybe twice.
Hey, with the advent of those HEE-YOOGE chalk pots for bouldering, I have to wonder... is chalk *that* necessary? Especially for the handful of moves in problems? That really makes me think chalk is a mental thing. Not knocking bouldering, or chalk, just wondering why such a (seeming) major dependence in that discipline?
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jgill
Jun 19, 2002, 2:34 AM
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Talk to a serious gymnast. See what they have to say about its use. That's where it all began.
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jt512
Jun 19, 2002, 2:50 AM
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Quote:
I try not to rely on it because it's not always there.
It's always there when I climb!
-Jay http://www.timsportfolio.com/images/gotchalk.jpg
[ This Message was edited by: jt512 on 2002-06-18 19:54 ]
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kriso9tails
Jun 19, 2002, 3:18 AM
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I love how 'purist' some non-chalkers act when they aren't the ones who have to do the climb after they greazed it up .
I used to boulder at a cave that some people I know built in their basement. They didn't allow chalk (except for a little if you were certain that you were finally going to send) because there was really bad ventilation, and it can't be good for your lungs.
Chalk, like all things, is good only in moderation.
I don't think that people do get addicted to chalk, but I could see it happening in rare cases... but then I guess anything can become an addiction.
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fingerjam
Jun 25, 2002, 4:27 PM
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somtimes is reach behind my back and feel for my bag, and its not there then I relized im not climbing, im taking the SAT's and my hand is sweaty from writting
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doosh
Jun 25, 2002, 4:29 PM
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Do your fingers smell funny ?
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jansuw
Jun 25, 2002, 5:02 PM
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Since I do most of my climbing in Malaysia, sometimes after I've been at it for a while I can feel myself losing my grip because of the sweat. Simply dipping my hands in some chalk gives me more friction (or just makes me feel like i can hold on??????????????) and I find it 'easier' to do the move.
The bouldering bags are a great idea, you just carry it around, you don't have to use it all, but you wont run out. And sometimes when you're bouldering you want to mark holds. Obviously you should scrub them off after
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styndall
Jun 25, 2002, 10:57 PM
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Sometimes chalk seems to give a little extra friction. I was working a traverse that finished with a dyno, and I kept peeling off the final hold. Well, I took my chalk bag with me once, rechalked before the leap, and stuck it like it weren't no thang. I tried it a couple of more times, and the chalk really seemed to make a difference.
So, chalk forever,
Stephen Tyndall
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natec
Jun 25, 2002, 11:07 PM
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I don't have a problem! I'm not an addict! I can stop over chalking whenever I want to. I like using a half pound of super chalk per bouldering session.
(classic case of denial)
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sagarmatha
Jun 25, 2002, 11:37 PM
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I use chalk when I climb indoor. Never use it outdoors because I don't like to leave white marks on the rock.
Cheers
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lostangel
Jun 25, 2002, 11:55 PM
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I reach for my bag alot and play with my chalk ball alot because I get really sweaty hands so I try to keep them dry before it become a real problem.. I dont know if I would call it and adiction, but I would call it a habit... a habit similar to griping my steering wheel after climbing ect ect...
(Off the wall t-shirt though "I looove playing with my chalk ball" haha )
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hassan
Jun 27, 2002, 12:52 AM
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You know what I totally have a different view bordering on 'no-practical-value'. I don't use chalk infact I keep forgetting to use it even if I 'remember' to hang the bag with my harness.
But I do feel there is some value in using the chalk. We are all playing with our minds all the time. 'Habit' is a compact word for saying that we bring ourselves inside a certain mind-set where we are able to recreate a feeling of comfort. You may debate on that 'feeling of comfort' can be recreated differently by different people but that does not make 'this' habit of any less importance.
If someone feels better psychologically after using the chalk...let him/her use it. But that person should realize that habits can be changed...and which one he/she should adopt is purely a personal choice.
But there is no denying that if your hands are sweaty chalk does help. Mine are rarely so ...so I don't feel the need to use chalk.
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