Chalk is like air to rock climbers. We dip into our bag our bucket to keep our fingers and hands dry, but it’s also a reassuring habit. With a fresh layer of calcium carbonate dusting our fingertips, we know we are prepared to conquer the objective. Oh, and don’t forget to stylishly blow the excess off, you know, for the IG.
All joking aside, chalk is one of the essentials for rock climbing. For bouldering, it’s literally one of two essentials: shoes and chalk; that’s all you need.
Chalkless Grip Enhancer, as the name implies, boldly claims that its weightless, almost invisible magic dust keeps hands dry with a single application sans chalk. No more endless dips into the bag or bucket, no more inhaling chalk dust, and no more white handprints on everything in sight. Chalkless is said to be oleophilic (absorbs oil) while being hydrophobic (repels water) simultaneously.
Chalkless Grip Enhancer isn’t cheap like chalk. And rock climbers tend to be quite frugal, so any claim that requires spending more money than necessary is met with a critical eye. Prying money out of a traveling climber’s chalk-encrusted paws is a tall order.
A long-time GearJunkie climbing category contributor, Nate Mitka, took Chalkess Grip Enhancer to the climbing gym and tested it alongside the old standby to ease our enquiring minds. Watch this detailed and informative video about this potentially game-changing (I hardly use this terminology; it has to really earn it) product.
Runtime: 13 min.
