Mad Rock Climbing‘s chalk may be called “Addiction” but this is a serious, slow-burning sort of addiction. It’s not about blowouts and bingeing.

MAD FOR IT

So more chalk must be better right? Wrong. We love our climbing chalk at Push. We love it because it gives us better grip, especially when things get sweaty.

(Seeing as we’re here in sunny Saigon, that means every single day.)

But if you take a moment to watch how our instructors chalk their hands, you’ll see that they are very careful not to overdo it. Tempting as it is to think chalk is good so more chalk better, too much chalk can reduce grip by creating a layer of loose chalk on top of your already chalked fingers.

It’s a classic newbie move to plunge your hands into a chalk bag then vigorously clap clouds of white powder off them. It’s also a sure sign you’re over chalking.

Mad Rock Climbing‘s chalk may be called “Addiction” but this is a serious, slow-burning sort of addiction. It’s not about blowouts and bingeing. So, Mad Rock Climbing Addiction comes ready in its own sock (or a bucket of chalk socks if you really want to sock it to it). No loose powder, just a brief fondle of the ball and you’re good to go. It’s what you’d expect of a company founded by award-winning gear designer Young Chu.

Mad Rock’s motto: “climbing is our passion.”

INSTRUCTOR APPROVED

“The Addiction is good quality and I like the fact that it comes in a chalk ball instead of loose chalk”, notes Push Instructor Franklin Marlon Buenafe. “I’ve been using the Mad Rock for top roping and while the chalk isn’t as fine as Saigon Climbing Industry chalk it is good quality.”

Like a lot of serious climbers Franklin uses a combination of chalks, depending on what kind of climbing he’s doing.

“I use Addiction for top roping, but prefer Saigon Climbing Industry (SCI) for bouldering where I need more grip and the ball doesn’t always give me enough.”

There are two sides to every story in climbing though.  Fellow Push Instructor and competitive climber Jun Vidal also loves the SCI for grip he is currently using the Mad Rock.

“I’ve been using Mad Rock in the gym (lately) because I’m in training so I’m trying not to have so much powder on my hands – I actually want to make it slightly harder for my fingers so as to train them for maximum grip.”

Pros: enclosed in a sock so as to minimize waste and excess dust.

Cons: not so easy to get a thick application when slopers really call for it.

Words by Steve Shipside.