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Does the appearance of chalk on a route bother you?

Posted: Wed May 07, 2003 5:25 pm
by Danny
Overall they don't really bother me and I think a line of chalk going up a route looks kind of cool. The negatives are that the chalk can make the holds have less friction and can give good or bad beta. But aesthetically I don't mind the appearance.

Posted: Wed May 07, 2003 5:53 pm
by Jack
I get lost pretty easily and a little chalk on the start of the route helps orient me. It's probably because I only climb chossy trad routes, but sometimes it's really hard to tell exactly which of those cracks that go to the top is the 5.4 and which is just a filthy hole in the rock.

Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 2:50 am
by deleted username
i hate the way it looks.

Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 3:47 am
by Danny
I think it looks better on some routes than others. On some routes it's like a piece of art I can relate to and admire imagining climbing it.

Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 12:45 pm
by rhino
The appearance of chalk make me horny

Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 12:50 pm
by Guest
rhino wrote:The appearance of chalk make me horny
does it have to be on a wall or could it just be in some dude's chalk bag hanging on his harness?

Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 2:39 pm
by Huggybone
I think chalk is pretty ugly. I would go further to say I don't like it. But, there aint a damn thing to be done about it, so I don't really care too much.

It ony bothers me when an entire crack is coated with it. Like rock wars gets.

Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 4:56 pm
by Steve
It is an unfortunate dirty little by product of climbing that needs to be dealt with before it becomes the next big issue. An outright ban would be the best thing, ban it in gyms too.

Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 5:03 pm
by Danny
I don't like it on rockwars either cause it's a continuous smear with no aesthetic quality.

Posted: Thu May 08, 2003 8:22 pm
by tomdarch
I was just thinking about it in a 'art-speak mumbo jumbo' kind of way:

The presence of chalk on the route becomes a trace of the activity of the climber. Even without the climber present, the chalk markings begin to hint at the movement and contact with the rock that denotes a route and differentiates it from the rock which is not suitable for activity of the climber...

But anyway, as long as we can convice non-climbers that the chalk is some sort of moss or bird poop, then we'll be fine :wink: