Magnesia is the climber's essential companion for a better grip on the wall and holds for indoor climbing. This climbing equipment is available in 2 formats: in powder and liquid form.

Every climber has asked himself this question: liquid or powder chalk? More and more gyms are banning powdered chalk in favor of liquid chalk. And what about the effectiveness of each?

Alpinstore will try to answer all your questions!

What is magnesia?

Magnesia is used in the sporting world to absorb sweat from hands and dry them out to prevent them from slipping.

But also in industry and certain pharmaceutical products.

Its chemical definition(MgO) means that it ismagnesium oxide.

Magnesia is a white powder obtained by calcining magnesium.

The origin of the name magnesium (discovered in 1808 by H.Davy) comes from the name Magnesia, Magnesia being a region of ancient Greece.

Magnesium comes in 2 forms: powdered magnesia and liquid magnesia.

Powdered magnesia

What we call magnesia is actually magnesium carbonate. It is found in solid form in nature. It's the powder form we all know and use during our sessions.

Transportable in a magnesia bag, c' is still practical. Boulder, route, indoor or outdoor, our pof bag follows us everywhere. Wrapped around your waist or in your hand, you slip your hands into it and, in no time at all, you're ready to climb.

The great thing about powdered magnesia is thatyou can easily take it off during a climb. As soon as you're able to rest one hand on a hold, the other hand is free and you can access the pof bag.

As for the product's effectiveness, powdered magnesia does its job. Sweat is absorbed and there's less slippage on the grips. Of course, external factors such as your sweat level, temperature and ambient humidity can strongly influence performance.

We're increasingly being warned about the effects of powdered effects of powdered magnesia on our health. Powdered magnesia is highly volatile. When we put it on our hands, the surrounding area benefits too. When we climb outdoors, it spreads quickly, but indoors, it's a completely different story... we all know that the air in our climbing rooms isn't the purest.

Another problem with some powdered magnesium is thatit's not just magnesium carbonate. Manufacturers add other components, such as silica. Even in small doses, repeated exposure to this element is toxic and can lead to illness.

As a result, some climbers are switching from powdered to liquid magnesia. But some climbers prefer powdered magnesia for reasons of habit.

At Alpinstore, you'll find a wide choice of powdered chalk in the form of balls, packets and even blocks.

Discover Black Diamond's Gold range ! Black Gold contains 10% Upsalite - an anhydrous form of magnesium carbonate with a moisture absorption rate 30% higher than other compounds.

Liquid magnesia

The liquid magnesia is actually powdered magnesia to which alcohol and, sometimes, thickener or resin have been added.

How can liquid magnesia dry out our hands?

When it comes into contact with the air and our skin, the alcohol in the magnesia evaporates. The product then dries and our hands are full of powder. It's like taking them out of a poff bag! Overall, liquid magnesia holds up better than powdered magnesia.

Liquid or powder, the result is the same. But the main advantage of liquid magnesia is that it's much less volatile. It's the evaporation effect of the alcohol that dries our hands and the magnesia, so there's little or no airborne magnesia.

This is why more and more venues are banning powdered magnesia in favor of liquid magnesia.

The health benefits are considerable, but using liquid magnesia has its drawbacks. You need to have both hands free to spread liquid chalk on them. For bouldering, this isn't a problem as the routes are short. For longer routes, it's very complicated (if not impossible) to reapply during the ascent.. And it dries out the hands.

What's more, the resin in some products has the effect of clogging the holds much more quickly.grips much more quickly despite more intensive brushing. Sockets need to be cleaned more frequently!

How to use : Apply a dab to your fingertips. Rub in evenly. There's no need to use the palm of your hand. You climb with your fingers, not your palm. You can speed up drying by shaking your arms. Wait until it's dry before climbing.

To keep it simple

Magnesia powder Liquid magnesia
Advantages

Easy to transport

Can be used during a climb

Less drying of hands

Low volatility

Fits better on the hands

Very good grip
Disadvantages

Highly volatile

Air pollution

Composition not always clean

Requires frequent use

Impossible to reapply during a climb

Fouling is faster and more resistant

Dries hands

Expensive...

A few tips for using your chalk

Whether you use liquid or powdered magnesia, you have to choose between the positive and negative points of each. However, there are a few simple solutions to minimize the drawbacks of each type of chalk.

  • Aeration

Improve room ventilation. By better evacuating airborne magnesia, air quality improves. A simple solution is to open the room door. This also evacuates perspiration odors...

  • Be reasonable

No, just because your hands are immaculate white doesn't mean you'll climb better! Think of those around you, and don't overdo it.

  • Clean up after yourself

Whether you're using liquid or powdered magnesia a quick brush over the dirtiest holds when you've finished your route. There's no time for the chalk to become embedded in the hold! The next climbers will thank you. If you use liquid chalk, please don't leave your waste on the spot.

To find the right chalk for you, it's important to test several different types before making your choice. In fact, depending on the manufacturer, they won't have quite the same composition and therefore effectiveness.

What if the best thing was to have a base of liquid chalk and then add powdered chalk...? Alpinstore recommends it!