In fairness, this brush was never designed for application on rock or plastic. When trying to use the toothbrush to clean a hold, most testers gave up after a few seconds and came back to get another brush. If you have nothing else, and you have that little free one from the dentist lying around, then go ahead and take it with you.
But if you can afford it, buy an actual climbing brush. Choosing a brush should be a fairly simple exercise. There are a few basic considerations, past which the options come down to taste and preference. If not, make sure to get one that you can carry along on your chalk bag unless you boulder exclusively. If you already have a brush you like, then you may think about expanding your collection with something like the Mammut Boulder Brush.
If you count grams down to your brush, get the plastic Lapis. Otherwise, just get one that will perform well all around or on the climbing holds you use most often. An important consideration here is where you like to climb. If outdoor performance is your top priority, then the Sublime Premium may be worth the extra cash.
If you want to hone your skills on projects indoors, a brush with softer bristles might be appropriate. Two of the Sublime brushes have handles that can hide anything small and cylindrical.
Thankfully, the Slimline has made choosing between budget and performance unnecessary. If you want the best brush for the money, the Slimline is it. First, we went to our local climbing gym , hit the bouldering area, and brushed holds until our tendinitis acted up. We brushed holds of every type and size, and we tried to use the brushes as we would on our own projects or training days.
Once the weather cleared up, we took all the brushes out to the well-chalked boulders at the Gunks to see how they performed on real rock. Where appropriate, we also took the brushes along on sport climbs or trad projects.
Climbing brushes cost more, but the amount is inconsequential. Brushes from other climbing brands are similarly priced. Gear Guy has spoken! Become a member to unlock this story and receive other great perks. This article appeared in Rock and Ice issue September Got a question for Gear Guy?
When you first start out climbing, you will notice that most holds are very beginner friendly. They are easy to grab and have huge holes in them for the full length of your fingers. As you progress up the grades the difficulty rises and in turn, the frequency of these wonderful holds plummets.
It becomes much more common to see slopers and pinchers, along with various other types of holds. When brushing holds, your main objective is to clear it of any muck, grime or grease. This ensures as much of your skin is touching the hold as possible. But what it can do is make you believe that you are going to stick the move. That confidence can make all the difference between finishing the problem, or going home empty-handed.
If you are yet to earn your 5 minutes chalk free badge, you might want to brush off any tight holds during your climb for that extra bit of grip. Once you have completed your scrubbing ceremony, its usually a good idea to give it a good blow to remove any excess loose chalk. Make sure to close those peepers though, chalk dust and eyes are not compatible. Like most social settings, there are rules you need to abide by in order not look like a total asshat. We have all been there; you wake up feeling like something out of a George Romero flick, Grab your gear and dash off to work.
Luckily most climbers are friendly. With such holds the chalk may eventually need to be washed from it using a brush and some water, the chalk becomes slippery.
Remember though, rock is often weakened and so holds are more prone to break when wet. Commonly, dirty holds are brushed with a wire brush although such brushes can scratch the rock, in some instances improving holds. Generally, a stiff bristled house brush will work as well and without damaging the rock. Most rock types are actually quite soft and are easily damaged by over enthusiastic brushing.
Even gritstone is soft under its abrasive outer layer this can be clearly seen at the Bridestones. Clean holds provide a better grip but don't use wire brushes as these will damage the rock and the holds. A toothbrush is normally used for cleaning chalk from holds, but again a stiff bristled one works best.
Two approaches can be used here: Either the bristles can be used to break up the caked chalk, so it can be blown away, or a conventional brushing action can be used. Which you choose depends upon the hold itself.
0コメント