Friction & Feeling: The Chalk Challenge

We started CHALK REBELS because we were not impressed by the quality of chalk on the market. Most of it was cheap imported crap from China. And because the quality was so low, climbers were using way too much of it. And for liquid chalk, the quality was even worse.

So we set out to create better chalk, in liquid form, because that’s where we feel we could make the biggest impact: if you apply a good base layer of liquid chalk, you will use far less and send stronger.

We have two criteria for chalk: it needs to perform well and it needs to feel good.

Performance: It needs to be ultra-performant and that performance needs to be backed by science, not bullshit. We found that in Upsalite®, and last year we created Magic Chalk: a liquid chalk with 2x performance compared to regular chalk. And our climbers love it!

Feeling: Chalk is also about how it feels. And how it makes you feel. Climbing is very much a mind game. Small details like putting on your favorite pair of shoes or using chalk that feels great make a difference. The best chalk is useless if you don’t like the feel of it. And with liquid Magic Chalk we created a liquid chalk that feels great.

Until now we haven’t been able to replicate that same succes in chalk powder and that is the reason why haven’t sold any. We can only sell a product if we’re happy with both performance and feeling.

We know that the best performing chalk is pure, contains Upsalite®, and is applied as a thin layer on your skin. That’s why we made Magic Chalk in liquid form first: it’s the best way to apply chalk correctly. But not everyone likes liquid chalk. And not everyone likes that smooth silky feeling on your skin of the best performing chalk.

Most climbers actually prefer a slightly chunkier form of chalk. A chalk that feels less smooth and slippery. And until now no climbing brand has been able to create a dry chalk powder with Upsalite® that feels great.

But we cracked the nut. By carefully selecting sources of magnesium carbonate we were able to create a dry chalk powder that meets all of our criteria:

• Best performance thanks to Upsalite®. More absorption means less chalk use & more grip.
• Made with seawater-based chalk because it's better for the environment.
• A custom blend of chalk that is vailable in both chunky and smooth form for great feeling.