Team Member: Tianyi

I started climbing back when I was living in Hong Kong. It's a great spot for climbing, and Yangshuo's not too far off either. Since moving to Europe, I've mostly been bouldering in Fontainebleau and hitting indoor walls. But I really miss those remote climbing adventures in China. There's just something special about those places. It’s important to protect nature so we can keep enjoying our place in it.

Kicking off CHALK REBELS during a lockdown was a wild ride. Picture this: Francis, cooped up at home, going full mad scientist with his chalk experiments. Chaos, right? And here's a little secret: I couldn't stand liquid chalk at first. Now? Complete 180 – I actually prefer liquid over powder!

And I’m extremely picky when it comes to chalk. I have to. Even on winter days my fingers are a sweaty mess after a few moves. My chalk routines is a base layer of Magic Chalk and then a mix of Smooth and Chunky in my chalk bag. Except for bouldering, where I mostly stick to our purple liquid chalk.

Francis & I are a pretty good match as founders & climbers. He has naturally dry skin while mine is super sweaty. Which makes me the reluctant guinea pig in the company. He's the brain behind all the weird ideas at CHALK REBELS, and I'm there to keep things in check. And I have the ultimate trump card for product decisions: if it works for my skin, it will work for anyone!