I thought I was going to be diving deep into all the arguments about whether Antihydral works. I'll save some time by saying it does. Plain and simple. I found myself instead wondering more how to use it, and what that involved. I recently prepped for a Bishop trip by applying small coatings to my tips 3 times, each at night, over the course of 2 weeks. Then used it 3 times, every other day or so, while on my trip. The results surprised me.
(Disclaimer: I have been a window cleaner for several years now and work with my hands on side projects, car repair, and home hobbies, on top of climbing. I also sand them down several times a week, so I might not be the best test subject since my skin is already pretty damn tough).
I had heard of antihydral for years, but had never committed to giving it a shot, mostly because I do not suffer from overly sweaty hands (and $30 is hefty for something you're not sure works). Yet I came across some anecdotal accounts that claimed it also hardened tips. I didn't want to risk shredding my fingers to the bone, which Bishop is notorious for, and antihydral seemed like the knowledge for this trip.
Josh Mueller's nice flapper from Evilution, ~2010
Instructions for applying anti-hydral:
Wait till bedtime.
Clean and dry tips.
Either a. Put a small dollop on one finger and use it to apply to all the other tips/desired areas or b. apply about 5 pinhead drops to each tip/desired area
Rub around desired area; just covering the surface is enough without needing to use a lot.
Let air dry for several minutes.
Wipe off any excess with paper towel. Do not wash your hands!
Go to sleep. (As long as excess is wiped off, there will be no staining in bed; do NOT touch your junk, guys or girls!)
Carry on living.
Repeat as needed, though this may take some time to figure out. Prepare well ahead of a trip.
I had planned on taking a rest day after the first 2 or 3 into the trip. I ended up taking 0 and climbing for 8 days straight! Every morning I would wake up and realize I had plenty of skin, and never really felt too sore to climb, nor more sore than I had been the previous day. This could have been due to the antihydral prep, or just me having bullet-proof skin, so take that for what it's worth.
Everyone else in my group had shredded tips by the third day, but none of them prepped with antihydral, though some of them used it while there. I was the only one who climbed all 8 days.
The boys at Friction Labs have been getting bored making the best chalk on earth. So they upped their game and came up with a new cream even more mystical than my precious Unicorn Dust. The ingredients are so super secret they wouldn't even tell me what it was called. The label even says, "Secret Stuff." Maybe they don't even know! Gasp.
What I like about secret stuff:
It is VERY sticky (it's Friction Labs. Duh).
It lasts. In the video I do 3 problems and show my hands after each burn. They look the same after every climb.
It doesn't take a lot. Just a dime size to coat your hands.
It comes in a reusable jar (or recyclable at the very least).
Cuts down on chalk usage (I hang at home a lot).
One more thing to make myself look ultra cool when I pull out my chalk bucket.
To pre-order and find other great chalk products, go to Friction Labs.
If you're a very serious climber, the next 5 minutes will be fascinating to you. If not, carry on, nothing to see here.
On our third morning of the Bishop trip I saw, through my groggy pre-morning-tea eyes, in the kitchen, a shaggy-ish climber, hunched over, anxiously mumbling something about "hoofing it." He popped up, briefly looked at me, then walked away saying, "Yep, time to start hoofing!"
"Hoofing?" I mumbled.
"Yeah dude!" he came back into the room holding a tub with a pump dispenser on top. It might have been a Costco-sized jar of mayo, or your grandma's perfume lotion. "Mane 'n Tale Hoofmaker," it said. "The Original," it said. He pumped a small dollop into his palm and began vigorously rubbing his hands together in every which way. Wow, I thought, this guy is serious. He pumped some more and kept rubbing. Then he explained how it adds an extra layer of skin if you do it enough times.
Instructions for "hoofing it," (if you look at the instructions on the back, scroll your eyes down to "Instructions for humans." Wow. Right? Ok, don't follow those):
Pump small dollop onto your hand and rub in every which way all over.
Repeat x15.
Yes, 15.
Do the, "rub off." That is, rub your palms together like you're doing a play-doh snake, until you get a bunch of baby hoofmaker/skin snakes and wipe off with a paper towel briefly.
Pump small dollop onto your hand and rub...
Repeat x15.
Do the rub off.
Wash hands with a little soap briefly.
Towel dry.
Chalk up, climb. The first time might feel slippery.
I hoofed for a couple days, and honestly didn't notice too much of a difference. This guy swore by it.
Turns out he was climbing author and photog, Dan Brayack. Whoa. Then he sent High Plains Drifter that day. Double whoa.
He also had a hygrometer and was telling us the humidity. This guy was for reals. We all felt guilty for not having a hygrometer. Of course! This is the perfect excuse maker! "I was inches away, but the humidity was like, 68 percent. I took a photo of my hygrometer if you don't believe me."
I thought hoofing might be nice to do at night to facilitate healing, or maybe as an extra layer over antihydral. Then seal it off with some Benzoin Tincture! The possibilities were endless.
I ended the trip by hopping on Surf Safari with a friend (his project), which cut me up more than anything in Bishop. I left the wall bleeding and psyched.
Another handy factor coming into play on this Bishop trip was a little tincture I'd never heard of before, called Benzoin. "Maybe this is the way!" I thought. This liquid comes out quick and stains your hands brown anywhere it touches, like chocolate. Or baby poo. It also has an interesting aroma (not like baby poo); pleasant I thought. Turns out this stuff has been around for hundreds of years in one form or another. Currently it's used mostly for bandaging wounds by creating a tacky surface, while also acting as an antiseptic and sealant for the skin.
Instructions for using Benzoin Tincture at the crag:
Clean and dry tips.
Spray on tincture (or lightly dab if you have a different bottle; watch out, it comes out quick!)
For best results, air dry for 20 minutes. If you don't want to wait you can merely chalk your hands up, or spray some alcohol on them and then chalk up. It didn't seem to be quite as thick if done this way, though it could have been my imagination
Climb.
Repeat as necessary.
Using benzoin felt like actually creating an extra layer of skin. Being that Bishop was surprisingly warm for the 2nd week in February, we found ourselves seeking shade and fighting the sweat in near 70 degree temps. "Using," as we jokingly called it, was especially helpful prior to a send go. It certainly didn't hinder my skin, and I could definitely tell a positive difference at the end of the day when the clock struck "crush-o'clock."
My free sample of chalk from FrictionLabs.com came yesterday, and reminded me of a baggy of cocaine. After using it, I'm starting to think it might be just as good (though, if you snort it, your lungs will instantly dry out and you'll hack for about 10 minutes; don't ask me how I know this).
Sick of slimy hands and sub-par chalk, Kevin Brown, co-owner of the Denver Bouldering Club, recently decided enough was enough and invented Friction Labs, a new innovative chalk company that takes it to the next level, utilizing pure magnesium carbonate (all other brands utilize a mixture of that with calcium carbonate). In the video, he explains the details of why having a mixture of the two can make your hands slimy, especially in less that ideal conditions, and why Friction Labs uses only pure magic.
My Review:
The chalk I was sent (Unicorn Dust) reminded me of my beloved Frank Endo Gymnast Chalk, which I love because one need crush it to bits continually to break it up. I've always felt like this gets the chalk more deeply set into my skin. I also feel like a badass crushing something in my fingers before I crush my climbs like the Hulk be smashing buildings!
Alas, I have kissed the Endo goodbye. In a friggin heart beat. Here's why:
1. Itty Bitties!
Friction Labs chalk feels the same as the Endo, little bits to break up. This was the first thing I noticed about my Unicorn Dust (ground from the horns of the endangered species; you're a sick man Kevin Brown!)
2. It Stays!
After climbing a few problems, I looked down at my hands. They still had chalk on them. On the tips. "Hmm..," I thought. "I must have chalked up without thinking about it." I chalked again. Climbed again. Same thing. It was taking at least 2 problems before I needed to chalk again! Ack! How will I feed my compulsion to chalk my hands every 30 seconds from the moment I walk in the door of the gym, or set my pad down at the boulders???
3. No Huge Plumes Of Dust In The Air.
After applying liberal amounts of chalk (as I am wont to do) I will sometimes clap my hands. This is either to make a grand appearance like when a band walks on stage through smoke, or to let others know I'm about to climb because, hey, huge cloud of chalk here, uh, climbing? Doubtless this will save countless air filters in the near future as well as keep us from getting Climbers' Lung (no, that's not a real thing).
4. It Flippin' Works!
You can literally hear the moisture from your skin crying as it is being captured and dragged away by the molecules in the chalk and thrown into a perpetual dry prison. Then the magic begins and your tips are instantly transformed into 80 grit sandpaper quality. Then you send and gain sponsorship. I personally got 4 emails from various companies wanting to give me money just after opening the bag. But seriously, I honestly felt more controlled on every hold and could tell there was something different going on here.
5. Free Sample!
First, like them on facebook. Then, visit their website. Email them your name and address, and boom. You can get your own free baggy of cocai---er--chalk. (sneeze!). I just signed up for my monthly fix, which will be well worth the pittance it will cost each month to have it delivered to my door! Tell us what you think, and thank Mr. Brown for his brilliant creation.
