Colored Chalk?

Im heading to Zion soon to climb, and read that they don't allow white chalk. ive been looking online and in stores, but haven't found colored chalk. any ideas?

Metolius makes a product called Eco Ball which supposedly leaves no marks. I have no idea what's actually in it though.

John Wilder wrote: pretty sure they allow regular chalk in Zion- i remember plenty of the white stuff on the walls there...

that's what I was hoping. thank you

Eric LaRoche wrote:Metolius makes a product called Eco Ball which supposedly leaves no marks. I have no idea what's actually in it though.

Has any company actually invested into creating something like this? Imagine climbing routes in red rocks and not seeing white all over the routes

Eric LaRoche wrote:Metolius makes a product called Eco Ball which supposedly leaves no marks. I have no idea what's actually in it though.

I remember back in the 90s there was quite a bit of colored chalk on the market.

maybe just mix in a tiny bit of red dirt in it?

If you'r still looking for some colored chalk we make 3 colors. Check out our site at www.climbingaddicts.com.

Onsight Gear sells "pur chalk" in three different colors. I have never used the stuff, but have seen it around. 

Yes they do sell a line of colored chalk. We only sell colored, no white chalk from us. We are family run just outside of Boulder Colorado. Hope to speak with you soon and be sure to check out our site. There's a coupon code for 20% off. 

Here's a link to the pur chalk on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YDML8X4/ref=twister_B00YDML898?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I purchased the red rock color, as well as the metololius eco ball, before heading out to Red Rock this spring. My intent was to try them side by side and see what I liked better. (I've seen concerns online about clothing getting stained by the pur chalk.) 

I ended up using the eco ball the whole trip, and never even opened the pur chalk. The eco ball is filled with a very fine powder that acts as a drying agent on your hands, but doesn't mark the rock. We liked it; YMMV.

Yes I used their chalk for a while. Our chalk does not stain clothes. The eco ball is an excellent option as well. 

So the question we struggled with - what can we do to change things? Do we stop using chalk? Is that the solution? In some instances yes. 

But many climbers use chalk so we decided to make a product that will help reduce climber impact but also use limited resources to manufacture. Hence our line of chalk. That's what makes our chalk different. If you would like a sample message me via Facebook or our site and I'll send you some. Like I said the eco ball is great so enjoy and thanks. 

axelman Axelrod wrote:

Yes I used their chalk for a while. Our chalk does not stain clothes. The eco ball is an excellent option as well. 

So the question we struggled with - what can we do to change things? Do we stop using chalk? Is that the solution? In some instances yes. 

But many climbers use chalk so we decided to make a product that will help reduce climber impact but also use limited resources to manufacture. Hence our line of chalk. That's what makes our chalk different. If you would like a sample message me via Facebook or our site and I'll send you some. Like I said the eco ball is great so enjoy and thanks. 

Old thread but I would be interested to know from where do you source your raw material. Thanks

I've been using the Wall Street Gold from Climbing Addicts for over a year.  It's a tiny bit fine for my taste, and I mix it with metolius and really like it.

I think that climbers poo pooing this concept is a bit like sticking your head in the sand.  Why not use something that involves so little work, pouring something different in your chalk bag, and will significantly reduce your visual impact.  Looking at routes in Red Rocks is painful sometimes.  I would imagine this will be standard and perhaps required by land managers if climbers stay stubbron into the future.

The issue with colored chalk is that it never matches exactly the color of the rock you are climbing on.   The second are the dyes used, while they might be natural and bio degrade they run and streak the rock.  Another issue is yo are not likely to change the chalk in your bag and you end up using sandstone colored chalk on limestone or granite and it looks worse than plain white chalk.   

How does this work when climbing a route with multiple colors of rock? Multiple chalk bags?

Actually I've found the wall street color when mixed with metolius is far less obtrusive on anything including grey Nevada limestone and Idaho granite.  It's a natural color and is far less intrusive even on different rocks that bright white, especially when you think of the multiple colors that tend to exist on most rock faces.

Hobo Greg wrote:

Product issues aside, are you really trying to cite laziness as a reason why it won’t work? “I can’t bother staying on trails, sorry crypto” or “I can’t bother picking up my dog’s shit, or even my own, sorry everyone else” are not acceptable excuses so why would “I brought the stupid white chalk, sorry everyone else” be ok?

I just think it always looks worse than white chalk.  

Kevin Mokracek wrote:

I just think it always looks worse than white chalk.  

Have you tried any of the newer stuff?  I know there was some really bad colors back in the day.