Testpiece Climbing #113; Kevin Brown on Chalk and Everything About it and Founding Friction Labs

This is the episode to learn everything about one of, if not the, most important parts of our climbing kit — chalk! The real topic here is how to maximize friction between your hands and the holds, which is crucial for sending your hardest.

Kevin Brown joins the pod and goes deep on the science of how to get the best friction on holds. He talks about the chemical make up of the best chalk, what it has, what it doesn’t have, the pH of chalk and why that matters. He also shares the history of chalk (and pof!), some of the potential future advancements in chalk, and how to prepare best prepare your skin and holds for each attempt.

Kevin knows this area so well because he’s the founder of Friction Labs. Kevin is also a lifelong climber who climbs into the V double digits and has contributed to the climbing community in a bunch of ways. Not only is he the founder of Friction Labs, he also helped found the Denver Bouldering Club which was one of the first real gyms in that area.

SHOW NOTES:

- Friction Labs Website: https://frictionlabs.com/
- Friction Labs Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frictionlabs/
- Carlo’s Dark Side Episode: https://podcast.testpiececlimbing.com/81-carlo-traversi/
- Athletic Hands: https://shop.frictionlabs.com/products/athletic-hands-daily-restorative-cream
- Liquid Chalk: https://shop.frictionlabs.com/products/secret-stuff-75ml

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