Psychi: Chalk That Doesn’t Cost the Earth

Chalk That Doesn’t Cost the Earth. It’s no secret that climbers go through a fair amount of chalk, and it makes sense. To perform at our best it’s no good having sweaty hands and a compromised grip, and chalk is the best way to deal with the problem. So even if it's something we don’t think about, it’s a pretty big deal for the climbing world, we all have different chalk preferences and we even have special little bags to carry it around with us.

What isn’t talked about as much is where all this chalk comes from, and the ecologically damaging processes it takes to produce. Almost all of the climbing chalk out there is extracted from a magnesite mine before it undergoes chemical purification, and sadly both of these processes cause extensive damage to the local environment (see study conducted by Juraj Fazekaš et al).

Xiafangshen Magnesium Mine, China. Courtesy Google Maps

But luckily not all chalk comes with this environmental price tag. Psychi have found a sustainable way to produce top quality climbing chalk using seawater! By combining magnesium, leftover from the seawater desalination process with CO2 you get a super pure magnesium carbonate (climbing chalk). This is great news for the climbing industry’s environmental impact as it gives climbing centres a much more sustainable offering for their climbers, and it doesn’t stop there.

Gyms can now stock Psychi’s sustainable chalk (Psych Powder) in a refillable chalk drum, dispensing scoops of chalk straight into climber’s chalk bags without using any single-use plastics. Plus they just launched a completely resin free sustainable liquid chalk, which keeps holds clear of gunk, saving precious jet washing hours.

As climbing gyms evolve, becoming more like community hubs than just a gym, sustainable moves like guilt free chalk is a simple win for the climbing community, reducing its footprint without sacrificing sends or the purse strings.