Rock Chalk, Wind Sock

This tip is quite simple:

If it’s windy, put a rock in your chalk bag.

When you’re on the wall, the wind can often blow up from below, causing your chalk bag to invert and dump out. Not only does this leave you clawing for the scraps of chalk left in there, but now your back is caked in a reminder of what you’re missing. By placing a stone in your bag you can weigh it down slightly and prevent from getting dusty when it’s gusty. When you’ve finished the climb, leave the rock or save it for your next sailing adventure. I’ve wondered if the same outcome can be achieved using a couple carabiners, but I’m worried if they’re not light enough you might lose more than some cheap chalk.

A small rock in a chalk bag - Iron Hayden Wall, Unita Mountains, Utah

Why does the wind blow upwards?

You’re not crazy. The wind tends to blow from the ground up when you’re high on a wall. It’s ridge lift. One trip up El Cap will show you how strong this force can be: 30m of rope can somehow hang above you, making you pucker in fear any time it sails near a rope-eating flake or crack. The same phenomenon allows paragliders to find consistent updrafts and stay in the air for hours despite having no means of self-propulsion. Think of the ever steepening cliff as a ramp. The wind rips along parallel to the ground, then encounters the wall. If the wall is anything less than vertical, then the wind flows higher and higher. Large ledges can shelter you from these gales, and you may find yourself pushed around even more on prows or featureless terrain.

The title of this post is a reference to the Kansas Jayhawks’ basketball chant “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk.” While I am not a fan of Kansas, I do enjoy college basketball and root for The North Carolina Tarheels, my alma mater, each season.