I was watching Joe Mohle check out the moves on 'Cool Like That' last weekend and he made the observation that sport climbers generally don't brush holds. We all know why we brush holds, don't we?

So... attach a brush to your chalkbag and give your favourite route a once over

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Climb ZA - Administrator

Well said and damn straight!

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...Chalk is cheap...

just purchased a wisdom 99 denture brush best for the job i have seen so far!

Maybe off topic a bit but I would be interested to get people's opinions on the ticking of holds with chalk. When is it acceptable, when is it not? Is it general etiquette to brush them off when you are done working the route?

To me, ticking and brushing go hand-in-hand. One should brush a route every time one cleans it and the same goes for tick marks. One should feel free to place small tick marks (maybe an inch or two in length) for hard to find holds but should make sure to properly clean both the hold and tick marks afterward. I have given a few people a stern talking to after seeing ridiculous tick marks being placed on jugs or climbers not carrying toothbrushes.

LEARN THE ETIQUETTE! Leave the rock as you would like to find it...

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I hate this real world place... I'd be more than happy to live out there rather...

For Onsight climbing, seeing massive tick marks pointing out crucial holds as you climb up the route kinda defeats the object to me.. Might as well have all the Beta before you head up the route. So i agree that tick marks should be removed on routes that are often climbed by others. It's obviously a different story if it's a closed project and/or only a handful of climbers are working the route.

Yes, I have the same question, why? ?

There are so few climbers in PE.....Tick & chalk marks give me this warm feeling that there might be other climbers out there. Its exciting to see fresh tick marks that I can't remember making.

Yes guys please brush the holds off (and tick marks if you are done with a climb). I would like to add; how to brush holds - brush them like tou are supposed to brush your teeth, small circular movements only. Vigorous back and forth brushing, particularly with a stiff nylon brush like a denture brush, will polish the holds over time, even on our seemingly bulletproof sandstone. This is not desirable so brush gently. The boar hair brushes sold at City Rock are a way better choice for hold brushing than nylon, not to mention not being made from petroleum by-products.