Having used Climb On for years and found it very effective, I’ve found that ClimbSkin Cream complements rather than replaces it. Climb On works well as a deep moisturiser that takes some time to properly soak in, so it is best as an overnight application. The Climb Skin however, has a percentage of alcohol which helps to accelerate it’s drying time. It can be used during the day and a couple of hours pre climb where it will hydrate the skin and dry enough to not be a greasy hindrance when pulling hard on the rock.

I’ve used it on several climbing trips as an after the morning shower application, making my skin hydrated and supple (a bit more elastic and leathery) which means it is less prone to splitting or tearing on sharp edges.

I suffer from split nail beds fairly often where my nails separate from the fingertips and it is really quite painful to crimp down on anything. Climb Skin doesn’t work very well for this due to the alcohol content drying out the area under the nail a bit but is great on the fingertips.

Being a cream rather than a wax bar it does mean that it is easy to burn through a tub quite fast, so try to control your use a little and use something else as an overnight deep moisturiser such as Climb On, Kletter Retter or Rhino Repair (other excellent moisturisers are also available!).

- Rich

The Organic Boulder buckets are well suited to harnessing the untapped power of Friction Labs chalk, being at the top of the price tree and very desirable.

The bag is made from recycled offcuts from the manufacturing of the bouldering mats so ticks the eco green box nicely. This also means each bag is pretty much unique in patterning and colour combination.

It is a very sturdy bag that sits well on the ground and doesn’t blow over in a light breeze. It features grab handles, a generous zip compartment for skin care items and several brush holders as we all know that one meagre brush will not suffice when having to remove the excessive build-up of chalk, dead skin, grime and nastiness from the grips.

The solid velcro strip closure is ideal as I’ve always found drawcord closures fail either from snapping or de-threading and blocking in the eyelets making it impossible to close the bags properly.

The other obvious bonus of having a garishly vibrant and unique oversized bucket, is that it won’t get lost at the wall in the sea of generic Moon Boulder chalk bags* or DMM Edge buckets of the great unwashed.

*Check out Jack’s review of the Moon Boulder bag here..

- Rich

FrictionLabs chalk: Costing more per gram than a city banker’s recreational habits, is this dust more magical than anything Philip Pulman dreamt up or simply the Emperor’s new chalk?!

What’s purer than pure.. err ground Unicorn horn? With it being by far the most pricey chalk pound for pound, is Friction Labs worth selling organs for?

Hyperbole and faux science aside, it is without doubt a step up in performance in terms of keeping fingers drier for longer. I won’t let any other chalk near my main chalk bucket as contaminating it with sub-standard fare would undermine its effectiveness.

I’ve found that it prevents my tips sweating out as fast and that less re-chalking is required. This has been a legitimate game changer for wrestling up marginal greasy volumes and slopers indoors as well as on pumpy outdoor climbs where there is no opportunity to chalk up mid climb (i.e. Parisella’s Cave).

If you don’t possess your own money tree, I would recommend having a separate chalk bag with cheaper chalk for warming up purposes and saving the good stuff for redpointing projects. It is available in 3 flavours; Unicorn (Fine), Gorilla (Medium) and Bam Bam (Chunky), so just pick whichever grain size floats your boat. Fortunately, it is available in a sample size to give it a test before having to commit to a big bag!

If the price is still just a bit too high, I would recommend giving the Beta Bloc double density chalk bloc a go. It has a very good value per gram and is probably the next best thing I have used after Friction Labs.

- Rich

More and more brands are producing clothing lines made from bamboo. A giant grass that grows at an alarming 3 feet a day and reaching maturity in only 3 to 5 years whilst releasing a third more Oxygen in to the atmosphere than most other flora?! Mono-culture is rarely a good thing but those are some impressive stats.

Primary school science lesson over. Rich loves his Ocun Gear tee, which is a shame because he's been eating like a horse and living at the gym so it now looks like it was painted on. He reckons they are well worth £27, want to find out why?

Disclaimer; Within this review is one of the best modelling shots of the Prana Mojo to have ever been taken. Prana said it was too strong. People would be intimidated.. that they would be seen as elitist. You can see their point but we think the world is ready.

Read on about these top drawer, alll-day ultra comfy climbing shorts and find out what all the fuss is about.

Jack can talk the back legs off a dog. I've seen it first hand and it's not pretty. You didn't think there was much to say about a Moon Bouldering bucket did you? How wrong you were!

He has been using them for as long as they have existed, in his defence. So come on in, maybe grab a brew (there will be time to drink it) and check out why we sell a bajillion of these a year.

Rhino Skin Repair is a non-greasy skin conditioner designed to heal dry, swollen and abused hands and feet. The instructions state to wash and dry hands immediately after climbing, then apply pea sized amounts and rub in until dry.

The active ingredients are as follows:

Magnesium for tendon and connective tissue health.

Honey as an antibacterial and for moisturising.

Menthol for pain relief.

Willow Bark as an anti-inflammatory.

Salicylic Acid for skin regeneration.

A full list of ingredients can be found on the product page.

It may seem that all that’s missing is eye of newt and pube of Gaskin but this might just be the best skin repair product I have ever used. I have tried most of the market (I haven’t tested the other products from Rhino Skin yet but now I will be). It may seem like a bold claim, but I haven’t spoken to anyone that has said a bad thing about Rhino Skin, and judging by the speed at which this is leaving the store, more and more people are catching on to the fact that whatever skin type you have, Rhino Skin have a product for you. In fact they probably have 2 or 3! I haven’t fully figured out which other products I will use alongside the repair regularly, but the Performance seems like the perfect accompaniment.

I apply the Repair after most sessions, intensive or not, but also slather it on deeper cuts and flappers to keep them moist and clean. I’m adamant there is a benefit to skin repair. Whether it’s a placebo or not the science is there and I’m a big fan.

If and when I decide to step things up again on the smaller and slopier holds (yes, I’m making up words) across my many unfinished projects, I think the Rhino Dry and Tip Juice will come in really handy. Which also means I can avoid ordering antihydral which I vowed to try and never use again.

- Jack

It’s sandpaper on a stick, right?

It might seem that the Beastmaker Beast Maintainer is a little overpriced for what it is, and maybe it is, but it certainly hasn’t stopped me from keeping a few of these skin files knocking around. I keep one in my training bag, another is attached to my chalk bucket and I know there is another one floating around at home somewhere. (They’re very small and easy to lose).

When I’m psyched to climb regularly and training hard, skin maintenance is essential. You can use whatever creams and moisturisers you want (I personally recommend Rhino Skin Repair) but keeping the pads on your fingertips smooth and keeping those splits and calluses away is of paramount importance ...and yes, all this can be achieved with sandpaper attached to piece of wood!

- Jack

Cat is our newest staff member but still somehow managed to secure the time off to jet across the globe and explore NZ. What the heck. Once the jealousy subsided we thought it best to exploit this situation and have her test some kit while she is out there. I dunno.. maybe Ocun stitching falls apart when you cross the equator or something?!

Better educated than the aging V12 vets, Cat's Noya review was a treat to read. Finally, we can stop Jack and Bertie squeezing in to the sports bras and leggings to pass on feedback to our horrified female customers!