Magnesia is THE essential climbing companion for a better grip on the wall and indoor climbing holds. This climbing equipment is available in 2 formats: powder and liquid.

Every climber has already asked himself this question: liquid or powdered magnesia? More and more climbing halls are banning powdered magnesia in favour of liquid magnesia. And what about the efficiency of each?

Alpinstore will try to answer all your questions!

What is magnesia?


Magnesia is used in the world of sports to absorb sweat from the hands and dry them to prevent them from slipping.

But also in industry and some pharmaceutical products

Its chemical definition (MgO) means that it is magnesium oxide.

Magnesia comes in the form of a white powder that is obtained by calcination of magnesium.

The origin of the name magnesium (discovered in 1808 by H.Davy) comes from the name Magnesia, Magnesia being a region of ancient Greece.

It can come in 2 forms: powdered magnesia or liquid magnesia.

Magnesia in powder form


What is called magnesia is actually magnesium carbonate. It is found in solid form in nature. It is its powder form that we all know and use in our sessions.

Transportable in a magnesia bag, it is nevertheless very practical. Block, track, inside or outside, our chalk bag follows us everywhere. Around the waist or by hand, we slip our hands inside and, neither one nor two, we are ready to climb.

The advantage with powdered magnesia is that you can repoff very easily during an ascent. As soon as you can rest with one hand on a grip, the other hand is free and you can access the poff bag.

As far as the effectiveness of the product is concerned, powdered magnesia fulfils its role. Sweat is absorbed, you slip less on the holds. Of course, external factors such as your level of perspiration, temperature and humidity can strongly influence performance.

We are increasingly being warned about the effects of powdered magnesia on our health. Indeed, powdered magnesia is very volatile. When we put it on our hands, the surrounding area benefits as well. When we climb outside it spreads quickly, but indoors, it's a completely different story... we all suspect that the air in our rooms is not the purest there is.

Another problem with some powdered magnesia is that it's not composed solely of magnesium carbonate. Manufacturers add other components, such as silica, for example. Even in small doses, repeated exposure to this element is toxic and can lead to illness.

Faced with these questions, some climbers are abandoning powdered magnesia in favour of liquid magnesia. But some climbers prefer powdered magnesia for questions of habit.

At Alpinstore you will find a wide range of powdered magnesia in the form of balls, bundles and even blocks.

Black Diamond
Camp Petzl  Mammut
5€ 6€50 4€ 8€

Discover Black Diamond's gold range! Black Gold contains 10% Upsalite - an anhydrous form of magnesium carbonate with 30% higher moisture absorption than other compounds.

Liquid Magnesia


Liquid magnesia is actually powdered magnesia to which alcohol and sometimes thickener or resin has been added.

How can liquid magnesia dry out our hands?!

On contact with the air and our skin, the alcohol contained in the magnesia evaporates. The product dries and our hands are full of powder. It's like pulling them out of a poff bag! Overall, liquid magnesia holds better than powdered magnesia.

Liquid or powdered magnesia, the result is the same. But the main advantage of liquid magnesia is that it is much less volatile. It is the evaporation effect of the alcohol that dries our hands and the magnesia, so there is no (or little) diffusion of magnesia into the air.

This is the reason why more and more rooms are banning powdered magnesia in favour of liquid magnesia.

Health issues are important but the use of liquid magnesia has disadvantages. Indeed, you have to have both hands free to spread liquid magnesia on them. Overall, it is not inconvenient because the paths are short. For longer routes, it is very complicated (or even impossible) to put some back on during the ascent. Moreover it dries the hands.

In addition, the resin contained in some products has the effect of clogging the holds much faster, despite more intensive brushing. A more frequent cleaning of the holds is necessary!

Use: Apply a small amount to your fingertips. Rub a little to distribute well. It is not necessary to make the palm of the hand. You climb with your fingers and not with the palm. You can speed up the drying process by shaking your arms. Wait well until it is dry before climbing.

Black Diamond
Camp  Mammut
9.90€ 10€ 10€


Simply put

Magnesia powder Magnésia liquid
Benefits

Easily transportable

You can repoff during an ascent

Dries out your hands less

Low volatile

Fits better on your hands

great grip

Disadvantages

Highly volatile

Ambient air pollution

Composition not always clean

needs to be used often

Impossible to repoff during an ascent.

Faster and more resistant soiling

Dry hands

It's expensive

A few tips on how to use your magnesia


Whether you are a fan of liquid or powder magnesia, you have to make choices between the positive and negative points of each. However, a few simple solutions exist to minimize the disadvantages of each type of magnesia.

  • Ventilation

Improve the ventilation of the rooms. By better evacuating airborne magnesia, air quality becomes better. A simple solution is to open the room door. It also allows to evacuate perspiration odors...