What is the sketch with pof in Font? (Read 9692 times)

Petey · March 10, 2005, 11:21:34 am

Im off to Font just after Easter and will probably be climbing in the mid 7's.

Does everyone over there use pof - should i use it? Am i doing myself no favours in not using it? If its advisable to use it - then where can i get hold of some?

Fiend · March 10, 2005, 12:20:49 pm

I'd say not. Bloody stupid stuff. Okay so in some cases the footholds might be polished....due to pof usage *rolls eyes* in my view one just has to crank a bit harder rather than worsening the problem.

petje · March 10, 2005, 03:13:24 pm

Just be carful with the magnesium, the locals really don't like it. Seen some hard discussions going on and even some threatening. Be modest with the white stuff and brush afterwards. AND NO TICK MARKS!

Petey · March 10, 2005, 06:12:58 pm

Cheers for the tips - pof free it is then!

Fingers of a Martyr · March 10, 2005, 06:20:53 pm

What exactly is pof? and why don't the locals like it?

dave · March 10, 2005, 08:08:44 pm

resin/pof is lame, only shite cheating woofter weakboys use it. I climb the same grade in font as i do in the peak (i.e. 2 grades less than i do in yorkshire :wink: ), you don't need it.

All the "locals don't like chalk" thing is shite. Its only the old-school-miserable-ill-fitting-PAs brigade who don't like it, anyone of any note in the forest uses chalk, just watch bleau, http.bloc or tour de blocs, every french fucker on that uses chalk. Like anywhere, you shoudl try to use as little as you can, don't spill it everywhere, bruch holds off afterwards and don't leave massive donkey-lines like the german ans french do. Leave the crag looking doper than when you rolled up, not worse.

Jim · March 10, 2005, 08:48:40 pm

Get pof from decathlon next to the carrefour. I use it in font. The french use more chalk than we do and font is home to some of the biggest donkey lines I have ever seen

Quote from: "Dave"

Leave the crag looking doper than when you rolled up, not worse.

Word to that

petje · March 11, 2005, 08:31:33 am

@ jim. Ever noticed how many people from other countries are there? maybe they influence a lot?
I remember my first bleautrips in the early 90's . And there was not a boulder with white dots and stripes and stuff. Looked much better, but that's progression for you.

Claire · March 11, 2005, 02:17:48 pm

So is chalk a definate no no then???? or is a little bit okay.
Going to font next wed, hurrah after weeks in the uni library its goin to be great, goin on a slab hunt, mmmmm slabs

Bubba · March 11, 2005, 02:29:58 pm

Chalk is fine, just try to brush off any excess after you've finished.

Jim · March 11, 2005, 03:26:42 pm

font slabs are very hard and usually involve small sharp crimps and extra polished footholds

Fiend · March 11, 2005, 04:57:01 pm

Quote

Be modest with the white stuff and brush afterwards. AND NO TICK MARKS!

Yer just like the locals. Like the local who rolled up with Jim was working some roof thing, marked every fucking hold in sight despite them all being plastered in other people's chalk already, did it in a few goes and then watched bemused as we brushed them off.

From what I saw, Font is the spiritual home of the tick mark :roll: .

All about the tiny chalk dab if needed, and brushing it all off afterwards.

P.S. mmmmmm slabs indeed

Claire · March 13, 2005, 04:38:57 pm

Crimps are great:) oh well the worst that can happen is i fall off, is the polished footholds due to overuse of pof.....?

DrWong · March 14, 2005, 01:42:24 pm

The first time I was a foreign visitor. The thought of using pof was obscene. Sans guidebook we explored the forest, and just climbed. We carefully removed any excess chalk and made sure that we left no trace. Fell off a few hard things, did a load of circuits and had a lot of fun.

The second time was with some serious locals, we laid seige to a few hard classics, plastered holds with obscene amounts of pof and chalked up enough tick marks to guide a 747 in for landing. Managed my first (pof-assisted) font 8a in font and had a lot of fun.

Does pof damage the boulders? Perhaps - but us merely climbing on them has an impact (wearing / breaking holds, rubber marks and sand from shoes etc). In font you have the choice to use pof or not. As for every area just make sure your personal ethic doesn't contravene the local ethic.

One thing I can't deny is that I do like the smell of pof in the morning...

Bonjoy · March 14, 2005, 02:07:44 pm

Quote from: "dave"

resin/pof is lame, only shite cheating woofter weakboys use it. I climb the same grade in font as i do in the peak (i.e. 2 grades less than i do in yorkshire :wink: ), you don't need it.

Ah but how many of those 'at your limit' probs involve smeary slab climbing?

I don't think pof is very useful for anything but the most marginal of smeary problems and not at all if the temp is very low. However I would/do use it on occasion in font. When in Rome....

Claire · March 14, 2005, 05:46:56 pm

Doesn't pof go like glass when it rains and can't be removed??? Whilst chalk washes off especially if already brushed off when it rains...
Surely chalk can't be worse for the rock

Monolith · March 16, 2005, 12:06:18 pm

I remember last time out in font being amazed by how shit pof was. It was almost like a stupidity virus: it made no sense whatsoever to use sticky, hold clogging shit, but once you had been given a sack by a local you either felt obliged to use it or through sheer stupid habits, you continued to use it anyway because it's quite an addictive action smearming stuff on your hands isnt it?
I'd say keep well clear of it for your sake and the rocks. Whenever we've been, it has been in a boiling hot summer and moderate chalk usage has worked no problems.

saltbeef · March 16, 2005, 12:53:54 pm

chalks probably not worse for the rock, though i wonder if it's worse for the lichen? don't use pof in england, use it in font if you like. i find on longer problems it seems to stop me greasing as much, and holds my skin togethe a bit (that made me sound like a leper)

clm · March 16, 2005, 07:40:42 pm

i dont use it in font but it makes some of the footwork proper spicy. you often have to use slightly different footholds. then again...not renowned for my footwork.

Sloper · March 20, 2005, 11:13:12 pm

Sorry folk, but chalk is f+++king shit when overused (which is when >90% of people use chalk) if holds sweat and meakes the holds greasy.

Pof is bad when overused too but does not hold sewat and does not in itslf cause the same problems.

The BEST method is to apply no chalk or pof to the rock.

If you're not good ebough, ypu're not good enough.

There are porblems at Font graded at least a grade below what I have climbed at font that have kicked my arse for at least a decade, such is climbing, such is life.