Gearhead Picks: All Chalk No Action Hangboard

Climbing is way more fun when you feel strong. Hangboarding is a great way to train for climbing, whether it’s for an upcoming climbing trip to Yosemite or for your local climbing project. In this episode of Gearhead Picks, avid climber and Backcountry Gearhead Zach Blessing talks about the hangboard he uses to train, our very own Backcountry x So iLL All Chalk No Action Hangboard.

Welcome to Gearhead picks. I’m Zach Blessing, a backcountry Gearhead and an avid climber. I’ve climbed in Yosemite to Moab and everywhere in between. Whether you have your heart set on a climbing trip to Yosemite or are looking for a way to increase your finger strength for your next climbing project, hangboarding is an incredibly effective way to train away from the gym.

My favorite hangboard is our very own Backcountry x So iLL All Chalk No Action hangboard. It was designed in-house with input from us Gearheads, and we incorporated features that are beneficial for any climber to take their training to the next level. Training on a hangboard can benefit climbers of all skill levels. It increases form, finger, and contact strength. This can reduce the likelihood of an injury. It’s also great if you don’t have access to a gym, or if you don’t have the time to get to a gym.

Let’s be honest: when you’re stronger, climbing is a lot more fun. So we’ve created a hangboard that offers a variety of holds like pinches, edges and slopers, and more positive holds. This ensures a well rounded training regimen, but also makes it friendly for new climbers and seasoned veterans alike. We’ve broken from the traditional hangboard design and shifted to an asymmetrical layout. This offset means that your arms are always shoulder width apart as you transition between hold sets. This keeps unnecessary stress and tension off your joints which is critical in training for any sort of climbing excursion. On top of that, we’ve textured the hangboard to simulate the feel of actual rock. It’s made the transition from training to big wall climbing in Yosemite much smoother for me.

Thanks for watching Gearhead Picks. If you have questions about training for your upcoming climbing trip, reach out to our Gearheads or contact Zach directly at zblessing@backcountry.com. Find the Backcountry x So iLL All Chalk No Action Hangboard here.