Grimpi specializes in climbing chalk and creates colored chalk to help reduce our visual impact in climbing areas. Here we interview Noah Hall, Co-founder and Vice President of Sales for Grimpi.
Tell us about the origins of Grimpi. Why climbing chalk?
We grew up climbing with our father from a very young age, when we traveled as a family, we always found places to climb. Not only did it lead to great adventures, but gave us a deep appreciation for the natural beauty different regions have to offer. As we got older, our friends, and later, the foreign exchange students we housed were introduced to and taken climbing. We were building a small community just through our love of climbing. Grimpi Colored Climbing Chalk began when we noticed a need for climbing chalk around our own local crag. The beautiful basalt where we climb was covered in white chalk. This not only detracts from it visually, but also takes away part of the challenge in climbing. Having all of the beta given to you, when you don’t want it, is disappointing. As we looked more into this problem we found that this need wasn’t localized to just our crag. There are so many places we climb where access is being threatened due to the impact we as climbers are having. National and State parks have begun banning white chalk completely. We were determined to find a way to overcome this problem in the most conscientious and responsible way possible - and Grimpi was born!
Where are you all based out of?
We are Based out of Boise, Idaho!
We grew up climbing with our father from a very young age, when we traveled as a family, we always found places to climb. Not only did it lead to great adventures, but gave us a deep appreciation for the natural beauty different regions have to offer. As we got older, our friends, and later, the foreign exchange students we housed were introduced to and taken climbing. We were building a small community just through our love of climbing. Grimpi Colored Climbing Chalk began when we noticed a need for climbing chalk around our own local crag. The beautiful basalt where we climb was covered in white chalk. This not only detracts from it visually, but also takes away part of the challenge in climbing. Having all of the beta given to you, when you don’t want it, is disappointing. As we looked more into this problem we found that this need wasn’t localized to just our crag. There are so many places we climb where access is being threatened due to the impact we as climbers are having. National and State parks have begun banning white chalk completely. We were determined to find a way to overcome this problem in the most conscientious and responsible way possible - and Grimpi was born!
Where are you all based out of?
We are Based out of Boise, Idaho!
You make colored climbing chalk. What colors do you have to offer and do the colors impact the effectiveness of the chalk?
Right now we offer four colors not including our white gym chalk. We offer red (Utah Red), Grey (Granite Grey), tan (Sable Stone), and dark brown (Russet). Our pigments are all natural, with the highest purity available. Since the goal is to blend with the natural rock and not “cover” the rock in fake color, the transparent nature of our colors allow it to blend smoothly on many different shades and hues of rock. We use the least amount of pigment we can in our chalks to get both our desired colors and maximum blending capabilities. For this reason we find that our colored chalk performs close to our as well as our base white chalk - which we believe to be the best in the market - in absorbing moisture and producing friction.
Why should climbers consider using colored climbing chalk? Any tips on how to use it? (e.g. separate chalk bags for certain crags?)
High-quality colored chalk is a simple choice with a huge impact. First, it helps to preserve our climbing areas and their natural beauty from the “chalk graffiti” that non-climbers often find upsetting. Second, as more and more climbers are faced with the ban on white chalk, it becomes a question of safety. Most importantly, our chalk is the environmentally friendly alternative. Since our pigments are all natural, they will not harm the rock itself, or the plants and animals that live in the biome during run-off; there is no need for “brushing” off the rock, which over time damages the rock face and leads to quicker erosion For these reasons, we believe that it’s irresponsible to use white chalk outside when there are other alternatives.
If you climb all over on different types of rock we find that using our refillable chalk socks make for the easiest way to swap quickly and easily between colors. Our packaging that the chalk comes in is resealable and creates and effortless way to transport/store chalk in a mess-free way.
Is all chalk the same? Educate us on the differences and why climbers should consider Grimpi.
All chalk is not created equal. We tested every brand and variant of chalk we could get our hands on. The differences we found in chalk were usually based on the extraction process and where the chalk was mined. You have to take into consideration the purity of the chalk and its molecular composition. We use a special formulation of chalk that is proven to absorb more moisture, create more friction, and is guaranteed at 99.9% pure. Our chalk base comes to us from people who care just as much as we do about the environment and our impact on it. We want to offer the highest quality product we can produce. We are more than confident that the chalk we have on the market is the best white and colored chalk available.
Climbing chalk seems like a very competitive market, what’s it like being a small business in field dominated by big names?
Our focus isn’t on being the biggest company- it is on being the best company we can be. Climbing Chalk as a market is being flooded by companies trying to profit off of cheap, low-quality chalk that comes out of China. We as a small family business know that it’s going to take time to build our brand and catch people’s attention. This is why we have put real emphasis on providing chalk that is of the absolute highest quality, even when it means taking a hit to profit. We believe that with this mindset we will find our place in this market and will come out on top. We enjoy the competition and look forward to getting deeper into it, especially when we can use those opportunities to educate the community. Our chalk speaks for itself, even if right now that is just a whisper!
Our focus isn’t on being the biggest company- it is on being the best company we can be. Climbing Chalk as a market is being flooded by companies trying to profit off of cheap, low-quality chalk that comes out of China. We as a small family business know that it’s going to take time to build our brand and catch people’s attention. This is why we have put real emphasis on providing chalk that is of the absolute highest quality, even when it means taking a hit to profit. We believe that with this mindset we will find our place in this market and will come out on top. We enjoy the competition and look forward to getting deeper into it, especially when we can use those opportunities to educate the community. Our chalk speaks for itself, even if right now that is just a whisper!
The Common Climber Marketplace is about letting readers get a peek into who is behind the business. Tell us about who keeps Grimpi going.
Grimpi really is a family business. It was started by my father, Don, and myself about 3 years ago. We brought my mom and my wife in to handle the administrative stuff and we have a long-time family friend, Martin, handling events. My two brothers get pulled into help when we need them as well. Even though we all have “titles”, we all jump into to do what needs to be done and often have our business meetings over family dinners. The opportunity to work so closely with my family has been the best part of this. We take the “community” aspect of climbing seriously, and the first community we have is our family.
Grimpi really is a family business. It was started by my father, Don, and myself about 3 years ago. We brought my mom and my wife in to handle the administrative stuff and we have a long-time family friend, Martin, handling events. My two brothers get pulled into help when we need them as well. Even though we all have “titles”, we all jump into to do what needs to be done and often have our business meetings over family dinners. The opportunity to work so closely with my family has been the best part of this. We take the “community” aspect of climbing seriously, and the first community we have is our family.
COVID-19 has affected many small business - especially in the climbing world. How has COVID affected Grimpi Co?
Covid-19 has shaken up our entire business plan. We have seen a real decrease in new inquires from business, and have lost businesses that have been with us from the start. Of course, with every competition, fair, and event cancelled this year, our ability to connect with the community as whole has been greatly impacted. We are incredibly hopeful and optimistic about the future once we all can move forward from this crisis.
We have a large audience that lives in Australia. Australia is putting in place restrictions for climbing including banning chalk or requiring colored chalk. What are your thoughts on this and have you tapped into the Australian market at all?
Australia is a market that we are incredibly excited to get involved in. We love the care they are taking to preserve their country’s beautiful scenery; they seem to be ahead of the curve on this and we have absolute respect for their forethought. We are currently in talks with a few different groups in Australia about bringing our chalk on. We are looking forward to being able to open these talks more as places begin to reopen fully to their customers. In the meantime, we will continue to work on educating the climbing public to the benefits of our chalk.
Australia is a market that we are incredibly excited to get involved in. We love the care they are taking to preserve their country’s beautiful scenery; they seem to be ahead of the curve on this and we have absolute respect for their forethought. We are currently in talks with a few different groups in Australia about bringing our chalk on. We are looking forward to being able to open these talks more as places begin to reopen fully to their customers. In the meantime, we will continue to work on educating the climbing public to the benefits of our chalk.
What are your goals and visions for Grimpi?
Our goal is protection and conservation. We want to help climbers have as many options to reduce impact. This starts with education, which has been our focus for the past two years. We believe that this is especially important in the next few years as climbing enters a very visible stage with its presence in the Olympics for the first time in the next year. We are excited about the opportunity to introduce so many new people to this amazing community, and if we can help a significant portion of them start out on the right foot here, we will consider it a success.
What one thing you’d love our readers to know that they may not be aware of?
Many people ask where the name Grimpi comes from. It comes from the Esperanto word “to climb." Esperanto was a language created in the 1870s to serve as a universal second language to foster world peace and international understanding, and to build a "community of speakers." There may be as many as 2 million fluent speakers in the world today.
This idea of fostering a new community through a shared language and interaction, like climbing, speaks to the heart of who we are as company and as a family.
Many people ask where the name Grimpi comes from. It comes from the Esperanto word “to climb." Esperanto was a language created in the 1870s to serve as a universal second language to foster world peace and international understanding, and to build a "community of speakers." There may be as many as 2 million fluent speakers in the world today.
This idea of fostering a new community through a shared language and interaction, like climbing, speaks to the heart of who we are as company and as a family.
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