This is a simple question. The best all-around chalk that you can use for rock climbing is Friction Labs Premium Sports Chalk; aka unicorn dust.
Doesn’t matter if you’re top roping or bouldering. Climbing indoors or outdoors.
Unicorn dust lasts a surprisingly long amount of time too. I’m always shocked by how little chalk my wife uses on longer routes when she uses my chalk back with unicorn dust. And if you tend to have sweatier hands like me, it does a great job not clumping or causing any irritation.
Best Chalk for Bouldering
If you only boulder though, I would change this answer to a solid chalk brick instead of powder chalk. For instance, 90% of my climbing is done on boulder walls. When I work on a specific problem, there’s specific places on my hands that need more chalk than others. Powder chalk is great for an even spread, but it’s not great for this type of training.
I use these chalk bricks, and they are fantastic! Over the past couple weeks I’ve been trying to solve a V5 boulder problem, and the holds are crazy pinchy, so they wear the pads of my fingers like no other. Almost every time I fall, only these areas need more chalk. The solid block of hand chalk allows me to reapply it to that specific area and not waste any on other areas of my hand that aren’t used as much on this route.
One last side note, I recommend picking up a chalk bucket (also known as a chalk pot), so it’s easier to carry, contain, and apply the chalk. The DMM Edge Chalk Bucket has been around for ages, and it’s still one of the best ones out there. It won’t disappoint!
