Squamish · Skin is gear

Coastal granite, cedar forest, and air so humid the chalk gives up.

Squamish has the Stawamus Chief, granite boulders scattered through the forest below it, and Howe Sound at its feet. The rock is excellent. The humidity is the problem: sweaty tips, greasy holds and skin that goes soft. Here is how to keep a grip through a Squamish trip.

Pack for Squamish Find your way in
Skin is gear
The place

Granite between the mountains and the sea.

Squamish sits at the head of Howe Sound in British Columbia, on the Sea to Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler. The Stawamus Chief rises straight out of town, a huge granite dome with long cracks and slabs, and the forest at its base is full of granite boulders. Summer is the season, when the coast finally dries out between rains.

Coastal granite comes with coastal air. Even on a dry day the humidity can grease the holds, and skin that stays damp goes soft and tears more easily. Dry hands the night before, thin chalk, a brush and a towel in the pack. Close any tear the same night so it's skin again tomorrow. Northwest granite, with Northwest weather.

A Squamish trip, day by day

From the night before to the drive home.

Where skin goes wrong on humid coastal granite, and what goes on at each stop.

The night before · 9 PMDry hands for wet air.

Performance on the palms and fingers before bed. Tips stay drier on humid granite tomorrow.

PerformanceDry Spray
The boulders · MorningCatch the cool air.

Thin chalk, brush every hold, towel off between attempts. Morning shade is the best friction of the day.

Impact Chalk
The Chief · AfternoonCracks and slabs.

Tape gloves for the cracks. Split stick on any gobie or tear before the next pitch.

Rhinos' Own Adhesive tapeSplit
Rain day · TownRecover.

Massage Cream on the forearms and shoulders, the roller on the back, the finger ring on every finger.

Massage CreamRAD Roller - HelixAcupressure Massage Ring
Camp · NightClose what tore.

Split+ whipped balm on tears and flappers. Repair on the rest of the hand. Skeeter Scatter for forest evenings.

Split+RepairSkeeter Scatter
Find your way in

Tell us what happens. We'll point.

No score and no wrong answers. Pick what sounds like you, and every answer opens another door: a fix, a page, a longer read.

The pack

What we take to Squamish.

Travel sizes in the chalk bag. Full sizes in the van. A towel, always.

Sweat Block Bundle
All of it, one boxSweat Block Bundle

Performance, Dry Spray and Tip Juice. Sweat control for humid granite.

The whole routineSweat Block Bundle$56.85$49.95
10 items · pick a size, hit Add
The night beforePerformance$8.95
Spray versionDry Spray$8.95
Thin and evenImpact Chalk$19.95
Tape glovesRhinos' Own Adhesive tape$3.95
Tears and gobiesSplit$4.95
Whipped balm, flappersSplit+$8.95
Every nightRepair$8.95
Rain daysMassage Cream$8.95
Every fingerAcupressure Massage Ring$5.00
Forest eveningsSkeeter Scatter$7.95
The crew

The people who climb here.

Coastal granite regulars and summer road-trippers. They tell us what the humidity did to their grip.

Climb in Squamish, use Rhino, want in? Tap to apply.

Seen in Squamish

Show us the Chief.

The forest boulders, the Grand Wall, the Sound at sunset. This wall is yours.

Bouldering@rhinoskinsolutionsSkin abuse@rhinoskinsolutionsSkin after a hard day@rhinoskinsolutionsChalked climber's hands — skin care tips from the Rhino Skin Solutions blog.@rhinoskinsolutionsClimber Anak pulling through a roof section — Rhino Skin Solutions athlete.@rhinoskinsolutionsClimber Selena bouldering in Hueco Tanks — Rhino Skin Solutions athlete community.@rhinoskinsolutionsClimber on Chacal — sport climbing action photo from the Rhino blog.@rhinoskinsolutionsClimber caring for worn skin at the crag — Rhino blog skin tips.@rhinoskinsolutionsClimbing in the Lofoten Islands, Norway — granite walls above the sea.@rhinoskinsolutionsBouldering in Hueco Tanks — Rhino Skin Solutions blog photo.@rhinoskinsolutionsClimber on Kachoong, the classic roof route at Mount Arapiles, Australia.@rhinoskinsolutionsTag us
#SkinIsGear

Post it, tag @rhinoskinsolutions and #SkinIsGear. We pull the best ones onto this wall every week.

Field reports

From the comments.

Reviews land here as climbers leave them.
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Made in
Redmond
Oregon

We make everything in our own facility in Redmond, Oregon, on 100% on-site solar, a long day's drive south of the Chief.

Made in Redmond

Where it comes from.

How Rhino started
Made in Redmond
Want to climb with us?

Join the Rhino crew.

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Squamish kitPack for Squamish

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What is in each bottle, what it does, and when to reach for it. Ingredient by ingredient, sport by sport, in one book you can flip through.

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