In reply to Ally Smith:
I am a big fan of putting those disposable "shake-bag" hand warmers in my chalk bag. I have rescued many numb-fingered RPs with a dip in warm chalk at a shake-out.
And to Phil Lyon, I find that in cold weather "dry firing" and finger numbness are the problem. Warm, slightly sweaty fingers plus chalk seems to be the best combination. It's even more of a factor on wooden hold indoors - Beastmaker slopers are unusable with dry, cold hands. When using my woodie, I have resorted to using a plant mister to slightly dampen my fingertips before chalking for optimum performance.
Post edited at 21:40