“It’s too sweet now. I can’t ride it.”
– Member, after putting top-end alloy wheels on his road bike.

“The crux is being hungry all the time.”
– Member trying to slim down for a redpoint attempt.

“I think I finally found a sport I might be good at.”
– 4th grader climbing at Sacramento Pipeworks.

“Seats are for sissies.”
-- Touchstone Bike Club member, asked how he managed to ride the last 30 miles of the high-altitude, 123-mile Sierra Century standing up after his seat post broke.

Labels: climbing, fitness, members

Touchstone is proud to support our members who are participating in the AIDS/Lifecycle ride from San Francisco to L.A. on June 1-7, 2008. The AIDS/Lifecycle ride is a 7-day ride that travels 545 miles through beautiful California from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The ride is about raising money and awareness for HIV/AIDS.

To learn more about the ride, visit: www.aidslifecycle.org

If you are a Touchstone member participating in this ride, Touchstone will make a $500 donation to your fundraising goal. (This offer is limited to the first 10 members who contact us. After that, we will make $100 donations.) We will also provide a Touchstone Bike Jersey for you to wear during the ride.

If you would like to be sponsored, please e-mail us at: aidsride@touchstoneclimbing.com

Labels: community, cycling, members

Despite a field of nearly 50 hand cycles and push-rim wheelchairs, Sacramento Pipeworks member Kent Gillis recently took an impressive 11th place finish in the hand bike division of the prestigious Los Angeles Marathon. The rewards, as well as the challenges, were many: because the field was especially large it made for a lot of flying elbows at the start, not to mention that the first mile-and-a-half were uphill, and he lost his only water bottle around mile 5. Despite the swerve and wobble it caused, one reward was a top speed personal record of 32mph on a two mile downhill stretch. Another reward were the many L.A. highlights that the course hit; Hollywood Blvd, swankalicious residential neighborhoods, Koreatown, the Coliseum and Staples Center among others. The audience was fantastic as well, with over a million spectators present.

Kent was surprised that “Even in some run-down areas, they were out and cheering for every competitor”. Finishing downtown among the sky-scrapers was “kinda cool” Kent said, with spectators on both sides creating a tunnel of noise. “Unfortunately I wasn't in any condition to appreciate it. I barely remember crossing the finish line”. Kent completed the grueling 26.2 miles in a blazing 2:01:18. Congratulations to this fierce competitor!

Click here to view a story and interview with Kent that recently aired on Good Day Sacramento: http://cbs13.com/video/?id=30961@kovr.dayport.com

Labels: fitness, members, pipeworks

If you have a photo of yourself doing something fun in a Sacramento Pipeworks logo shirt or hat, then we want that picture! Leave your picture (no larger than 5x7 with your name printed on the back) at the Pipeworks front desk and we will post it. The photo board will feature snapshots of members wearing Pipeworks or Touchstone logo gear on top of Mt Whitney, Shasta, Half Dome, on the crux of your hardest outdoor climb, snowshoeing in Tahoe, at the end of a 10K run or 100 mile bike ride – anywhere your adventurous life takes you!

Labels: members, pipeworks

While there have been numerous love connections made at Sacramento Pipeworks, we have never had an actual marriage proposal in the gym. That is until now. Wendy Miller and Paul Galvin have been dating for only 7 months, but their friendship started 5 years ago when coincidentally, he was moving into a house that she was moving out of. That first encounter was in Missoula, Montana where Wendy lived and Paul was going to school. Fast forward to California. Wendy worked a bouldering problem with Paul dutifully spotting her. As Wendy jumped down to the crash pad and turned to face Paul, he gallantly dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. He later explained that he used his Mothers wedding ring that arrived in the mail just 3 hours before he proposed!

We wish Wendy and Paul only the best in the years to come!

Labels: members, pipeworks

The Sacramento Pipeworks bike club met on a recent cold winter night for their 2nd annual Christmas lights bike ride. Bundled up, riding bikes decked in lights and armed with thermoses of hot chocolate or “holiday cheer”, club members followed a 10 mile route through some of the most beautiful holiday light displays in East Sacramento. Started in 2006 by club member Scott Clark, the ride has already become a tradition looked forward to by all club members. For pictures of more bike club events and activities go to online gallery.

Labels: cycling, members, pipeworks

Peter Togasaki, a 26-year-old bike builder at Berkeley-based Wrench Science and former Berkeley Ironworks employee, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in late August. Peter, had been feeling poorly for weeks but never expected to be diagnosed with this devastating cancer. After two unsuccessful rounds of chemotherapy treatments at an Oakland hospital, he is now being transferred to Stanford for a bone-marrow transplant. The road to recovery will be long (six months or more!) and dangerous. Jess, Peter’s sister and bone marrow donor, greatly appreciates the support and positive thoughts that Peter has been receiving from our community. She writes, “The Peter Fund is still open and any little bit you can give makes a difference. And THANK YOU to everyone who has donated, it's wonderful.”"We’re hoping to rally around Peter and raise enough money to cover his medical/living expenses during this time of need so that he can focus on beating his cancer," says Tim Medina, Wrench Science’s CEO. Information updates and contributions to the Peter Togasaki Cancer Fund can be made electronically. Please visit http://wrenchscience.blogspot.com/2007/11/peter.html

Labels: ironworks, members, staff

When former Sacramento Pipeworks staff member Zane Griffin (above, with beard) and friend Scott Ferreter decided to ride bicycles across country this summer, they realized they had just 41 days to cover 3500 miles, but thought “it sounded like a good idea at the time”. Having done only a few overnight trips on bikes before, to plan the trip they depended on internet research and local bike shops for advice. It was rather hard to find people who had real reliable information, and they managed to speak with only one person who had done it before.

Regardless, one foggy day at the Golden Gate Bridge, with bikes weighing 80 pounds fully loaded, they started. Although there were no luxuries - no I-pods and only one cell phone which they ended up not using – the bikes were still heavy and hard to handle. Almost immediately they encountered the hardest section of the whole trip: Highway 50 through Nevada, with 85 miles between water. “I realize now why they call it The Loneliest Road in America” Zane said.

They ate mostly at small diners, roadside bars or cooked for themselves; but adding to the challenge, both adhere to a vegetarian diet - incredibly difficult in the mid-west where a majority of meals are meat-based. Subsisting on granola bars, peanut butter, bagels and pancakes, they were always hungry - it was hard to intake the 4,000-5,000 calories per day Zane estimated they were burning. At night they stayed in City parks, or were invited to pitch their tent in people’s backyards. The generosity and warmth of strangers was the most amazing thing about the trip according to Zane - offers of a place to stay or something to eat were plentiful.

Despite the abundant hospitality, not knowing where they would stay or sleep every night still left them feeling vulnerable and exposed the whole trip. Due to fatigue and the Appalachian Mountains, the last 4 days were especially challenging: having booked their return flight before leaving, the pair weren’t even sure they would make it to the airport on time. But make it they did – 41 days, 11 flats, 1 pair of shorts and 5 tires later they rolled into our nation’s capital - almost 90 miles a day with not 1 day off! In looking back, Zane said overcoming self-doubt and uncertainty were the biggest rewards of the trip. To other would-be transcontinental riders he quipped: “If you want to do it that fast, be prepared to be uncomfortable”.

Labels: cycling, members, pipeworks

On September 11 after fixing lines, Touchstone members Humberto Marquez, Paul Hara and Ironworks member Bob Boggs, started climbing the Lurking Fear route on El Capitan. The were armed with lots of pre-climbing beta from Touchstone instructor and world class climber Hans Florine plus logistical support (Sherpa duty!) from gym members Margaret Hara, Leo Bates, Ironworks member Leo Burk, and others.

The trio was hoping to climb the route in 3 days with enough emergency provisions for 4. The climb actually took 6 continuous days, including the rappel down. "Bob got real sick the first day and had to go back down. After that, it was tough going. When Bob went down, so did our engineering brain" said Paul. "During the third day Humberto and I considered going down because we were moving so slowly and the top was so far away, but we decided to see how high we could get with our remaining provisions and energy".

The pair finally reached their goal of Thanksgiving Ledge at sunset of the 5th day. Humberto said "Its a beautiful, big ledge with a small cave with a sandy floor. By far the best bivy of the whole climb."

What's next for the pair? They're setting their sights on The Nose route of El Capitan. According to Humberto, "If we can climb a little bit faster, we just might make it!".

Labels: climbing, concord, ironworks, members

During the month of October, the artwork of Touchstone San Jose member, Alex Matus, will be featured at The Hide Gallery in downtown Santa Cruz. A recent graduate of UC Santa Cruz, Alex’s work fuses her influences from punk rock music and Eastern Art with the beauty of anatomy and the human form in a unique “East-meets-West” fashion.

Alex’s prints will be on display and for sale at The Hide Gallery until October 28th. Located on 131 B Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz, The Hide Gallery is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11am – 9pm. For more information, contact The Hide Gallery at 831-621-3939 or visit them at hidegallery.com.

Labels: members, san jose

Sacramento Pipeworks member Harlan Reymont first started climbing at Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon around 1976 while still in high school. After a time, by his own admission he "fell in with the wrong crowd", started drinking and smoking cigarettes, ultimately giving up on climbing. He didn't pursue a healthier lifestyle until 5 years ago while assisting his father after open heart surgery. Witnessing the effect an unhealthy lifestyle had on his father prompted Harlan to realize he had to give up smoking or eventually face the same consequences.

Quitting cigarettes took a few tries, but after he finally shook the habit a friend told him about Pipeworks. One day 4 years ago he walked into the gym, ended up joining the same day - and has been coming regularly ever since. Initially he only came to Pipeworks for the climbing, but after a trip up Mt. Whitney someone challenged him to run a marathon. Harlan was ready for the test, so he bought a 'how to train for a marathon' book, ran for 4 months and recently finished The San Francisco Marathon in under 5 hours. Harlan is pictured above at the end of that race with his wife of 19 years, Kris.

After a week long break from running he is already training for Sacramento's California International Marathon held in December. At the CIM he will be running to raise funds for Organs Are Us, an organization promoting awareness for organ donors, and this time he wants to finish the 26.2 miles in less than 4 hours. For donation information you can contact Harlan at turnedart@msn.com. We congratulate Harlan for his marathon success, but more importantly for showing the rest of us that it is possible to make huge changes in life via fitness!

Labels: fitness, members, pipeworks

Ethan Pringle, who grew up climbing at Mission Cliffs, has gone on to become one of the world’s hottest climbers. Ethan who grew up only a couple blocks from Mission Cliffs, started climbing in his early teens at the gym.

On Sept. 5th, Ethan became only the 5th person to ascend Realization, a route in Ceuse, France established by Chris Sharma. The route was considered at least a 5.15a – perhaps harder, although when Ethan finished the route, he put it at 14d.

"That's our boy", head routesetter Craig McClenahan stated after hearing of Ethan's send. Craig went on in jest to say "A 15a in France is a 14c in California."

The wall it is on overhangs at an absurd angle and the route stretches for over 100 feet. Redpointing the route requires technical sequences, raw power, and extraordinary crimp strength.

Pringle probably spent less time working out the moves on Realization than the four people who redpointed it before him.

For more info, see:

http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/pringlerealization/

http://www.bigupproductions.blogspot.com/

Labels: climbing, members

Aug. 20 - 24, 2007 several Touchstone members (Bruce Berg, Dan Brekke, Jaime Grant, Marty Kaplan, and Elmar Stefke) participated in the 16th Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) randonneuring bike event. Much like the Olympics this grand spectacle is held every four years and predates the Tour de France. Cyclists must successfully complete a timed series of rides called brevets, covering distances of 200K, 300K, 400K, and 600K in order to qualify for PBP, which covers a distance of 1200K (actual distance 1227K or 763mi) and over 30,000' of climbing in less than 80, 84, or 90 hours (participants chose their starting time/time limit).

This year's PBP turned out to be tougher than usual. Daily rain and wind combined to make things miserable for many of the 5300 riders from around the globe and the number of abandons exceeded that of previous years, including many 'anciens,' previous PBP finishers. The event was truly unique and spectacular, heading over rollers through green fields and quaint villages out to Brest on the Atlantic and back much the same way. Trying to stretch fifty French words into a conversation that would pass time for hours, staving off boredom and exhaustion in the dark and rain. Sitting in pacelines with a handful of foreign riders who hadn't slept much for several days. Was that "to your left" in Danish? Finally the French along the road, who proved to be unparalleled cycling enthusiasts, constantly clapping, cheering, and urging the riders forward, even in the pouring rain and early morning hours. 'Bon Courage, Bon Route, Bon Chance!'

Labels: cycling, ironworks, members

This coming August 10th and 11th, three members of San Jose’s bouldering community, Citahbria “Tofu” Richards (aka Tobi), Lilly “LilBit” Nguyen, and staff member Michael Abell, will be competing in the Mammut-EMS Bouldering Championships and Citizens’ Comp at The Front Climbing Club in Salt Lake City, Utah. Formerly known as Send Fest, the Mammut-EMS Bouldering Championships and Citizens’ Comp draws in some of the best climbers from across the nation to compete for a $5,000 cash prize.

Analogous to the three Musketeers, Tobi, Lilly, and Mike are often taken as an inseparable unit. Recently, the they took a trip to Squamish, B.C. to boulder, and quickly dispensed of classic lines such as Squamish Days, Cutting Edge, Superfly, and Sloppy Poppy, as well as harder and more striking lines such as Worm World, Tatonka, and Sesame Street. The trio of San Jose climbers are psyched to take their renewed motivation, strength, and energy indoors to do well and have fun at the comp.

The South Bay wishes Tobi, Lilly, and Mike all the best in their travels and competition in Utah!

Labels: climbing, comps, members, san jose

Sacramento Pipeworks member Stacy Epstein writes: “I have been climbing at Pipeworks for probably almost 4 years - I think I've been a member for around 3.5 years now. I can't believe how long it's been. Anyway, I just wanted to send you a small story about how Pipeworks has affected my life:

When I moved back to the Sacramento area after law school, most of my friends were no longer around, so I posted an ad on craigslist to meet people to climb with, and that's how I started making friends. One day, I met my friends at the gym and one of them introduced me to Loris Degioanni, a Ph.D student at UC Davis visiting on a 6-month visa from Italy and a former climbing instructor. That was a little over three years ago.

Last month we got married! My sister, who also climbs at Pipeworks, bought us the cake-topper.

Thanks for having such a big impact on my life!”

The staff at Pipeworks extends these two special newlyweds our very best wishes!

Labels: members, pipeworks

Galen Burgett, a Class 5 member since 1999, passed away at the beginning of July from Cancer. From all of us who knew him, climbed with him or were the lucky recipients of his Christmas goodies, we wish his family well and much love.

There is a celebration of Galens’ life August 12:
Galen Burgett 5/10/58 – 7/2/07 Galen passionately embraced the gift of every new day and lived each one to the fullest. There is no better way to honor his memory than to follow his example and celebrate with all of those who loved him.

August 12, 2007 12-4pm at
Cline Cellars 24737 Arnold Drive (highway 121) Sonoma

No black please.

Labels: class 5, members

It's almost a wrap for the USA Climbing season, so Concord members Evan Cronin, Gregor Peirce, Troy Gibb, Scott Cory, Gabe Matson and Wes Miraglio (not pictured) made the trek to Portland, Oregon for Divisionals. All did well in their categories, with Scott, Gabe, Gregor and Troy climbing well enough to be invited to Nationals taking place in Ann Arbor, Michigan on July 6-8. It's great to have this group of teens representing Touchstone! We want to with them the best of luck this weekend in Michigan.

Picture by Tom Cronin.

Labels: climbing, comps, concord, kids, members

A while ago, long-time Sacramento Pipeworks bike club member Kent “Touchstone Man” Gillis was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder that would ultimately prevent him from riding conventional 2 wheeled bicycles. Never one to give up easily, Kent began looking for alternatives to the 2 wheeled machines and soon purchased a custom-built 3 wheeled hand cycle. He knew it would take months of training to pack enough muscle onto his upper body to propel himself forward using only arm strength, but that thought just made him train harder. Eventually he decided it was time to try his hand at racing, with his first foray taking place recently at the Truckee Criterium. The hand bike race, a fairly flat .8-mile circuit around downtown, was the warm-up act to the pro criterium, so there were quite a few enthusiastic spectators lining the streets. Kent describes the race: “...gnarly crash right in front of me on the very first turn, two bikes got together and one guy splashed on the pavement....welcome to crit racing! I hit 21.5mph on the slight downhill back-stretch, followed by a hard right-hander executed on two wheels (NOT intentionally). The rest is a blur, but I think I did seven laps, came in 6th place and was lapped by the winner twice.” Kent got to do it all over again the next day in downtown Reno on a longer circuit that had a short arm-crushing climb. More spectators, more speed and more fun.

“Unfortunately, the downhill to the start/finish line was into an insane headwind, so what should have been a 35mph screamer was only 25mph” Kent remarked. “I was more relaxed this time, being a veteran racer and all, and enjoyed the experience more, but was toast by the end. This time around I finished 7th and was lapped once.”

Everyone in the Sacramento Pipeworks Bike Club looks forward to watching Kent flash by in his Touchstone jersey at the next hand bike criterium!

Labels: cycling, members, pipeworks

If you thought San Jose was simply about pebble wrestling, well, think again! This July, Touchstone San Jose member Erika Smith will be climbing Mt. Shasta, a 14,169-foot volcano in Northern California. Her climb will have additional meaning though, as Erika has joined with Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping urban youth venture outdoors. To prepare for her trip, Erika is raising money to help get more kids and young adults outdoors to experience the power and beauty of nature first-hand. Having served over 4,700 youth since 1999, taking them safely out on multi-day hikes, camping, and backpacking trips.

We wish Erika good luck with her training and preparation to reach her goals this July!

Labels: community, members, san jose

An original member of Mission Cliffs, Roger Erickson and his wife went on a photo safari to Kenya and Tanzania in August and September of 2006. They visited nine game reserves and national parks in two African countries. They landed in Nairobi, Kenya on August 26, and headed north on the safari the next day. The second day they visited a Masai village. The village was typical for the Masai in Kenya where the people live in mud and cow dung huts way out in the game reserve far from anyone. They were greeted by the chief of the tribe and his people. The translator for the tribe was Samuel, “little did I know then, that I was to sponsor him in the future”, recalls Roger. He could speak English pretty well and told Roger he was attending secondary school at that time.

They spent several hours in the village and got to learn how the Masai live. They are primarily cattle and goat herders. They subsist mainly on beef from the cows and meat from the goats. They use everything from the cow. They drink the milk and eat the meat, but they also use the cow hides for the covering of their beds, which are made up of twigs lying on the floor. The dung is used to plaster the walls which are also made of twigs weaved together. They also use some of the cow's blood to mix with milk for special ceremonies.

The men of the tribe are all fairly tall, around six feet, and are very slender. Probably would make great climbers. The women are also very slender and athletic looking. The women do all of the cooking, house keeping, rearing the children and even build the round huts that the family lives in. The men are responsible for providing the food and protection of the tribe. These people get by on practically nothing. Their huts have no heat, water, lighting or plumbing as we know it. They have to travel about a mile to the river to get water and they cook over fires made primarily from dried dung. Toilet facilities are the nearest bush several yards away from the village compound. The village is surrounded by woven together brush to keep wild animals like lions, etc. from entering.

There tribal dress is very colorful. They use the color red a lot because lions don't like it. Both the men and women wear sort of a sari. They all usually wear no shoes. “It's a tough life style to say the least. Makes me think how lucky we are in our society. Everything we throw away they would love to have. The Masai are very friendly and courteous people. They are very humble and thankful for anything they receive.” Roger recounts.

In February, Roger received a call one morning while having breakfast. It was his friend Samuel. He asked Roger if it would be possible to put together a sponsorship for him in Hotel and Catering Management at Zetech College in Nairobi, Kenya. He was surprised to say the least. So, Roger then went on the internet and looked up the school to find out if it was legitimate. “I have a Canadian friend that lived in Kenya for over ten years and I called him to find out how to help Samuel and to make sure I wasn't the victim of a scam. My friend told me to contact the college directly and find out if Samuel has indeed applied to enroll and what the costs would be.” says Roger. They emailed him the information and a bank account for the school that would handle the funds. “The school is very strict and only dispenses the money with my consent. One doesn't like to be distrustful but you also have to be careful. There are ripoff artists all over the world.” says, Roger.

Everything worked out fine and Samuel is now living in a college hostel in Nairobi and attending classes. He emails Roger everyday and calls often by using an internet phone service. “He likes what he is studying and is to say the least, extremely grateful for the opportunity to receive an education. He will be the first in his tribe to ever attend college.” says Roger.

We asked Roger how it changed his life, “I think that when I visited these people in their own environment and saw what they didn't have or probably never will have, it made a deep impression on me. I thought if I could assist in the education of one of their tribe that at least one of them would have a chance to break out of the circle of poverty. This young man, he is twenty one, is very motivated and doesn't have to be asked to study. He is studying very hard. They attend classes eight hours a day, five days a week. He should be able to get a good job in the hospitality industry after graduating from this two year course. Tourism is big in Kenya and getting larger all the time, so his education will give him a great advantage.”

Labels: members, mission cliffs

For those who know him, Mission Cliffs long time employee, Frank Faraguna is making the ultimate sacrifice… not coming to the gym for an entire month!! Why? Well…

Frank will be an organ donor for his niece. Frank’s niece in Boston, has been living with a failing kidney. Three years ago, Frank discovered that he was a donor match. Since that time, he has been waiting for ‘the call’. When he received the call, his first reaction was ‘when should I be there’. He left this past Tuesday and will be joined by his wife Julie, and is expected to spend a week recovering in the hospital after the surgery. We are all extremely proud of Frank’s selfless resolve and wish him a speedy recovery.

Frank emailed us and said that he’s trying not to think about the surgery and that he has great Red Sox tickets and will wear his Giants hat –hoping that he won’t get jumped!

Labels: members, mission cliffs

It began three years ago when Justin and Shaun first laid eyes on someone walking along a taunt line of webbing spanning thirty feet across the gym. "It looked amazing," says the 24-year old Shaun. Now, each Monday morning you can find the two of them on the slack line, which Shaun describes as a "tight rope with one inch webbing."

They come to the gym to climb, but more importantly, to practice some moves on the slack line. Their only access to one is at Touchstone Concord. "It's a separate sport in itself," says Shaun, who admits that slack lining has improved his top-rope climbing abilities. "It improves balance and body awareness."

Shaun's favorite trick on the slack line is a hand stand, which he can hold for several seconds before tumbling down onto a crash pad. Justin, however, prefers a daring front flip off the line and onto the floor. Please be advised: these are trained professionals.

Not really, but Shaun and Justin are amazing to watch, and they have been slack lining long enough to offer some tips if you're thinking about trying to walk the line. "Start small," says the 21-year old Justin. "You will get very frustrated in the beginning, but don't give up."

Labels: concord, members

If you’re wondering about the dreadlocked guy who spins all the great music you hear at Pipeworks every Friday night, his name is Walker Townsend, AKA “DJ Wokstar”. 20 years ago he started spinning because he owned all the records that his friends wanted to hear, so they were constantly asking him to make mix tapes. He has been playing music professionally ever since. Walker moved from Hawaii to Sacramento 7 years ago and says he wants to play “songs that make people feel good”. Currently he plays Fultons underground in old Sacramento and has had a gig at The Blue Lamp for 4 years. Walkers favorite music genre are Reggae, Afro-Funk and Soul but he is best known for playing an array of music that is diverse enough to keep every music lover happy. He has been written up in articles for The Sacramento Bee and been featured in Spin Magazine as well. When asked why his spinning produces so much more energy in the gym than a pre-recorded CD he said “People react because they see me giving them something - putting forth an effort to make them feel good. It just makes people try to have a good time”. Aside from his interest in music, this 37 year old single father of 3 great boys is an avid climber and says that his goal is to climb Mt Everest.

To hear Walkers special blend of music, stop by the gym any Friday night after 7:30 or come to a climbing competition at Pipeworks where he will always be the one spinning tunes.

Labels: members, pipeworks

Ever thought of taking your climbing to the great outdoors? To get you started, you might want to consider joining a club such as the California Mountaineering Club. Touchstone Concord member Tom Cronin is the Bay Area Representative for the CMC.

The CMC started in the early 90’s after the Sierra Club stopped running trips above class 3 and Tom is their third Bay Area rep. This year Tom has scheduled a series of climbs for Northern California club members starting with smaller crags such as Phantom Spires. The climbs build in commitment through the season with Multi-day trips in later August and September. In the winter, ice climbing weekends in Lee Vining are the ticket.

Many of these trips are a little less about climbing and a lot about preparation, teamwork, and determination. If you are interested in the club, contact Tom at tombcronin@yahoo.com.

Labels: climbing, members

Touchstone gyms aren't just a great place to work out; they are also a great place to help out a worthy cause. Recently, Touchstone Concord helped out St. Jude's Children's Hospital and cancer research center by holding a fundraiser in February. All told, Touchstone Concord members donated and gathered $1327, to help this great cause. Members raised money by getting sponsored for routes climbed and hours spent working out. Additionally, many opened their hearts by opening their pocket books. If you have a group that is interested in having a fund raiser at Touchstone Concord, please contact the manager.

Labels: community, concord, members

If you haven’t noticed, the walls behind the front desk have been changing to become a new photo gallery. Photography taken by two San Jose members, Hien Lam, a photographer by day and climber by night, and Simon Hale, San Jose’s resident Georgetown physicist, are on display. The artwork depicts various moments of a Bishop bouldering trip that occurred over New Year’s. Roughly 20 climbers composes of Touchstone San Jose Members, Staff, and local south bay boulderers made their way to the Eastside for a week-long bouldering trip. The trip was filled with hard climbing, warm campfires, toasted marshmallows, and great stories.

Labels: members, san jose

Now you can multitask like a champ at your favorite place. Class 5 has added wireless internet allowing you to access the internet from your laptop while you are at Class 5.

We aren’t suggesting that you have to bring your work with you, but it may make it easier to sneak out of the office for a quick workout. Now you can keep in touch or do your homework between bouldering sends.

Wireless is a big plus when planning climbing trips with your partners to find out which passes are open or the beta on that big wall. Now you can do it all at Class 5.

With the addition of wireless at Class 5, this means that all Touchstone gyms are now wireless. Just another service that Touchstone provides to create a unique fitness experience.

Labels: class 5, members

Long time member and friend of Mission Cliffs recently went missing in a diving accident this past Saturday off the northern California coast. Kawika, an underwater photographer and experienced diver, was on a solo dive trip from Eureka to Cape Mendocino and never returned. An extensive search was carried out by the Coast Guard that included aircraft, helicopters, motor lifeboats, and underwater divers. Despite many efforts to find Kawika, the search was called off at sunset on Monday.

Kawika attained an engineering degree from Harvard and a graduate degree from the School of Engineering at Stanford. Following graduate school, Kawika devoted more time to diving and underwater photography. Images from his many dives along the California Coast, Papua New Guinea, Isla del Coco and Hawaii can be viewed on his website www.coldwaterimages.com.

His family is hosting an informal gathering this Sunday, March 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at 21 Teaberry Lane, Tiburon, Marin County, so Kawika's friends can gather in a casual manner to meet his family, share stories, poems, and photos.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Kawika and his family at this time.

Labels: members, mission cliffs

"I was falling off of a hard series of bouldering moves and couldn't seem to make headway. My partner insisted that the problem was that I wasn't thinking about my right elbow enough. Next try, I thought about my elbow as I moved. I got the problem. We dub this technique 'thought beta.'"

Labels: climbing, members, pipeworks

On Saturday, March 10th, approximately 20 Touchstone San Jose members ventured outside to the local South Bay bouldering spot, Castle Rock State Park, to break up the monotony of pulling on plastic with some good, old-fashioned sloper-slapping fun! Conditions were prime, as over half the group visited the park and climbed outside for the first time. Both staff and experienced members assisted the newer climbers in climbing, spotting, outdoor etiquette and the “No Trace” Ethic. At the end of the day, members got a renewed sense of bouldering’s roots, as well as the spirit of climbing and a greater sense of community.

Labels: climbing, members, san jose

Touchstone Concord and Team Fuego members Gregor Peirce, Gabe Matson, Evan Cronin and Wes Mirgalio traveled to Timonium, Maryland to compete in the ABS 8 National Championships that took place February 16-18. All four boys train with Coach Yuki Uemora for Team Fuego and were excited to be heading to their first National-level competition. Scott Cory and Troy Gibb, also from Touchstone Concord, attended the event with their team, Zero Gravity.

Despite this being Gregor's first on-site format competition, he took first in his division, Youth B (14-15 year olds), a truly impressive accomplishment. The rest of the Touchstone crew also did well, with Gabe and Evan taking 19th and 29th respectively in Youth A. Wes placed 23rd in the Juniors' division and Troy took 7th in Youth B. Scott Cory fought through an ankle injury sustained in the qualifying round and still managed to place 8th in Youth A.

Gregor climbed perfectly in the qualifying round, flashing all four problems. He continued his streak of great climbing in the finals, flashing the first problem and getting the 2nd high point on problems number two and three. Troy reached the high point on problem number 3 and came within a hair of making it a 1-2 finish in their category.

On the female side, Dakota Schwartz, competing in the Youth C category, took 14th place. This category was won by Mission Cliffs Member Cicada Jenerik. All in all, a great performance by everyone from Touchstone Concord! We look forward to following these strong, young climbers in their future adventures.

You can also read more about these climbers in the Monday edition of the Contra Costa Times or online here.

Labels: climbing, comps, concord, members

Let's give a hand to those inspiring people, who, no matter how busy and chaotic life becomes, still make their health and fitness a priority. We at Touchstone Concord would like to acknowledge the top five users of our club: Joan Skilling, Susan Puetz, Kathleen Osmond, Erin Halonen and James Steinhauser. All five of these folks made it to the gym more than 50% of the days in 2006! For nabbing the #1 spot, Joan will receive one free month of membership and a logo sweatshirt to wear post-workout.

Keeping yourself fit has many benefits. Not only does exercise help protect against many diseases and make you more productive at work, but it can reduce stress and give you a more positive outlook on life. Who couldn't use more of that? And with climbing being such a fun way to get and stay in shape, staying true to your New Year's resolutions has never been easier.

Labels: concord, members

Class 5 is proud to have Ethan Daniels/Travelin’ Light Images showing his photography in the hall gallery. Ethan specializes in underwater, nature, and travel stock photography and is presenting his award winning underwater photos. He has photographed thousands of marine species from Antarctic krill, and Humpback Whales, to coral spawning, and zebra sharks mating.
Ethan's interest in marine biology and conservation began during the summers of his youth in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. After graduating from Bucknell University in 1994 he spent a year working for the School for Field Studies in the Republic of Palau. After that eye-opening experience, nowhere else would do except the University of Guam Marine Lab for graduate school.

Once finished with school, Ethan made the permanent move to Palau continuing to work as a guide and naturalist for kayakers, divers, photographers and film crews. He led several productions including Discovery Channel's Shark Week "Predators in Paradise," Disney Channel, National Geographic Channel, and others.

After several years of reef observations and exploration throughout the archipelago he took a position as the National Science Coordinator with the Office of Environmental Response and Coordination. Ethan has coauthored and contributed photos to "Palau: Dive Sites, History, and Culture," "The Republic of Palau First National Communication to the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change," and, "The Republic of Palau National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan," currently in press.

Ethans work will be up through February at Class 5

Labels: class 5, members

Michael Eastman, an Oakland native, has been fooling around with art since 1950. It was back then that grandpa put a paint brush in his hand. Only 1 year old at the time, it was silly to say he had anything going. But a few years later, while studying crayons in 1st grade he received his first hard critique for a work titled Santa. His teacher, a nun, pointed out that his subject was draped in purple. It was obvious that Michael saw colors much differently from others. But Michael remembers "being hooked" on the attention. So, this little issue did not deter him from pressing on.

At the age of 7, his pursuit of excellence in drawing with crayons paid off with a contest win. A simple drawing of a cowboy earned a trip to Disneyland for a weekend. "The colors must have been right," quipped Michael. Unfortunately, his drawing talents seemed to wander. But his interest in art did not wane. A high school class in photography rekindled his search for a way to express his vision. An eye for composition in photography and a blossoming career in commercial screen printing was enough to decide to chase art in college. But again, his dreams seemed forgotten as he languished in commercial screen printing for many years.

In 2003 Michael is at street fair where he sees a large print of a digital photograph. With the desire to become a serious artist still brewing, Michael pauses for a moment and thinks "I have found a medium that I can create with." The next day he bought a Nikon D100 and soon after a large format printer. For the last 3 years, Michael has been honing his photography skills while producing large prints from unique digital photographs.

"We are inundated by average or redundant photography on the web, in print and in advertisements daily. This makes it hard to distinguish fine art from the ordinary," observes Michael. "I try to be sure my work is unique, simple, and very good before it gets out of the studio."

Michael will be showing a brand new series of photographs at Berkeley Ironworks from January 3rd to February 15th. You can also check out his website for more information or to check out his photos: http://www.eastmanfineart.com

Labels: ironworks, members

Touchstone Climbing would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. We had an exciting 2006 at Touchstone. We saw the finale of our 1st annual Touchstone Bouldering Series, which had an amazing 440 unique competitors. The Touchstone Roped Series started with our biggest rope climbing comp ever at Mission Cliffs. There were many changes to the gyms including a complete bathroom remodel at Ironworks. 2006 was a huge year for both our men's and women's cycling teams and we are very excited for the 2007 season. The Touchstone Bike Club continued to grow and remains a favorite among members. Last year also saw the passing of Todd Skinner, Steve Karafa and Jeff Schoen, who all will be deeply missed. Touchstone's commitment to reach out to the community continued in 2006 with the Bike Corral in Sacramento, a blood drive in Concord, food and toy drives at Mission Cliffs, a climb for breast cancer research at Class 5 and a charity climb for homelessness at Ironworks.

We are looking forward to a wonderful 2007 including an exciting announcement during the first part of the year. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Labels: climbing, cycling, event, members, touchstone

Long time member, Jacqueline Florine was recently featured as one of "seven Bay Area women who have changed history—by doing what they love most." In the December issue of 7X7 magazine, Jacqueline is profiled for her climbing accomplishments. The article discusses both her solo climbs of El Cap, as well as her recent climbing of all California 14ers in an impressive nine days, 12 hours and 17 minutes.

Other women on the list include Nancy Pelosi, Fannie Mae Barnes, Frances Conley, Renel Brooks-Moon, Joanne Garvey and Carly Fiorina. You can read the whole article online at the 7X7 website.

Labels: climbing, members

Some people go to a Touchstone gym to train. Chris McNamara goes because he likes it.

“I don’t train. I just climb,” he says. “For a long time pretty much all I did was climb in the gym and climb El Cap.”

The 27-year-old bachelor has been going to Mission Cliffs since he was a teenager and the gym was brand new.

“I was one of the first investors, and I worked there when I was in high school,” says McNamara. “The gyms just keep getting cooler. And there’s more people at the gyms, which is pretty cool. It’s definitely more fun when there are more climbers to meet and go climbing with.”

McNamara’s climbing has spawned a couple of ventures. Not satisfied with the El Capitan guidebook he was using in the late 1990s, he wrote his own article.

“I did one step, got a lot of great feedback from people, and went to the next level” he says.

Those steps evolved into SuperTopo, a series of climbing guidebooks published out of South Lake Tahoe. Key features include a history of the climbing route, pitch lengths, gear sizes, and detailed approach and descent maps.

Some climbers have said such detailed information takes the adventure out of climbing. While McNamara agrees that the sense of adventure is important, he doesn’t think he’s giving too much away.

“We listen to a lot of people, and go from there as far as deciding what to say. We don’t describe every single move,” he says. “Even with the information we provide, you still have to do all the climbing yourself.”

McNamara also founded the American Safe Climbing Association, a group that replaces deteriorating bolts on climbs throughout the country and educates climbers on safety. It grew out of his own efforts to replace bolts on El Capitan. He realized other people might be willing to help out, and the ASCA was born.

“I ran it for maybe five years,” he says. “I’m now kind of just on the board.”

McNamara continues to push boundaries. These days his big passions are big-wall climbing and BASE jumping, “finding new cliffs that haven’t been jumped off, and climbing big walls in a day that haven’t been done in a day."

Labels: climbing, members, mission cliffs

If you ever meet Will Harris, expect him to be pedaling. For the past two years he’s been a Spin instructor at Sacramento Pipeworks. As a member of the Pipeworks Bike Club, he bikes 50 to 100 miles most weekends. And he bikes to his day job as a geologist at the California Geological Survey, about a 10-mile round trip.

“It keeps my butt from getting soft,” says the 44-year-old Sacramentan.

While Harris is bike-centered, he’s not self-centered. Earlier this year he was instrumental in setting up a bike cooperative program for residents of Quinn Cottages. The transitional housing for the formerly homeless is right across the street from Pipeworks.

Harris got the idea while on the weeklong Cycle Oregon ride in 2004. Many volunteers and volunteer groups help to organize the annual ride, including folks from Portland’s Community Cycling Center. Harris learned of the CCC’s annual bike collection drive that puts bikes in the hands of Portland’s disadvantaged youth. Harris and fellow Bike Club members transplanted the idea to Sacramento and, with the help of the Quinn residents, modified it. They set up a bike “library,” where bikes can be checked out by any Quinn resident. The Quinn folks call it the QuinnWorks Bike Corral.

The Pipeworks Bike Club collected 25 bikes from gym members, friends and coworkers for the Corral. They fixed the bikes up pretty and raised more than $1,000 for more bike repair and general operating expenses.

“Quinn Cottages is just half a mile from the American River Bike Trail,” Harris says. “We wanted the Quinn residents to be able to take advantage of the beauty and recreation the trail has to offer, and we want them to have bikes for general transportation. Sacramento is so flat—it’s ideal for bike commuting.”

The Corral opened this past spring with a group ride on the trail — a “non-Lycra ride,” says Harris — and included a dozen Bike Club members and 17 men, women, and kids from Quinn. In the Corral’s first week, Quinn residents checked out bikes more than 40 times.

Harris was back on the Cycle Oregon trip this past September, a 500-mile loop starting along the Columbia River and through the Blue Mountains. He was joined by Pipeworks Bike Club members Scott Clark and Kent Gillis. They rode with about 2,000 cyclists, stopping and staying in small towns in central and eastern Oregon. The visits extend the tourist season for those rural communities just a bit longer. Cycle Oregon provides an opportunity to get to know good friends better and to meet new friends, all while riding through beautiful country, says Harris.

And you never know what kinds of neat ideas might present themselves along the way.

Labels: community, cycling, members, pipeworks

Touchstone San Jose proudly co-sponsor eight enthusiastic International House students from San Jose State University in the 2006 Metro Silicon Valley Marathon. The race took place in downtown San Jose on October 29th at 7:00am. The elite eight SJSU students hail from Spain, France, Cyprus, Japan, and South Africa. The group proudly sported bright orange tees with the Touchstone San Jose logo and were cheered on by onlookers with, "Go orange team!"

"Only two of us have run a marathon before," said team organizer Adrien Wiesebron, a software engineering major and student from France. "We want to just have fun and run together."

The first finisher for the I-House Touchstone/Jamba Juice team was Remim Astier, clocking in at exactly 4:00:00 for his first marathon. Wiesebron, Clement Guyot from France and Omar Coassio Gonzalez from Spain ran down the 100-meter-long stretch, their hands joined and raised to the sky as the orange trio finished the 26.2 miles in 4:18:29. Also representing the I-House Touchstone/Jamba Juice team and finish the marathon were Sara Hussein, Dino Kouiyalis, and Rosemary Workman.

Labels: community, members, san jose

Held in Southern Utah each October since 1987, the Huntsman World Senior Games has been recognized as the premier senior athletic event in the world. Sacramento Pipeworks Bike Club member Barry Marcus entered two cycling events this year (his second Senior Games).

“I didn't win any medals this time but I was happy with my effort and had a good trip” Barry said. “The hill climb was a 5K time trial with a course that ranged from 6-8% and a short section of 10% steepness. I improved my hill climb time from 24 minutes last year to 19 minutes - good for 10th out of 13 in my division”.

The Senior Games goal has been to create an international sports event open to men and women 50 years or older, that fosters health and physical fitness becoming a way of life, not an occasional hobby. There are 22 athletic events over a two-week period, with contestants coming from as far as Russia and Australia.

“I met up at the games with Jesse De Jesus, father of Jessica De Jesus (the preeminent bay area Touchstone Bike Club organizer)”. Barry went on to say, “Jesse started the 25 mile time trial only to find his handlebars were loose so he turned around, went back to his car, tightened the bars and took off again. He figured he lost 5 minutes. Well he still finished in 1:02, good for 6th place. The winner in his division did the ride in 55 minutes. Without the loose handlebars Jesse would have been second!”

Barry ended his story with:” I finished the 37 mile road race, my second event, in guess what - 10th out of 13. It was beautiful course and I felt good the whole ride - just outclassed. There were two long climbs for a total of about 2,000' and a fast, fun descent at the end. I finished in 2:04, with the winners coming in at around 1:45 - the course record is 1:43. These old guys are awesome. There was actually one guy riding at 99 years old!”

Labels: members, pipeworks

What do climbing and crazy costumes have in common? Nothing! But at Touchstone Concord, it all makes sense when you come to the Halloween night costume party and see members scaling the walls dressed up as ghouls, pumpkins and mimes. Come at 6pm for some ghoulish treats then climb until the costume contest at 8pm. We promise silly prizes for winners in the following categories: Most Outrageous, Best Duo, Best Famous Climber, Most Original Costume. We look forward to seeing you there!

Labels: concord, members

Rachel Llyod:
Class 5 Core Class Instructor & Cyclo Cross Champ

After taking 2 years off from racing cyclo cross I got lured back into race for the local “Proman/Paradigm” team based out of Fairfax, CA.. So far this season, Rachel has won the first race in the Bay Area Super Prestige Series and also the first race in the Surf City Series in Santa Cruz. This Sunday, she is off the second race of the Bay Area Super Prestige Sunday the 22nd. The Following weekend, she will be racing at the Whitehill School then the second Surf City race. We’ll keep you posted. As she says, ”I’m all set to crush locally this winter.”

Rachel teaches Class 5’s Core Class Tuesday mornings at 8am. If you want to be strong – REALLY strong come take this class.

Core class 8am, free to members, $10 drop in.

Labels: class 5, members

Most people can’t imagine the effort it takes to ride a bicycle for 7 days straight, in excess of 500 miles, and with an incredible 28,000 feet of climbing. This was exactly what Sacramento Pipeworks Bicycle Club members Scott Clark, Kent Gillis and Pipeworks cycling instructor Will Harris did at the recent Cycle Oregon benefit ride. It was Scott and Kent’s first time on the CO and Will’s second. Cycle Oregon was a tale of extremes: temperatures ranged from a 38 degree low to a high of 100 degrees; most days were windy and some days it rained; the longest day was 89 miles while the shortest was 49. Kent, who is slim to begin with, lost 14 lbs on the challenging ride. Kent’s remarks reflected how extreme this challenge was also. From: “Day four was my best day on a bike – ever” to “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was physically, mentally and emotionally tough as well”. There were nearly 2000 other participants, necessitating a traveling tent city with nightly entertainment, rest rooms, showers, and facilities to feed over 2000 people three meals a day. Aside from 3 flats and some minor knee trouble, the whole trip went by trouble free. Congratulations guys, everyone at Pipeworks is proud of you!

Labels: cycling, members, pipeworks

Class 5 now features photos from James Martin’s and Michael Lee’s new book Islands of the SF Bay. These two Class 5 members, photographers and now book designers created a beautiful book celebrating the Bay Area. They worked with many authors and photographers to put this together.

In their words: An analogue of this great Bay -- this volume lacks one voice and instead speaks with many. Paired with James’ unique and brilliant eye, this work is aimed at keeping you desiring to turn the page, while also inviting you to read the rich stories in the text and captions. Stories of the Bay, there are many, and we hope this volume encourages you to visit and revere the island histories and ecologies presented on the next few pages....

Come to Class 5 check out some great photos of the nature around you.

www.IslandsofSFBay.com

Labels: class 5, members

It was a perfect day for Class 5’s guided trip to Phantom Spires with the Lovers Leap Guides last Saturday September 16. Eight members of Class 5 and two Ironworks members met at the Strawberry Lodge and then proceeded to Phantom Spires. For many of the climbers this was their first time on rock – also their first time climbing cracks and friction slabs. Petch and Heidi put up ropes on the middle spire, instructed on technique and offered lots of encouragement.

Since it had snowed a little the day before, we were a little worried about weather, but it turned out to be a cool sunny day. A good time was had by all.

If you are interested in future trips, contact Class 5 manager Ken.

Labels: class 5, climbing, members

Congratulations to two MC members who climb the Nose on El Cap in one day. Members, Jonny Kwong and Blair Haffly started the route at 2am and topped out at 6:45pm, which turned out to be 16 hours and 45 minutes of climbing on the famed walled.

Jonny recalls the following highlights of their adventure. “Fixating upon the Vastness above, my mind reels away. Infinite and crisp are her radiant freckles. Her cheekbone highlighted by a milky blush. Her brilliance contrasted only by a neighbor’s imposing darkness. I flick on my headlamp and the Vastness above is lost. Blair and I are at the base of El Cap’s the Nose. It was a mere four weeks ago we conceived the idea to climb this route in a single day. And now we’re here.

Adeptly, we work independently. I flake the rope, tie in, and change my shoes. Blair sets his belay anchor, ties in, and puts me on belay. I check the time. It’s just before 2 a.m. “On belay.” “Belay on.” I lead into a calmly lit world. The jams and holds are mostly familiar. A sense of urgency and calmness flutter within me. Some time later I get up to the first anchor. “Off belay!” The calmness scatters. “Off!” I pull up the rope until it’s taught. A moment later, “Line fixed!” I continue up twenty feet stopping short of the crux of the pitch. I flick off my headlamp and wait. At once, the Vastness reappears. I peer off to the East and see Half Dome accented by a deep blue. I close my eyes for a moment. “Belay’s on!” Blair has jugged up to the first anchor and I go on. We continue the climb in the same manner. Soon, headlamps are no longer needed. I periodically glance down to see El Cap’s shadow continuing to grow over the shrinking trees and the Valley floor.

Across the way, the Cathedral formations transform with the change in light and view. I lead up to the base of the Great Roof. Blair then takes over. He steadily and comfortably seems to climb, while I find myself drifting to sleep at the belays. At last, when I did not think I could stave off sleep any longer, Blair tops out. “Off belay! Rope Fixed!” I soon meet Blair. We look at the time. It’s 6:45 p.m. We both grin. Our goal is realized.”

In addition to accomplishing is goal of the Nose in a day, Jonny just completed the NE ridge of Mt. Williamson, the 2nd highest 14ner in California in 22 hours. Not to mention, posing for a recent Patagonia photo shoot.

Labels: climbing, members, mission cliffs

Rhonda Hurst, a Pipeworks member since 2003 says of Touchstone’s Sacramento club: “The gym is in a good location; it’s not fancy like other gyms with mirrors everywhere” and “it has a good feel to it, a good vibe”. Initially too intimidated to take a standard weeknight spin class, her interest in cycling began with a private Saturday morning class offered by Pipeworks personal trainer Laurie Dakin. After that, Rhonda became a regular at the Tuesday / Thursday performance cycling classes and shortly set a personal goal of 5 indoor cycling nights a week for 1 month. Before long she discovered she was comfortable with the routine, so after the month passed she just kept going. In a little while her initial fear was forgotten and she eventually learned the value of rest days and cut spinning back to 2-3 days a week. Soon looking for an even bigger challenge, Rhonda found herself buying a road bike and a week after her new purchase she showed up to ride with the Pipeworks bike club. Rhonda developed rapidly as a road rider and promptly became one of the most consistent riders in the club. She started bike commuting to work during The Million Mile Challenge in May and still makes the 40 mile round trip at least once a week. When Rhonda began riding with the Pipeworks bike club, another rider asked if she ever thought about riding a century (100 miles in a day), and she replied “Oh no I couldn’t do that – maybe next year”. To her own surprise, less than 3 months later Rhonda found herself completing her first 100 mile day! Since taking up cycling in March of 2006, she has completed a Century, participated in 5 organized rides, lost more than 40 pounds and lowered her cholesterol count by an astonishing 65 points! Congratulations Rhonda, you are a true success story!

Labels: cycling, members, pipeworks

Berkeley Ironworks regulars Ed Kolodziej and partner Vivian Peng climb in the gym consistently enough to keep in shape. That fitness came in handy when they decided at the last minute to climb the North Arête of Bear Creek Spire (5.8) to celebrate Ed’s birthday. After the obligatory stop at Schat’s bakery in Bishop for their jalapeño cheese bread, they made it to the trail head (10,200ft) and hiked up to Dade Lake (11,600ft). They reached the base (12,400ft) Saturday morning and managed to top out (13,713ft) at 5pm and make it back to tent by 9pm. “It felt good being able to lead on that rock.” They hiked out Sunday, drove to the mobile station (a great place to eat in Lee Vining), and gorged themselves. They hit a lot of traffic on the way home but still managed to get home before 8pm. It was a good weekend.

Labels: climbing, ironworks, members

Class 5’s Meg McCloskey is engaged!

Meg and Pam DeLuca are going to the chapel and they’re gonna get married!

When you see her next, offer your congratulations and be sure to admire the sparkly rock on her finger!

Labels: class 5, members

Congratulations to San Jose staff Roscoe Roatch and member Alia Nicole Bechtold! Roscoe proposed to Nikki at Rainbow Falls in the Eastern Sierra on July 6th. The happy couple are to be wed at the spectacular Cliffs of Moher in Ireland on September 28th, 2006. Congratulations Roscoe and Nikki!

Labels: members, san jose

On behalf of The Sacramento Pipeworks Bike Club, Will Harris recently accepted an award from Quinn Cottages for creation of the QuinnWorks Bike Corral program. The QuinnWorks Bike Corral is a western-themed bike loan cooperative serving Quinn Cottages, a transitional housing facility for the formerly homeless, located near the American River Bike Trail and the Sacramento Pipeworks gym. The corral provides a stable of 25 bikes (plus helmet, lock and light) that residents can borrow to enjoy a days outing along the river or ride to work or to run errands. The Corral is managed by dedicated Quinn residents who check bikes in and out, as well as perform basic maintenance.

Harris, a Pipeworks cycling instructor, got inspiration for the project from a similar venture by the Portland Oregon Community Cycling Center. Starting with more than 25 bicycles of all types and sizes that were donated by Pipeworks Bicycle Club members, gym members, friends and colleagues, the next goal was to get the bikes in working order prior to turning them over to Quinn. Pipeworks Bike Club members spent several days cleaning, adjusting and oiling the bikes, getting them ready for the inaugural ride. A donation fund (that eventually grew to over $1000) was also established to purchase supplies, tools, and equipment for the bikes. Everything else, including more than 30 bicycle helmets, was donated or provided at cost by sponsoring bike shop The Bicycle Chef.

The day dawned sunny and warm for opening of the Corral. Seventeen residents, ranging f