It’s 9 o’clock on an unremarkable Tuesday night at The Studio. The influx of eager climbers has slowed, creating somewhat of a lull for us at the front desk. I take advantage of our brief reprieve and address some of the closing chores, namely taking out the trash. I’ve learned from unpleasant experience not to […]
On Thursday, June 20th, Touchstone Founder Mark Melvin and big wall ace Chris McNamara headed to Yosemite to climb El Capitan in a day. The pair set a speed record on The Lost World via the Squeeze Play Variation, climbing the entire granite cliff in 15 hours 33 minutes. Chris wrote a bit about their […]
Recently, Touchstone staff member and climber Jaime Quintana headed to the Bouldering World Cup. Quintana has participated in a number of other international competitions. Last year, he traveled to Paris for the World Cup, where he competed in lead climbing and speed climbing. He also traveled to Venezuela to compete in the IFSC PanAmerican comp. […]
Imagine climbing El Capitan at 14. For many climbers, scaling one of the world’s largest granite cliffs is a dream. For Kara Herson it became a reality because of her incredibly psyched father, Jim Herson. Jim, who has been a Touchstone member for years, wrote a great trip report about climbing with his kids this […]
This year, Touchstone Climbing Gyms partnered with the American Alpine Club for the Live Your Dream Grant, which funds unforgettable experiences that give ordinary climbers the skills and confidence to realize their climbing ambitions and allow them to dream even bigger next time. This spring, two Touchstone Climbing staff members, Maura La Riviere and Stephanie […]
You all (hopefully) come to your local gym because you love the climbing, the community, the great work out.. ext. Now imagine going to that same gym every day, BUT GETTING PAID FOR IT! The staff at our various Touchstone Gyms are made up of amazing, passionate people. Want to know what makes them tick? […]
CrossFit is one of the fastest growing fitness programs in the United States and when Sacramento Pipeworks opened their own box earlier this year, hundreds of people have joined the great new way to get strong. Since the January opening of the CrossFit Pipeworks, 200-300 new members have joined the new facility and 60-80 people […]
This year, Touchstone Climbing Gyms partnered with the American Alpine Club’s for the Live Your Dream Grant, which funds unforgettable experiences that give ordinary climbers the skills and confidence to realize their climbing ambitions and allow them to dream even bigger next time. This spring, two Touchstone Climbing staff members, Maura La Riviere and Stephanie […]
Here at Touchstone, we are lucky to be surrounded by such a diverse and talented group of climbers and fitness enthusiasts. Every once and a while we love to sit down and profile a member who’s got a great story to tell. Up this month… Hannah Donnelly, a 16 year old Zero Gravity climber. Donnelly, […]
Fresh from raising $700 in a bake sale, GWPC teen team, The East Betas, trudged up the Berkeley Hills to test their plastic beast strength on the polished boulders of Indian Rock and Mortar Rock. All the typical gromits were in full attendance led by the good looking, super talented coaches Ryan Moon, Sam Schwartz, […]
