When you ask Hans Florine what’s his favorite route in the world, the question is rhetorical. Hans Florine is Mr. Nose. With 100 ascents of the route up the longest section of El Capitan, Florine set the speed record on the formation with a blisteringly fast 2 hours 23 minutes 46 seconds. He’s also climbed […]
On Mondays, a group of children from three to fifteen years old head to Sacramento Pipeworks for the afternoon. Mustard Seed, a free, private school, provides a safe nurturing and structured environment for children who do not attend school because of their homelessness state. The climbing gym provides a great venue for the kids. “The […]
Chances are, without knowing it, you’ve climbed in an area that Access Fund has protected and kept accessible for climbers. With regionally significant successes as the Jailhouse Rock Conservation Easement of 2010, Access Fund has been hard at work keeping the gates open to our favorite crags. This is no easy task, and as with […]
Excitement in Southern California is building as the grand opening Touchstone’s newest gym, the LA.B approaches. The Los Angeles gym features 13,000 square feet of climbing terrain and is modeled after Dogpatch Boulders in San Francisco. The gym will offer two designated areas for fitness. The cardio area will house treadmills and exercise equipment […]
We’re proud to be a climbing company made up of…climbers! Ben Steel, a coach and desk staffer at Berkeley Ironworks, recently made headlines with his climbing partner Luke Stefurak in Yosemite. By Andrew Hewitt. Originally published in Rock and Ice. Tick off another 2013 FFA on one of Yosemite’s last free-climbed faces: Liberty Cap. Last […]
Amanda, a native Californian and former Berkeley Ironworks desk staffer, recently moved to London to pursue a graduate degree at the London School of Economics. She submitted this report to the Touchstone Blog to share a bit about what the transition has been like for her. Something very alarming happened to me today. I’ve tried to […]
Remy Orvis, a front desk staffer from The Studio, will be participating in an awesome event in Downtown San Jose. She submitted this report to the Touchstone Blog. It’s a powerless feeling to know someone with a real addiction and not be able to get through to them. It’s even worse to watch them slowly […]
CrossFit V16, Great Western Power Company’s new CrossFit affiliate, is in full swing at the Oakland gym. For the past three weeks, Oakland gym program manager, Rafael “Raf” Vega has been working as the new program manager, developing and creating the work-outs that the instructors are teaching from. To celebrate the new affiliate, there will […]
“Since the climbing community has given so much to me, I knew I couldn’t leave for college next year without giving something back,” said Sera Busse. “I want to make sure that this sport keeps growing, and I want to make sure that everyone can have the same amazing opportunities that I did.” Busse developed […]
Recently, GWPC manager Jeremy Yee headed to one of the world’s best bouldering destinations with a crew of Touchstone members and employees. Located on the East side of the Sierra, Bishop hosts an amazing collection of granite and volcanic bouldering. Photo by Darrel Cheung Yee’s first trip to the bouldering mecca occurred almost exactly two […]
