Justin Andrews has been a Mission Cliffs member since 2011, and a superstar desk staffer and personal trainer there since 2015. Dancer, climber, and all-around badass, he’ll be taking the helm at Cliffs of Id in Culver City and we couldn’t be prouder! Get to know more about this fantastic human in this brief interview—and […]
Words + Photos by Leslie Kim. The very first time I went rock climbing was at a little gym in Southern California in 2003. We got a small group of friends together, and none of us had any real rock climbing experience. I didn’t rent shoes because I was probably trying to save money, […]
Photos by Spencer Josif. Contrary to popular belief, it DOES rain in California. But once the weather has passed, the question remains: how soon can you get back on your project? Although the conversation around climbing after a rain is nuanced, the basic issue is that some of the most popular climbing areas around […]
Though intentionally celebrating and recognizing the achievements of Black Americans and Black communities goes back much farther, Black History Month was institutionalized by The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, at first as Black History Week in 1924, and has been officially sanctioned by every sitting president of the United States […]
Dean Fleming is one of our favorite people and the founder and and editor of one of our favorite magazines, California Climber. Once the youngest certified professional climbing guide in the country, he eventually combined his love of writing, photography, earth science, and rock climbing into a career of sharing his stoke and expertise through […]
It’s no secret in the Touchstone community that if you want training advice of any kind or need help rehabbing an injury, Natasha Barnes is the one to ask. A chiropractor, ClinicalAthlete provider, Touchstone Athlete, competitive climber since 1999 and a competitive powerlifter with an elite total, Natasha knows a thing or three about effective […]
By Justin Alarcon. It is with a mixture of melancholy and great pride we announce that our dedicated routesetter, former Head Routesetter and Head of Construction, and dear friend Craig McClenahan is retiring after 25 years of working with Touchstone. Craig has been climbing for over 40 years. He got his start in the […]
Due to COVID many of us are missing our annual winter climbing trips; also due to COVID, climbing destinations like Bishop are getting hit especially hard. While we are urging everyone to respect the stay-at-home order to protect each other and these small communities, the Bishop Climbing Rangers are on the ground doing everything they […]
By Jason Bove. “Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right…” —Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead, “Scarlet Begonias”) After 19 years, Vaughn Medford is retiring from Sacramento Pipeworks. In a post by a friend and gym member on the Pipeworks Facebook page, […]
By Janet Wells. Pioneering climber and Berkeley Ironworks strength guru Dave Altman, 68, died early Tuesday morning on November 10, 2020 when the van he called home caught fire. Part of the Touchstone family for more than two decades, Dave—whose legendary feats of strength included a one-finger pull-up with 50 pounds in the other hand—helped […]
