With nearly 25 years’ experience building gyms, we at Touchstone have learned quite a lot about the process. But what exactly goes in to making a gym? We sat down with Jeffery Bowling, our Creative & Business Development Director, to give us a little more background on what goes into making a Touchstone gym from […]
By Greg Reichardt. Greg Reichardt (A.K.A. Mr. Greg), special education teacher for the Contra Costa County Office of Education in Brentwood, has been bringing his special day class to Diablo Rock Gym in Concord, CA since the beginning of 2019. His students with special needs have a combination of learning disabilities and behavior and […]
Good news, everyone— We have our building permits from the City of Pasadena for our new SoCal rope gym location! We are in the process of coordinating with subcontractors, ordering materials, and lining up our crew to start work on site soon. We are almost done with wall design, too, and think you’re going to […]
Dean Fleming was born and raised in Sonora, CA, the gateway to Yosemite Valley. 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 publishing. Dean is the author of the Columbia Bouldering […]
Photos by Fred Pompermeyer. Covenant House California is a nonprofit organization that provides sanctuary and support for youth ages 18–24 facing homelessness and human trafficking. They’ve been offering crucial services to address the holistic health of their beneficiaries since 1988, including meals, case management, education, medical care, internships, and clothing. Hollywood Boulders has been proud […]
Diane Ortega has been with Touchstone since 2005, and got her start managing when she opened The Studio Climbing Gym with us in 2012. Now, she’s bringing everything she learned in San Jose to San Francisco. She loves running, lifting, and all things food-related—the next time you see her at the desk, ask her for […]
Dr. Jennifer Crocker, the Medical Director of Valley Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Rehabilitation Department, has been bringing children with disabilities to MetalMark Climbing + Fitness since 2012. Adaptive sports are a powerful way to show the kids that their bodies are strong and capable. We believe that climbing is for everyone, and it is a […]
We’ve got some industry heavy-hitters in our climbing family, including Matt Burbach! In addition to being a longtime Touchstone member, Matt is the Marketing, Content + Community Director for Mountain Hardwear, the author of Gym Climbing: Improve Technique, Movement, and Performance, and the founding editor of Urban Climber Magazine. When he’s not working hard on his creative […]
By Mark Melvin. All photos by Mark Melvin unless otherwise attributed. Widow’s Tears is not just a long ice climb. Its 1,000′ approach, multi-hour post-holing off-trail descent, and ephemeral nature make it an adventure climb, in which mountaineering skills are as valuable as those for technical ice. Because it lasts only a week in the […]
Climbing may rank pretty low on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, but we’ve found that it can play an integral role in helping people rebuild after their lives have been shattered. Bay Area Rescue Mission is an organization dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness, addiction, or folks who are otherwise down and out get back […]
