Blog
It’s Time to Woman Up! Touchstone Climbing and The North Face present our Women’s Climbing Festival
Women have been at the forefront of rock climbing for decades, pushing the limits of possibility right alongside the guys. We’ve always known that we have just as much to contribute; but we’ve also always faced a host of pressures and expectations that tell us otherwise. From beta spray to microaggressions (“you’re strong for…
It’s Happening! Touchstone Climbing Coming to Pasadena
After years of false starts and hard work, we are thrilled to announce that Touchstone Climbing will be opening a 25,000 square foot climbing facility just north of downtown Pasadena! This will be our second roped facility in Southern California, offering world-class top rope, lead climbing, and bouldering terrain, as well as the comprehensive yoga…
Member of the Month: Tamara Berg
We have a ton of cool folks climbing, spinning, lifting, and CrossFitting at every one of our gyms, each with their unique stories and perspectives on life. Our Member of the Month feature is a chance to get to know some of those folks, and serves as a reminder of how vibrant our community really is. This…
Contra Costa Interfaith Housing at Diablo Rock Gym
Contra Costa County, like all Bay Area counties, has seen a precipitous increase in rental prices over the past five years. For the average family of Contra Costa Interfaith Housing, the median cost of a two-bedroom apartment would require an income well over triple their own. This is where CCIH comes in, with their mission to…
Futures Explored at Sacramento Pipeworks
This month we had another successful session with a group from Futures Explored, whose mission it is to provide life skills and work-related training to adults with developmental disabilities. They support their clients to “reach their optimum level of individual potential by delivering a broad range of resources and ongoing guidance.” Sacramento Pipeworks is proud to be one…
Supporting Sherpa and Nepali High Mountain Guides: A Night for Nepal at Berkeley Ironworks
On Friday April 28, Berkeley Ironworks will be hosting the Night for Nepal Fundraiser for the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation. We’re incredibly excited, not only because it will be the first time Alex Honnold and Conrad Anker have ever spoken together at the same event, but also because it will be contributing to a deeply…
Shoulder Struggles with the RV Project: Part 3
Today we’re bringing you the third and final installment in a 3-part series from Vikki Glinkskii, one half of The RV Project’s dynamic duo. The RV Project is Vikki’s and Spenser Tang-Smith’s adventure across America in search of the country’s best climbing and most interesting people. If you’ve been ignoring a nagging shoulder pain (or any pain,…
Shoulder Struggles with the RV Project: Part 2
Today we’re bringing you the second installment in a 3-part series from Vikki Glinkskii, one half of The RV Project’s dynamic duo. The RV Project is Vikki’s and Spenser Tang-Smith’s adventure across America in search of the country’s best climbing and most interesting people. If you’ve been ignoring a nagging shoulder pain (or any pain, really), or…
Super Blooms & Lycra Dog Suits: Liz & Mugsy in JTree
By Liz Nemeroff. When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I…
Shoulder Struggles with the RV Project: Part 1
Today we’re bringing you the first installment in a 3-part series from Vikki Glinskii, one half of The RV Project’s dynamic duo. The RV Project is Vikki’s and Spenser Tang-Smith’s adventure across America in search of the country’s best climbing and most interesting people. If you’ve been ignoring a nagging shoulder pain (or any pain, really), or…
Mike Papciak: Muscle Hygiene and Bodywork Clinics
So many of us have those nagging aches and chronic pains that seem to come with the territory of climbing hard—but is there a way to keep pushing our limits without wearing down our bodies? Mike Papciak, a.k.a. the Bald Sensei, is here to say YES, absolutely! Read on to learn the secret to strong, healthy muscles…
5 Women Changing Climbing Culture Today
By Mailee Hung. Header photo by Dean Fleming. Women’s History Month is drawing to a close, but that doesn’t mean that the opportunity to embrace and legitimize female contributions to our world ever does. Climbing is special in part because we have so many high profile, badass women pushing grades and the limits of…