Blog
Trip Report: Promontory
In 1986 Matthias Holladay parked in a paved parking lot on California’s Highway 101 in Del Norte County just shy of Crescent City and the Oregon boarder. Holladay set off across the beach, crossing Wilson Creek, marching towards a distant outcropping of sandstone cliffs abutting the Pacific Ocean. That day Holladay discovered the Promontory; a…
Sacramento Pipeworks Tour Video
Sacramento Pipeworks is a premier climbing and fitness gym in Northern California. Between our towering rope walls, our brand new bouldering area, our expansive fitness area and classes, you’ll have a hard time choosing what to do at the gym each day! Check out our gym tour video to get an idea of what to…
Tips for Bringing Kids to the Climbing Gym
If you’ve been thinking about bringing kids to the climbing gym, now is the perfect time! Kids are bouncing balls of energy and climbing is a great way to build confidence, have fun and stay active. If you’d like a more supervised experience for your child, consider joining Team Touchstone or our After School Climbing…
Better Know a Setter: Kat Gentry
Routesetter Kat Gentry is back in action this summer, setting boulder problems and routes at Touchstone Climbing Gyms around the Bay Area. Kat grew up at the gym, first as a competitive youth climber and then as a routesetter. We caught up with Kat to talk about how her routesetting style has changed, her climbing projects,…
Trip Report: Freerider
The plan was to drive to the Valley Thursday night, climb Friday through Sunday, and come down Monday. Casey and I had decided six months ago to attempt Freerider this year. We wrote up a training outline, picked some routes to do in preparation, and got down to work. Preparation For a bit things went…
Hollywood Boulders Grand Opening and TCS2016 Comp
On Saturday, Hollywood Boulders will host their FIRST Touchstone Climbing Series! If you’ve been living under [or on] a rock and don’t know, TCS2016 our very own, homegrown comp series that tours every single Touchstone Climbing Gym. Saturday marks the second comp in our Southern California bouldering series and is not to be missed! If you’ve never…
How to be the Coolest Person at the Climbing Gym; Do’s and Don’ts
In between wicked sends and sick gains at the gym, NOTHING says “I’m awesome and I care about the people around me” like good ol’ fashioned etiquette. Whether you’re new to the gym and don’t want to look like a n00b, or are an experienced plastic crusher…. WATCH THIS VIDEO! You’ll find helpful tips for…
6 Reasons I’d Be a Climber Even If I Didn’t Like Climbing
1. My unique fashion sense has finally been accepted For much of my life, I took flack for my fashion. The cargo pants, the bell-bottoms, the headbands, the willful adherence to the styles of the seventies. Living in Brooklyn through the advent of the skinny jean and hanging out with punk rockers whose main fashion…
Staff Profile: Art Balaoro
Front Desk Staff, Climbing Instructor, Youth Team Coach, Gym Manager, Route Setter, Assistant Route Setter, Head Route Setter…what do all these illustrious titles have in common? One man: Art Balaoro! Most recently, Art has taken on the challenge of Route Setting Foreman at The Studio. So what are his plans for our spunky little gym?…
Building Walls at Cliffs of Id
Here’s an example of when it’s actually a good idea to build a wall… Cliffs of Id! We’re excited to announce that we’re wrapping up construction of our rope climbing area at our Culver City climbing gym. Want the July FAQs? You got it. I’ve been bouldering a ton at Cliffs of Id, but I can’t shake the…
Trip Report: Woodfords Canyon
Climbers have been scouring the Lake Tahoe Basin for climbable rock since the early 1950s, and though a vast majority of the obvious lines in the region have been plucked, the exploration of the area has continued well into the 2000s. There is still a huge amount of rock to be discovered in the Tahoe…
Offical Report: Dogpatch Boulders is Getting Even More Awesome
The rumors are true. Dogpatch Boulders, your favorite bouldering gym in San Francisco, is getting even more awesome. Since opening in 2013 in the Dogpatch District, climbers from around the country have flocked to the legendary gym. But that’s no reason to sit back on our haunches! In 2015 our neighbors moved out, which led…