Blog
Touchstone Racers Go Off Road for 24 Hours in Old Pueblo
And you thought your Valentines date was a little prickly? Try cuddling up next to a jumping cholla cactus! Five Touchstone members spent the Day of Love getting cozy with some Sonoran single track at the “24 Hours in Old Pueblo” mountain bike relay race. That’s right – Team Touchstone spent 24 hours on their…
Ethan Pringle and La Reina Mora (5.14d)
To Pro·ject a route: tə prä-ˌjektˈā rau̇t verb To try a route over and over and over and over and over and over and over, with the goal of completing the route without falling. See Redpointing. We’ve all projected a route and gone through the emotional ups and downs of failure. In this video, Touchstone athlete Ethan…
Trip Report: Table Mountain
Table Mountain Table Mountain’s walls can be easily spotted from the Highway 49 / Highway 108 junction, and from the roads surrounding New Melones Reservoir in the Central Sierra foothills of Tuolumne County. Because of their obvious position, the cliffs have no doubt sparked an interest in the area’s earliest climbers, and although the walls…
Introducing the Conscious Climber Project
Exotic Locales, No Passport Required New Mexico is nicknamed The Land of Enchantment, and climbers may be familiar with a particular tower that fell under the spell. But aside from the remote and mysterious Enchanted Tower, and the fact that one must pass through during the annual Hueco migration, New Mexico is almost entirely off…
Join a FitBit Group at your Touchstone Climbing Gym
Sure, we all know that we should be getting up from our desks a bit more often, or going for a morning run, or signing up for that new cardio class we keep hearing about…. But take it from us at Touchstone headquarters; nothing motivates like good ol’ fashioned competition. Deep in the belly of Touchstone, several…
Getting Conscious with Ty Tyler from the Access Fund
Ty Tyler. Now there’s a name. Technically, it’s a nickname, but whatever you want to call him, Ty is the National Stewardship Director for the Access Fund. It’s his job to ensure long-term sustainability and stewardship of our climbing areas throughout the US. He travels more than we do. Ty worked a trip to La…
Member Profile: Jeff Williams
Bove: Here’s what we know: You retired, purchased an olive grove in Esparto, CA, and opened an olive oil company called Moonrise Grove. Wow! What has been the most interesting part of this new chapter in your life? Williams: A hard question to answer since everything about ‘retirement’ has been an interesting adventure. During the…
TCS2016 at Diablo Rock Gym
It’s no secret that the Touchstone Climbing Series is legendary. 11 locations. 11 Competitions. One amazing community to rule them all! This month’s comp is bringing the community together at Diablo Rock Gym in Concord, Ca. Here are some handy tips to prepare for Friday’s party – er – competition. Pre-Competition Prep: Carbo-loading is only half of…
Trip Report: Columbia Bouldering
In the spring of 1850 a few settlers unearthed one of the largest gold deposits in the Central Sierra in the small town of Columbia, California. In less than one year over 5,000 fierce and swearing gold miners inhabited the surrounding hillsides. By 1852 the stone buildings that line Columbia’s small main street were occupied…
The Virgin River Gorge: America’s Best Rock and Worst Crag
The semi’s pounded on Highway 15 below me. The loud diesel engines and the jake brakes shook the bridge. The noise reverberated off the walls of the Gorge. I shook my way up the run out slab section on Bogus Pedophile Charges, a classic 5.12d at the Virgin River Gorge. My belayer couldn’t hear me…
Black Diamond Recall Notice
Black Diamond has issued a voluntary recall for a variety of carabiners and nylon runners. The company is asking retailers and consumers to carefully inspect Black Diamond gear that may be affected. Links to self-inspection procedures are below. “In some carabiners, the gate rivets (in solid-gate carabiners) and wire ends (in wire-gate carabiners) attaching…
The Yosemite Trademark Name Dispute Explained
Have you been thinking about coughing up $612.62 for the Romance Package at the Ahwahnee Hotel? Now that the name of the famed hotel in Yosemite National Park may change, you might have lost your chance. On March 1st of 2016, Aramark, which holds nine contracts with the National Park Service (NPS), will replace Delaware…