Blog
What’s in a Wall? Touchstone Climbing Wall Design Q&A
Gym layout and amenities are certainly important factors in developing incredible facilities, but what truly sets Touchstone Climbing gyms apart is our wall design. Designing climbing walls that are thoughtful, aesthetically pleasing, and serve a wide variety of needs is a group effort. We sat down with two powerhouses on our wall design team, Lyn…
The Ultimate Guide to Transit-Accessible Outdoor Crags in the Bay Area
By James Dong and Last Minute Gear. Photos courtesy of James. James is passionate about increasing access to and diversity in the outdoors. He helps organize Queer Crush and The Brown Ascenders meetups at Touchstone Climbing, and also runs Last Minute Gear, where access is central to their mission. They are the only gear…
Touchstone-Wide Access to Big Brothers Big Sisters and Court Appointed Special Advocates
We’re proud to offer a variety of discounts and opportunities to get kids climbing. We’ve been providing discounts to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) for several years now, and we’re excited to extend additional discounts to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)! Day Use Advocates/Bigs can bring in their appointed youth/Littles for free…
All About the Team Touchstone Training Center with Head Coach Zach Wright
All it takes is one look at the Team Touchstone Training Center to know that it’s special. It isn’t just a smaller, boutique-style climbing gym—it’s a Touchstone facility whose entire focus is honing our Team athletes for anything the competitive climbing world could throw at them. Zach Wright, Team Touchstone‘s Director and Head Coach,…
The New California Classics: Crystal Ridge
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…
The New California Classics: The Brickyard
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…
Big News for West Oakland: Pacific Pipe Update
We are so excited for our mega gym, and we’ve got a mega update to match it! Loving Our Logo As is true of all our gyms, we want to honor the history of our beautiful buildings. Our logo reflects Pacific Pipe’s first identity as a pipe factory and storage facility for some of the…
The Climbing Rangers in Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News
Did you know that we raised $25,442.48 for the Bishop Climbing Rangers? We sure did! That means you’ll be seeing the climbing rangers around some of your favorite Bishop area climbing zones. Check out the Sierra Wave’s article to get to know this season’s rangers and more specifics about their roles: https://www.sierrawave.net/climbing-rangers-start-patrol-of-buttermilks-tablelands/
The Oaks Climbing Update
It’s taken us a bit longer than expected (these projects usually do), but we are proud to announce that we have our building permit in-hand for The Oaks Climbing Gym! Now it’s full steam ahead. While we’ve been itching to get our hands dirty on construction, you can bet we’ve been hard at work with…
Torrance, Here We Come: Announcing Class 5
We are proud to announce that our third Southern California roped gym is coming to Torrance: SoCal peeps, get stoked for Class 5! Class 5 is named after the Yosemite Decimal System as well as a previous facility; we’re excited to breathe new life into one of our classic gyms. It will be 40,000 sq.…
St. Peter’s Catholic School Finds Adventure Close to Home
By Ting Chin. Here at Mission Cliffs, we love it when our neighbors drop by for a visit. We were especially happy to get a recent visit from Tricia’s middle schoolers from down the street over at St. Peter’s Catholic School. Wow look at that nice form! Natalie reflected, “I was surprised that I was…
Pasadena Update: Introducing The Post Climbing!
It’s been a while friends, but trust us, the wait will be worth it! We’re excited to share some Pasadena progress pics with you here…but first, let’s get you acquainted with this gym’s new identity. Introducing: The Post Climbing The Post pays homage to the original building’s function as a post office; it may no…