Blog
Covenant House Climbs at Hollywood Boulders
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…
Meet the Manager: Diane Ortega at Dogpatch Boulders
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…
Seven Years Strong: Valley Children’s Hospital and MetalMark Adaptive Climbing Program
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…
Member of the Month: Matt Burbach
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…
Trip Report: The Melvins on Widow’s Tears (WI5, Grade V)
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 through Recovery: Bay Area Rescue Mission at Great Western Power Co.
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…
Sandstone Sport Climbing in Badami, India
Maybe you’ve heard tell about the bouldering in Hampi, but do you know about the sport climbing in Badami? Kush Khandelwal has been a Touchstone member for 13 years. He shares with us now his trip report to Badami, India, this little-known area full of single pitch sandstone gems. As an Indian-American and a life-long…
On the Podium: Team Touchstone at Youth Bouldering Nationals
By Zach Wright, Director + Head Coach of Team Touchstone Bouldering Championship Season For Californians, winter is unequivocally the good climbing season. Bishop and Yosemite are crisp and sticky (when the boulders aren’t buried under snow) and our collective stoke can be summed up in a single word: temps. That is to say, with…
The Touchstone & Friends February Happy Boulders Stewardship Event
By Ryan Moon. All photos by Calder Davey. Stew•ard•ship (Noun) The job of supervising or taking care of something, such as an organization or property. “Responsible stewardship of our public lands.” As lovers of the outdoors and people who feel deeply connected to the spaces in which we recreate, we at Touchstone are always…
Not Athletic? No Problem—Climbing is for Everyone!
By Toshiko Shek. Last July, I got my 15th tattoo of a mountain range on the back of my forearm; little did I know it would also foreshadow my life two months later when I started rock climbing. I remember the first time I stepped foot into a climbing gym: It was nearly three years…
Member of the Month: Marcus Cortvriendt
By Jason Bove. Our next feature is on someone who has been a recognizable face around the Pipeworks facility for many years now. You may have seen him climbing and working out at night, or during the day, or BOTH! Whenever it was, he is easily remembered for being the nice guy who may have…
Meet Pete Edwards, The Studio’s New Manager!
Look out San Jose, because The Studio has a new manager in town…and he’s not really new at all. If you haven’t met Pete yet, you probably haven’t been climbing at The Studio for very long! Pete’s been with us for over four years, working his way up from belay staff to desk staff; now,…