Blog
Saint Helena Face Lift
Mount Saint Helena has some of the best rock in the Bay Area. From the summit of many of the routes, there are beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean, Mount Diablo, Mount Tam, and San Francisco. The hike through the pine trees to the base of the crag is incredible and Robert Louis Stevenson is…
Freschl’s Bosavi Headlamp
Two years ago, Dan Freschl, a 30 year old Berkeley Ironworks climber, was camping in the desert with his friends. Everyone had headlamps but no one had any decent batteries. “We ended up huddling together, pooling our light just to get our camp set up. Our car was right there and I didn’t understand why…
Jorge Knott Memorial
This Friday at 6pm, Sacramento Pipeworks will be holding a memorial for long time climber and well known climber, George “Jorge” Knott. Knott worked as a professor at the Consumnes River College but spent a significant amount of his time climbing at Lover’s Leap, hiking up Shasta, and exploring the wilderness around him. Knott was…
Pringle in Joes
Touchstone athlete, Ethan Pringle continued his tour of the west’s best bouldering with a short trip to Joe’s valley in Utah. The hard sandstone is renown for its amazing crimpy and sloping boulder problems. Ethan managed to grab some great video footage of his climbing. Check it out!
John Horn Award: Sport Climbing Grant
The American Alpine Club recently announced that they are offering an award of $2500 to a young man and young woman who live in the Sierra Nevada section and are between the ages of 18 and 25. The award is targeted for young people who share John Horn’s passion for sport climbing, and who, as…
Castle Rock Fundraiser: An Evening with Sharma
The impending closure of Castle Rock, one of the Bay Area’s best climbing destinations, has prompted a rallying cry from climbers across the world. Chris Sharma, a native of nearby Santa Cruz and world renown rock climber, has pledged to show three multimedia presentations to support the park. All proceeds from the show will go…
East Betas Bake Sale
On Tuesday night from 4 to 8pm, The East Betas will be having a bake sale at Great Western Power Company. The youth climbing team, led by Sonora first ascentionist and Touchstone boulderer Ryan Moon, will be celebrating the team’s 2 year anniversary. The bake sale will also be an opportunity for the kids to…
Access Fund: Kids at the Crag
In the latest issue of Veritcal Times, the Access Fund’s magazine, Laura Snider wrote a great article about The Good, the Bad,and the Beautiful parts of bringing kids to the crag. Check out Snider’s great article from the Access Fund’s blog. Kids at the Crag: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful ~ By Laura…
MetalMark Roundup!
Every year during the last week of April, Clovis holds an annual rodeo. Cowboys and cowgirls come from across the country to compete in various contests from lasso tossing to the exciting sport of bull riding. This year, MetalMark decided to hold their own rodeo- The MetalMark Roundup! The roundup started at 3 pm with…
Casting Call
Are you good looking? Like really really ridiculously good ? If you climb, do Yoga, or work out at the Touchstone gyms you probably are. Mountain Hardwear is hosting an open call for male and female models to sport their spring line at their global sales meeting in Richmond in May. The company is looking…
Master of Movement Video
Mainstream portrayls of climbing can be a bit over te top. Often times, the media portrays climbing as brimming with heroics and boldness so much so that it becomes downright comical. Recently, Bear Grylls was spotlighted in The Master of Movement. He jumps! He places cams! He wears approach shoes on routes and stems on…
