The fall weather arrived. Perfect cool days with beautiful leaves on the ground make for great climbing days and amazing experiences. An important part of being a climber is being a steward of places we get to climb. The gorgeous crags can be overrun with litter and debris if we neglect to take care of […]
On September 12th through the 16th the World Climbing Championships took place in Paris, France. Over 500 athletes representing 60 countries entered the competition. Jaime Quintana, a Mission Cliffs climber for the past 3 years, headed out to France to represent his home country of Peru in the comp. Quintana works as an IFMGA (International […]
Earlier this year, three men climbed the Zodiac on El Capitan. This striking aid line climbs through one of the steepest parts of Yosemite’s quintessential granite monolith. While this aid climb sees a number of ascents through out the season, the Gimp Monkey’s ascent is a little different as all three of the men are […]
This weekend, from October 26th to the 28th, Oakdale is having its first climber’s festival. The festivites, which will be held at the Oakdale Community Center at 110 South 2nd Ave in Oakdale, promise to be a great opportunity to learn about some of the vibrant California climbing history. On Friday night, beginning at 7:30 […]
Climbing outside is a ton of fun. The wind, the fresh air, the entire atmosphere is part of what makes climbing enjoyable. It’s important to protect the environment that climbing is in. Part of being a good steward at our crags is not using excessive tick marks, lines to show where holds are. If you […]
This weekend Diablo Rock Gym celebrated their 10th anniversary by having an ultimate fitness morning, a BBQ, and hosting the Reel Rock Tour. With a crowd of over 150 people, the gym helped raise $1500 for the Access Fund and the ASCA. As part of the festivities, the Touchstone blog sat down with DRG’s first […]
Climbing all day can be difficult. Climbing for 24 hours is really hard. In the last few days of September, Touchstone members Caitlin Davies and Lauren Reising headed to 24 Hours of Horshoe Hell in Arkansas. The premise for 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell is leading a route clean for points, and doing that in succession for 24 […]
Heading to sport crags where many of the draws are fixed or out to Yosemite where there are many old anchors means knowing a bit about the dangers of insitu gear, especially of worn fixed biners. On September 22, Mario Luginbühl and a friend went climbing at Magletsch, in the St.Gallen canton, Switzerland. Luginbühl was […]
Last month, Diablo Rock Gym turned 10 years old. To celebrate the gym’s anniversary, this Saturday, October 20th, DRG is hosting three different exciting events- an Ultimate Fitness Experience, a BBQ, and the Reel Rock Tour. In the morning, DRG will be showcasing their many activities. DRG will have mini classes in: Yoga, Core […]
Yosemite season is in full swing. The fall temps are here. The conditions are getting perfect for the bouldering on some of the world’s best granite boulders. Kyle O’Meara, a Washington transplant who has been crushing California climbing, made this cool video of a couple of Yosemite classics that he climbed this spring. Get amped […]
