Blog
Gregor Peirce: On a Mission
Gregor Peirce, a 19 year old Touchstone route setter for the past year, has had a very successful season in Bishop this year. After making the 6 hour drive from the Bay to the Buttermilk boulders, Gregor hiked directly to the classic crimp fest The Swarm a V13/14 in fading light. “I didn’t warm up…
Tips on Highballin
There are a lot of tall boulder problems out there. Problems on the Grandpa Peabody boulder at the Buttermilks, the problems at the Woodyard Arete in Yosemite, and other climbs in between all blur the line between bouldering and soloing. John Sherman, the author of the second edition of Better Bouldering, put together a video…
Healthy New Years at Diablo Rock Gym
Diablo Rock Gym will be having a great evening of fun and excitement on New Year’s eve. On December 31, from 6:30 pm to 12:30 am, the staff and a ton of climbers will be gathering at the the Concord gym for lots of awesome events, games, gift give aways, and more. The gym will…
TBS 7 At Mission Cliffs
Mission Cliffs just had an awesome turnout for the latest TBS 7 comp. 409 climbers stopped by to turn in scorecards. The comp series has been greatly successful this season with over 1300 different climbers stopping by to compete. The Touchstone setters spent a solid amount of time establishing new problems for the comp. The…
Pipeworks Runners Club
The program began in May 2009, when 12 Pipeworks runners, and former Pipeworks bicycle club members, decided to run in the fund raising event The Relay. The 199 mile race from Calistoga to Santa Cruz helped raise awareness for organ donation. With each racer running 3 different 10k legs, the team finished the race…
Climbers in The New York Times
With the ever increasing popularity of rock climbing and the expansion of digital services, the internet world has become a larger presence on the mountain. Where once, Yosemite was a vast wilderness, now it is possible to update your Facebook status from the side of El Capitan. Alex Lowther, a climber living in New York…
Mission Cliffs Comp and Holiday Food Drive
On December 9, the Touchstone Bouldering Series will be hitting Mission Cliffs. The friday night San Francisco comp promises to be one of the best one yet. TBS7 comp shirts will be given to competitors, there will be delicious pizza, tons of free beer, and a host of new boulder problems. Additionally, Mission Cliffs…
Vertical Velocity- Girls’s Climbing Team Bake Sale
Vertical Velocity, the girls’s climbing team at Berkeley Ironworks, is having a bake sale on Monday evening. The team will be having its one year anniversary this month and is raising money for team sweatshirts. The girls’s climbing team had a great costume part in October. The team began in late 2010 with only…
Bad Belaying – Doritos Edition
File this under bad belaying. It’s always amusing to see climbing portrayed in tv, movies or commercials. Feast your eyes on this gem from Doritos, and remember to always keep your hands on the It’s always amusing to see climbing portrayed in tv, movies or commercials. Feast your eyes on this gem from Doritos, and remember to…
Huecos Rancheros: Pringle on Sol Adunamentum
Huecos Rancheros, a new movie filmed by Owen Bissel and edited by Byron Wolter, is coming out in a month. The 30 minute film features classic problems from Hueco, everything from v0 fun fests to v13 horror shows. The movie features Mark Heal, Touchstone athlete Ethan Pringle and a number of other climbers. Pringle and…
Jailhouse Project- Access Fund Video
On November 12th, the Access Fund hosted a workday at Jailhouse near Sonora, CA. Over 200 tons of gravel was laid for a new parking area and road, new fences and gates were made and the access trail was improved. Jailhouse has been a great example of the climbing community uniting. Sterling Ropes donated a…
Fred Beckey Slideshow
Well into his late 80s, life time dirtbag climber, Fred Beckey shows no signs of slowing down his passion for climbing. Beckey has authored a number of books since the late 1940s, notably the Cadcade Alpine Guide, which is in it’s third edition. In 2003, his 563-page book on the history of the region,…