By Janet Wells. Pioneering climber and Berkeley Ironworks strength guru Dave Altman, 68, died early Tuesday morning on November 10, 2020 when the van he called home caught fire. Part of the Touchstone family for more than two decades, Dave—whose legendary feats of strength included a one-finger pull-up with 50 pounds in the other hand—helped […]
By Jason Bove and Jason Spencer. Header photo by Saki Cake. As climbers know, there is much more to climbing than just getting yourself to the top of a route. Whether you are pushing or pulling, or doing it right or wrong, you are still using your body to exert the energy required to do […]
We have some truly exceptional people in our Touchstone community, and one of them is Brent Kobs, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and the leader of our adaptive climbing program at Diablo Rock Gym. Brent brings his wealth of knowledge and experience as a DPT and CSCS to climbers and athletes […]
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 […]
By Renée Lemieux. One campus, two schools, and a path towards strengthening community. The Studio opened their walls to welcome in small groups of middle school students these past few months and the outcome has been life-altering. Renaissance Academy and Mathson Lee Middle School share one campus, use the same space for lunch, basketball, […]
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 […]
We don’t need to extol the many, many virtues of climbing around Bishop, CA here—this desert mecca of gorgeous granite and volcanic rock has been attracting climbers from all over the world for decades. But with great climbing comes great responsibility, and our favorite areas are getting loved to death. That’s why we’re excited to […]
The Bay Area is well-known for innovation, and its approach to schools is no different. Millennium School in San Francisco is a middle school focused on experiential, integrated learning. Social equity is an important part of their ethos so they partner with SMART, a San Francisco non-profit, to close the achievement gap and offer participating […]
If you’ve seen a friendly new face at Cliffs of Id lately, it’s likely that you’ve met Sidney! Sidney is a part of the WorkAbility Program and will be helping us out at the gym for a few hours per week this semester. His job coach, Michelle, is here to introduce Sidney and WorkAbility’s mission. […]
By Bay Area Wilderness Training. Throughout the month of September, Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT), a local non-profit, located just a couple miles away from Great Western Power Company in the heart of Oakland, will be partnering with Bay Area Touchstone gyms to collect donations of used outdoor gear. On Saturday October 5th, BAWT […]
