The Staff

Remi was born in SF and started her climbing journey at Mission Cliffs in the summer of 2011. A couple months later, despite her side-bangs (or because of her side-bangs?), she bagged a job at the front desk! After an eight-year stint in LA helping open four of Touchstone’s SoCal gyms, she’s made her way back home to The Bay to run the biggest and best gym in the universe. Outside of work you can catch her at local drag shows, teaching pole, huddled over her crafting table like a gremlin, or taking an accidental nap in a sunbeam.

Haiden was born and raised in the lone star state but found his way to the west coast back in 2020. He began climbing shortly before the pandemic and are stoked to be back in it and explore more outdoors! They’re a proud cat dad to Enzo Lorenzo Macchiato Eros, who actually holds the world record for cutest menace of all time. If the captivating beats of indie pop are blaring through the gym speakers, Haiden is definitely on the aux and always eager to talk music. Since he is simply a large cat disguised as a human, you can probably find Haiden sleeping in the sun at Lake Merritt, eating far too much food, or releasing his random splurges of gremlin energy (commonly known as zoomies) when not behind the desk.

Anything but a southern belle, Natalie grew up in Alabama with stops in Georgia and Oregon before landing in the Bay Area in 2017. She’s enjoyed so much the Bay has to offer, including the food, friends, outdoors, and culture. She has just in the last year has begun to take advantage of the climbing as well, with her first gym experience at Ironworks When she’s not behind the desk at Pacific Pipe, you can find her cragging outside, cooking with her partner, mixing cocktails, snuggling her cats, and playing Dungeons & Dragons. She’s beginning to break into lead climbing and looking forward to a second (and third, and fourth) trip to Red Rocks.

Originally hailing from the land of bratwurst & sauerkraut, Viktoria moved to the golden state as a kid and has lived here most of her life. After going to college in LA she decided she never again wanted to live in Southern California and traded the (slightly) warmer water for the vibrancy of the Bay. Her journey with climbing started in her early childhood but took a decade-long pause due to an infatuation with open water swimming. After a tender reacquaintance 7 years ago, she realized that climbing had always been her true love and she hasn’t stopped chuffing since. You can find her convincing boulderers that they should lead with her, perusing the aisles of Berkeley Bowl, ordering the darkest Bavarian beer on the menu, or starting yet another hobby/project to satisfy her ever-curious Gemini heart.

Justin is an Oakland-based Latinx educator and game designer. He began climbing in 2005 and quickly developed a love for gym and crag alike. After spending most of his early adulthood working in mental health and education he switched tracks to start a business throwing Murder Mystery Parties. He now splits his time between the gym, raising a kiddo, gardening, and designing games. A self-described “professional extrovert,” he’s excited to bring his humor and passion to Pacific Pipe!

Savannah moved to the East Bay as a kid and has been in love with the area ever since. She went to school in Santa Cruz where she not only studied wildlife biology but also started climbing for the first time. She spent several years working in wildlife conservation, primarily with birds and discovered her heart belongs to type 2 fun adventures. She has thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail with upcoming plans for the Continental Divide Trail. If you don’t catch her either climbing or working in the gym, you probably won’t see her because she will be out playing in the mountains, catching birds for science, or at home doing crafts with her two cats.

Robin first started climbing in 2015 at MetalMark in Fresno and has found great friends and community through the Touchstone gyms and is excited to be part of the Touchstone team. Robin’s other hobbies include bird watching, reading, and backpacking. You can also catch them working at the Oakland Public Library’s Temescal and Tool Lending Library locations. Robin is also a DJ and loves to curate the music playing at the gym when working the front desk, and always appreciates feedback and new music suggestions!

Alicia (pronounced uh-lee-c-uh) is new to West Oakland but not to the Bay Area. A recent migration from the West Bay to the East Bay has led this foodie to the discovery of tasty restaurants, like Rico Rico Taco, Brenda’s, and Cholita Linda. Since graduating college from Chico State 3 years ago, Alicia is back in school currently pursuing her medical assistant certificate with dreams of doing research to increase women’s access to adequate health services. When she isn’t studying, you’ll find her spending time with her partner around Lake Merritt, admiring the moon, and appreciating new music, specifically anything Latin or R&B. She is a new climber and since starting her climbing journey 10 months ago she has gotten to climb sport routes at Joshua Tree. If you have any East Bay recommendations, music you would like to share, or climbing tips don’t hesitate to stop at the front desk as this Libra’s indecisiveness can get in the way of deciding on new things to discover.

Tre-Buh first got into climbing in 2011 at BIW. Berkeley-born and New Jersey-raised, he loves coastal rope climbing, riding his bike, pizza, and community! He is passionate about connecting folks to the things that bring them joy. Awareness of what brings a smile to someone’s face is his focus. Tre-Buh loves looking for the magic in the details and lending a helping hand when he can.