Dean Fleming was born and raised in Sonora, CA, the gateway to Yosemite Valley. Once the youngest certified professional climbing guide in the country, he eventually combined his love of writing, photography, earth science, and rock climbing into a career of sharing his stoke and expertise through publishing. Dean is the author of the […]
Dean Fleming was born and raised in Sonora, CA, the gateway to Yosemite Valley. Once the youngest certified professional climbing guide in the country, he eventually combined his love of writing, photography, earth science, and rock climbing into a career of sharing his stoke and expertise through publishing. Dean is the author of the Columbia Bouldering […]
Dean Fleming was born and raised in Sonora, CA, the gateway to Yosemite Valley. Once the youngest certified professional climbing guide in the country, he eventually combined his love of writing, photography, earth science, and rock climbing into a career of sharing his stoke and expertise through publishing. Dean is the author of the Columbia Bouldering […]
By Mark Melvin. All photos by Mark Melvin unless otherwise attributed. Widow’s Tears is not just a long ice climb. Its 1,000′ approach, multi-hour post-holing off-trail descent, and ephemeral nature make it an adventure climb, in which mountaineering skills are as valuable as those for technical ice. Because it lasts only a week in the […]
Maybe you’ve heard tell about the bouldering in Hampi, but do you know about the sport climbing in Badami? Kush Khandelwal has been a Touchstone member for 13 years. He shares with us now his trip report to Badami, India, this little-known area full of single pitch sandstone gems. As an Indian-American and a life-long […]
Elise Buser is a Touchstone athlete, part time Touchstone routesetter, and full time crusher. She has sent V9 and 5.13 outside, podiumed multiple times in ABS Regionals and Divisionals, and participated in Nationals three times. She is currently pursuing a Neuroscience major at UC Davis. When not climbing, she is likely studying redox reactions, drawing geometric cats, or […]
By Miles Fullman. All photos by Miles Fullman and Eli Spitulnic. I first started climbing with Touchstone during a summer camp in 2010 at Diablo Rock Gym. Loving everything about the sport, I checked out the teen climbing teams at Diablo, Berkeley Ironworks, and Great Western Power Co. I decided to join Ryan Moon’s team […]
By Kai Zinn. Nepal is an amazing place to visit, whether one goes just to see the country or to climb and trek in the Himalaya. Due to media coverage, many people have been under the impression that much of the country was destroyed by the 2015 earthquake, and tourism has dropped precipitously as […]
By Matt Ulery. “We should get a van.” It was half-statement, half-question to my wife after another uncomfortable night of sleeping in a tent. I truly didn’t expect her to say yes…but then: “Yeah, I could be into that.” Fast forward six months of researching different van options, weighing pros and cons, and then getting […]
By Liz Nemeroff. When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I […]
