The Studio, Touchstone’s newest gym in San Jose, just announced that Diane Ortega will be managing the facility.
The 30 year old Ortega is originally from Texas but transplanted to California when she attended Chico State, where she received a degree in Political Science. “Originally I wanted to be a lawyer but then reconsidered once I started working in a law office,” said Ortega.
Ortega began climbing when she was 19 but became more serious about the sport in the last six years, taking frequent trips to Bishop to boulder with her Sacramento friends. When she’s not busy in the boulders, Ortega rides one of her many bikes, takes vinyasa yoga classes, and obesses over cooking magazines, blogs and shows. “I absolutely love to cook,” said Ortega. She’s taken her cooking to the next level and started supplying her own ingredients. “I recently started gardening a bit but have had mixed success with my crops.”
Ortega began working for Touchstone in 2004, when she directed the summer camp at Pipeworks. From there, she moved into a position at the front desk and has been working at Pipeworks since. She is excited about the new gym and the possibilities.
Ortega climbing Heavenly Path at the Happy Boulders in Bishop
Ortega has solid plans for the new gym. “I really want to foster a community environment and keep people psyched on climbing and make it really easy to introduce people to it as well. I plan on having great fitness classes with a focus on an excellent yoga program.” Ortega also wants to focus on building a community of younger climbers. “I am also very excited to introduce San Jose kids to climbing and get a great kids team going.”
Ortega is also excited about climbing at the facilities. The Studio promises to be one of Touchstone’s best gyms. The gym will have an adjustable crack, which Ortega is looking forward to trying so that she can “try and understand this crazy thing called crack climbing.” Ortega has checked out the new gym already and is excited about the new bouldering area, which promises to be awesome.
Stay tuned as developments on The Studio continue.
