Touchstone News

Artist of the Month at Berkeley Ironworks

2009-07-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

From an article in the Oakland Tribune, July 2008 - Topo is a little bear who dreams of grand adventures. He makes elaborate plans, collects the necessary gear, but never actually embarks on any of these adventures. Topo is a character in Mike Dutton's new comic strip,"One Swoop Fell.""It's kind of autobiographical," Dutton says.For the past year, I've been publishing an online comic called One

Gyms are Closed on the 4th of July

2009-07-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

Have a great weekend.

A Little Laughter on Wednesday....

2009-07-01T01:48:00.000-07:00

In honor of the Monty Python's Spamalot's final weekend in San Francisco, here is a little climbing humor from the Flying Circus.

Win Tickets to Wanderlust

2009-06-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

Wanderlust is a new kind of festival that is being launched this summer at Squaw Valley on July 24-26, 2009 in Lake Tahoe, CA. The three-day event will bring together the world’s leading yoga teachers and the best performers in rock & roll, all in a setting of breathtaking natural beauty. Confirmed artists include Michael Franti & Spearhead, Andrew Bird, Spoon, Gillian Welch and many others. Yoga

Access Fund: Help Save California State Parks

2009-06-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

On Friday we told you about a rally out in Walnut Creek to help save California's State Parks. Today we have note from the Access Fund on how you can get further involved in this very important struggle to keep our State Parks open.Immediate action is needed to help save climbing in California’s State Parks from drastic budget cuts that threaten closure!Faced with a multi-billion dollar state

Save Our State Parks

2009-06-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

As the California budget crisis worsens, budget cuts are starting to have a big impact on many of the programs that we as Californians hold dear. One of these is our State Parks and Andrew Descalso, the manager at Diablo Rock Gym is doing something about it. He and his friends have organized a rally to help focus attention to the very real possibility of us loosing many of our State

DRG's June Artist of the Month Lilly Russo

2009-06-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

Lily started making mosaics as a child using the scraps from her mother's stained glass window projects. An entrepreneur at an early age, she turned her passion into a business specializing in mosaic furniture. Lily studied painting at the University of Illinois and graduated with a B.A. in International Studies, with a concentration on Human Rights in Latin America. She has lived abroad in

TBS5 Dates Announced

2009-06-25T01:19:00.000-07:00

Get out your chalk buckets, the Touchstone Bouldering Series is coming back this summer. The TBS is returning for it's fifth season starting at Mission Cliffs in July and continue through the finale in November at Berkeley Ironworks. You can see all the dates below and you can get more details on the TBS page.July 24th Mission CliffsAugust 21st Diablo Rock GymSeptember 18th GWPCOctober 16th

Grab the White Courage, it is Fly Off time!!!!

2009-06-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

Look what we found on YouTube. This is a vintage climbing video of one of our members, Dan Goodwin performing some maneuvers out at Mickey's Beach.Now it is your turn. You can now try to preform your very own Fly Off. Look for the 'White Courage' route in Mission Cliffs and preform your very own Fly Off in the designated spot.

EVEREST Exhibition in San Francisco

2009-06-23T17:26:00.001-07:00

Check out a special exhibition of aerial photographs of Mount Everest on Saturday, June 27 from 4-6pm and a special walk through and talk by the photographer on Saturday July, 11 @ 5:00pm. These are a really special set of photographs as he is the only photographer to have secured the fly-over rights to the entire range.Baer Ridgway Exhibitions is pleased to present EVEREST, a selection of Mount

How a Climbing Rope is Made

2009-06-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we posted a video on how a carabiner is made. Today we continue with that theme with an interesting video on how a climbing rope is made. Enjoy.

Zumba Comes to Mission Cliffs: TONIGHT

2009-06-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

Join Marie on Friday, June 19th from 8-9pm at Mission Cliffs.Zumba fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms & easy to follow moves to create a dynamic fitness program that will blow you away. Zumba fanatics archive long term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exhilarating hour of caloric-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage & captivate for life! The routines

Mustard Seed School Gets Noticed

2009-06-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the EconomyRecently a community group that we see at Sacramento Pipeworks on a regular basis, Mustard Seed School, was featured both on the national NBC Nightly News and on the Today Show.Teacher Madelyn Hall writes: "I just wanted to forward a link to both the Nightly News and Today Show which had Pipeworks footage. (Pipeworks) is

Touchstone ZERO GRAVITY Division 1 Team Champions!

2009-06-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

Touchstone's Zero Gravity Youth Climbing Team crushed at the USA Climbing Division 1 Championships, held at Touchstone's Pipeworks in Sacramento, the weekend of June 13 and 14. The Division 1 Championships incorporates the top youth climbers from Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Montana and Wyoming. Zero Gravity won the Team award over past National team Champions Vertical

Mission High School visits Mission Cliffs

2009-06-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

A group of teenagers from all over the city (Bayview, Hunter’s Point, Portrero Hill, Mission, the Sunset, and Richmond Districts) visits a climbing wall for the first time. After learning to tie their figure 8 knots in class, they got to put their newfound skills to the challenge. Most were reluctant to climb, being afraid of heights, but with the help of some belayers and desk staff Sherry, the

Lightning Safety for Climbers: Stay Safe

2009-06-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Tis the season for some impressive summer storms, and we all know that alongside massive thunder, those summer storms can bring about some extremely impressive, and extremely deadly lightning strikes. As climbers, anytime we climb outdoors in a storm, we are in jeopardy. The good news is there are things we can do to reduce our risk of getting struck.As always, check out the full article for

Birth of a Carabiner

2009-06-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how some of the climbing gear that you trust with your life is made? Well Backcountry.com has posted an interesting article on how Black Diamond makes their carabiners. They not only describe the process but also include lots of pictures and even a few videos, including the one below.And if you are not really interested in how a carabiner is made, watch the video below just for

Rocky Mountain Highball

2009-05-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

Event: California Premiere of Rocky Mountain HighballPlace: Railto Cinema - BerekelyAddress: 2966 College Ave. Berkeley, CA 94705Date: June 4thTime: 7:15 PMHosted by Scott Neel (director) and Kevin Jorgeson (athlete)“Rocky Mountain Highball” is a new climbing film that presents an in depth look into why some climbers push themselves to boulder at the vertical limit. The film documents the many

Chris Sharma Bouldering Video: Pure Talent

2009-05-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and it's Summertime so we won't keep you here long. To get you inspired to get into your local Touchstone Climbing gym and do the best climbing and bouldering you can possibly do, we thought we'd turn to an expert to help get you motivated: Chris Sharma.Few people climb with the creativity and fluidity as Chris Sharma, and to watch him attack a bouldering problem is inspiring.

Hans Florine Slideshow @ Diablo Rock Gym

2009-05-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

If you missed out on this earlier this month at Mission Cliffs its not too late. This Saturday, May 30th at 7:00 pm Diablo Rock Gym is hosting a slideshow presentation from none other than Hans Florine. As tickets are only $10 for members and $15 for non-members, you shouldn't even dream of missing out on this.Here's a bit more. "Hans was on the cover of the SF Chronicle FOUR TIMES last year for

All Touchstone Gyms Now Require a Double Fisherman Back Up Knot

2009-05-28T02:38:00.000-07:00

Due to recent safety issues, we are now asking all top rope climbers to use a double fisherman back up knot when tying into the rope. We believe that this will make it harder for a climber to mistakenly start a climb before completing their figure 8 knot.We thank you for your cooperation on this issue.

See El Cap Close Up and Personal

2009-05-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

If you're a fan of El Capitan, and Yosemite National Park in general, this little bit of news will most likely interest you. As you know, some of the best climbing in the entire country can be had in Yosemite Park and the one jewel of it's crown is El Capitan. Some of the most impressive climbing feats in the last 30 years have been completed right here, and so a chance to get an up-close and

New Saturday Yoga Class @ Great Western Power Co.

2009-05-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

Great news for all you Yoga fans that just so happen to be members of Great Western Power Co...looks like we have a brand new Saturday Yoga class that started this weekend and will be held every Saturday going forward. The class is taught by Sean Feit, who has previously been subbing in for Raven's evening class, but now is going to have a class of his very own.Here is a bit more about his class

Happy Memorial Day from Touchstone Climbing

2009-05-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note today to wish you and yours a very Happy Memorial Day from all of us here at Touchstone Climbing. Hopefully today finds you with a day off of work or school and able to get things done in your life. Take a moment to just remember all of the brave men and women that helped keep our country safe and make it what it is today.A quick reminder that all of our Touchstone Climbing

Memorial Day Hours

2009-05-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that each location has different hours on this coming Monday. Please check with each gym to see when they will be open. Also a reminder that there will be no classes on Monday.Enjoy your holiday weekend.