Touchstone Blog Archive
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Climbing Jobs
Chances are you spend most of your time thinking about climbing. When are you gonna go to the crag again? What time is your buddy meeting you at the gym? What kind of shoes should you buy next time? How can you change it from just being your hobby into making it part of your lifestyle?
Climbing has a ton of facets to it from the gear involved to access issues surrounding the crags. There's a slew of great jobs out there for people that want to work in the climbing environment and change climbing from their hobby into a full part of their life.
Climbing gyms are a great place to work. Setting routes, working at the desk or even working belay staff can help kick off a climbing industry career.
If you like selling and helping people with gear, then a great option is to work in one of the many bay area outdoor stores. REI, Marmot Mountain Works, Mountain Hardware and other companies are all based out of the bay area.
Dan Urban guiding climbing writer James Lucas up Moonlight Buttress
Spending time outside on the rock is another great option. Taking AMGA courses will help you work into guiding at one of the bay area's local crags. There are a number of guide services in the Sierra and across California.
Helping with access issues and the bureaucracy surrounding climbing is important to the community as a whole. American Alpine Club, who is looking for a California representative now. The Access Fund and other groups often have job openings.
The other option is to become a ROCK star. There are some professional climbers out there who make a living doing what they love. This may be the hardest option as it requires serious climbing skills and marketing.
Check out the options out there and make money through climbing.
Climbing has a ton of facets to it from the gear involved to access issues surrounding the crags. There's a slew of great jobs out there for people that want to work in the climbing environment and change climbing from their hobby into a full part of their life.
Climbing gyms are a great place to work. Setting routes, working at the desk or even working belay staff can help kick off a climbing industry career.
If you like selling and helping people with gear, then a great option is to work in one of the many bay area outdoor stores. REI, Marmot Mountain Works, Mountain Hardware and other companies are all based out of the bay area.
Dan Urban guiding climbing writer James Lucas up Moonlight Buttress
Spending time outside on the rock is another great option. Taking AMGA courses will help you work into guiding at one of the bay area's local crags. There are a number of guide services in the Sierra and across California.
Helping with access issues and the bureaucracy surrounding climbing is important to the community as a whole. American Alpine Club, who is looking for a California representative now. The Access Fund and other groups often have job openings.
The other option is to become a ROCK star. There are some professional climbers out there who make a living doing what they love. This may be the hardest option as it requires serious climbing skills and marketing.
Check out the options out there and make money through climbing.
Labels: American Alpine Club, Climbing Jobs
¶ Thursday, September 22, 2011 0 Comments
Monday, September 13, 2010
Touchstone Donations From Kathmandu to Afghanistan
Touchstone supports climbing groups and organizations across the world and recently received notes from two vastly different groups that the company has supplied with gear.
A collection of rock shoes from Diablo Rock Gym were sent to the headquarters of The American Alpine Club in Golden Colorado. Dawa Steven Sherpa, the managing director of Asian Trekking and one of the world's leading young conservationists, brought the shoes back from the AAC conference to Kathmandu and the Everest Region.
Dawa Steven has constructed a climbing wall at his Asian Trekking office in Kathmandu, attracting lots of local children, and adults who have been able to put Touchstone's gear to work.
On the other side of the world, Touchstone received a note from soldiers in Afghanistan, thanking the company for shoes, harnesses, and other climbing gear.
Specialist Travis Yeagley, the Mental Health Technician for the men fighting in Afghanistan, wrote about the climbing wall the men have set. "We finally got the wall up and have been using it for the last week or so. I have about 12 problems up right now. They are all around the V2 to V4 range, which is proving difficult but doable for everyone here."
Specialist Yeagley continued his note describing the challenges that the men faced while climbing.
"There are a couple of guys that can just go straight to the top but most of them really have to struggle with the technique to be efficient enough to stay on. They are learning a lot about the technical aspects of climbing and I have really been stressing safety with them. I made a class that they all have to go through to learn about the wall, climbing, safety and spotting. I even cover flagging, stemming, drop knees, perching, toe hooks, heel hooks, grip techniques, etc. Hopefully they will assimilate smoothly and all become safe, healthy members of the climbing community."
"Thanks again for all the support. There is no way that I could have done any of this without you guys. There are a lot of people really appreciating what you guys have done for us."
Touchstone is proud to support groups across the world.
A collection of rock shoes from Diablo Rock Gym were sent to the headquarters of The American Alpine Club in Golden Colorado. Dawa Steven Sherpa, the managing director of Asian Trekking and one of the world's leading young conservationists, brought the shoes back from the AAC conference to Kathmandu and the Everest Region.
Dawa Steven has constructed a climbing wall at his Asian Trekking office in Kathmandu, attracting lots of local children, and adults who have been able to put Touchstone's gear to work.
On the other side of the world, Touchstone received a note from soldiers in Afghanistan, thanking the company for shoes, harnesses, and other climbing gear.
Specialist Travis Yeagley, the Mental Health Technician for the men fighting in Afghanistan, wrote about the climbing wall the men have set. "We finally got the wall up and have been using it for the last week or so. I have about 12 problems up right now. They are all around the V2 to V4 range, which is proving difficult but doable for everyone here."
Specialist Yeagley continued his note describing the challenges that the men faced while climbing.
"There are a couple of guys that can just go straight to the top but most of them really have to struggle with the technique to be efficient enough to stay on. They are learning a lot about the technical aspects of climbing and I have really been stressing safety with them. I made a class that they all have to go through to learn about the wall, climbing, safety and spotting. I even cover flagging, stemming, drop knees, perching, toe hooks, heel hooks, grip techniques, etc. Hopefully they will assimilate smoothly and all become safe, healthy members of the climbing community."
"Thanks again for all the support. There is no way that I could have done any of this without you guys. There are a lot of people really appreciating what you guys have done for us."
Touchstone is proud to support groups across the world.
Labels: American Alpine Club, Soldiers in Afghanistan
¶ Monday, September 13, 2010 0 Comments
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Fall Highball-American Alpine Club at Bishop's Buttermilks
The AAC Sierra Nevada Section's annual Fall Highball will take place in Bishop, CA on November 7-8. Join the AAC as well as Friends of Inyo for an Adopt-a-Crag in the Buttermilks, slideshows and parties at night in Bishop, and Climber Coffee the next morning.
Nov 7: 9am-1pm Adopt-a-Crag. Meet at Peabody Boulders (6.6 miles up Buttermilks Rd).
Nov 7: 6:30pm Fall Highball Slideshow and Party. Doug Robinson will present a show on decades of adventure in the Sierra. Tickets are $10 and include drinks and snacks. The party will take place at the Inyo Council for the Arts, 137 South Main St, Bishop, CA.
Nov 8: 10am Climber Coffee at Peabody Boulders. Come meet the agencies who manage Eastern Sierra climbing resources.
The proceeds from the slide show will be going towards building a pit toilet in the Buttermilks.
The AAC Sierra Nevada Section's annual Fall Highball will take place in Bishop, CA on November 7-8. Join the AAC as well as Friends of Inyo for an Adopt-a-Crag in the Buttermilks, slideshows and parties at night in Bishop, and Climber Coffee the next morning.
Nov 7: 9am-1pm Adopt-a-Crag. Meet at Peabody Boulders (6.6 miles up Buttermilks Rd).
Nov 7: 6:30pm Fall Highball Slideshow and Party. Doug Robinson will present a show on decades of adventure in the Sierra. Tickets are $10 and include drinks and snacks. The party will take place at the Inyo Council for the Arts, 137 South Main St, Bishop, CA.
Nov 8: 10am Climber Coffee at Peabody Boulders. Come meet the agencies who manage Eastern Sierra climbing resources.
The proceeds from the slide show will be going towards building a pit toilet in the Buttermilks.
Labels: American Alpine Club, Buttermilk Boulders, Doug Robinson
¶ Wednesday, November 04, 2009 0 Comments
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Interview with Allen Steck
Allen Steck, a Berkeley climber and Ironworks regular, is perhaps most famous for his intimidating and classic first ascent of the Steck-Salathe on Yosemite's Sentinel rock. Steck helped pioneer the Golden Age of Yosemite climbing establishing numerous Yosemite test-piece routes.
Along with another bay are climber, Steve Roper, Steck wrote Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and won the prestigious American Alpine Club' Literary Award. Below is a copy of an interview that the AAC made during their 1995 meeting. Check out this great interview footage from the archives of the internet.
Along with another bay are climber, Steve Roper, Steck wrote Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and won the prestigious American Alpine Club' Literary Award. Below is a copy of an interview that the AAC made during their 1995 meeting. Check out this great interview footage from the archives of the internet.
Labels: Allen Steck, American Alpine Club, Steck-Salathe
¶ Wednesday, August 05, 2009 0 Comments
