Touchstone Blog Archive
Friday, September 16, 2011
Big Wall Season: Aid Climbing Videos
The fall season is here and with the cool temps comes a great opportunity to head to California's greatest crag- Yosemite National Park. The enormous granite cliffs of the Valley are some of the best big wall climbing in the world. Washington's Column, the Leaning Tower, Half Dome and El Capitan are proving grounds for climbers who want to venture to the great big walls of Patagonia, Baffin Island and Pakistan.
Learning to climb these big wall routes isn't easy. Veteran big wall ace Steve Schneider gives clinics and so has Diablo Rock Gym manager and speed climber Hans Florine. There's lots of information out there about aid climbing and Chris Mac of Supertopo made a great series of videos about how to aid climb.
Aid Climbing is a gear intensive style of climbing. Aiders, daisy chains, harnesses, cams, nuts, hooks and more are all needed in the arsenal. Luckily, Touchstone carries all the gear you need to get up El Cap. Get your gear at Touchstone and head out to the BIG Stone!
Learning to climb these big wall routes isn't easy. Veteran big wall ace Steve Schneider gives clinics and so has Diablo Rock Gym manager and speed climber Hans Florine. There's lots of information out there about aid climbing and Chris Mac of Supertopo made a great series of videos about how to aid climb.
Aid Climbing is a gear intensive style of climbing. Aiders, daisy chains, harnesses, cams, nuts, hooks and more are all needed in the arsenal. Luckily, Touchstone carries all the gear you need to get up El Cap. Get your gear at Touchstone and head out to the BIG Stone!
Labels: aid climbing videos, Chris McNamara
¶ Friday, September 16, 2011 0 Comments
Thursday, August 20, 2009
New Tuolumne Guidebook
For those that can't get enough of the High-Sierra Heavens, Supertopo publishing just released an updated edition of the Tuolumne Guidebook. Written by Marin Native Chris McNamara and Berkeley local Steve Roper, the book acts as an informative and great guide to 250 routes on the beautiful granite domes. Complete with rack beta, and guides to a wide range of climbs predominately in the 5.6 to 10a range, the book is a valuable resource for all aspiring Yosemite trad masters. The book is available at the Touchstone gyms.
James Lucas and John Schmid On the Lamb a 500 foot 5.9 horizontal traverse across Lamb Dome photo by Mikey Schaeffer
James Lucas and John Schmid On the Lamb a 500 foot 5.9 horizontal traverse across Lamb Dome photo by Mikey Schaeffer
Labels: Chris McNamara, Steve Roper, Supertopo Guidebooks
¶ Thursday, August 20, 2009 0 Comments
Monday, October 6, 2008
CRAGS
Sacramento climbers are hosting two October events to launch CRAGS (“Climbing Resource Advocates for Greater Sacramento”). CRAGS is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization and the area’s first Access Fund affiliate, started by local climbers interested in protecting climbing access while promoting safe, sustainable climbing practices.
The first event is on Saturday Oct. 11 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. CRAGS and a local youth climbing team, Summit Party, are co-sponsoring their first Adopt-a-Crag event to clean up the Rocklin Boulders near downtown Rocklin. Climbers will remove garbage, prune trees and restore trails, as well as climb. At the same time, CRAGS organizers will teach low-impact climbing practices to participants.
For the second event, CRAGS will bring the hugely popular 2008 Reel Rock Film Tour to Sacramento, helping kick off a membership drive and raise funds for this local non-profit climbing organization. The film is being hosted by Sacramento Pipeworks on Saturday October 25 at 7:00 p.m. and includes a raffle of climbing gear from major climbing product manufacturers. Top climbers, including Chris McNamara, who founded SuperTopo guidebooks and is featured in one of the Reel Rock’s films, is expected to attend in support. The third annual Reel Rock Film Tour includes a climbing feature film, plus short films on climbing and adventure.
To join CRAGS, volunteer for the clean-up or for more information please contact CRAGS Executive Director Brian Poulsen at 916-201-2376 bpoulsenjr@gmail.com or CRAGS Board member/Reel Rock Film Tour Organizer Rob Trelford at 415-640-3332.
Sacramento climbers are hosting two October events to launch CRAGS (“Climbing Resource Advocates for Greater Sacramento”). CRAGS is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization and the area’s first Access Fund affiliate, started by local climbers interested in protecting climbing access while promoting safe, sustainable climbing practices.The first event is on Saturday Oct. 11 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. CRAGS and a local youth climbing team, Summit Party, are co-sponsoring their first Adopt-a-Crag event to clean up the Rocklin Boulders near downtown Rocklin. Climbers will remove garbage, prune trees and restore trails, as well as climb. At the same time, CRAGS organizers will teach low-impact climbing practices to participants.
For the second event, CRAGS will bring the hugely popular 2008 Reel Rock Film Tour to Sacramento, helping kick off a membership drive and raise funds for this local non-profit climbing organization. The film is being hosted by Sacramento Pipeworks on Saturday October 25 at 7:00 p.m. and includes a raffle of climbing gear from major climbing product manufacturers. Top climbers, including Chris McNamara, who founded SuperTopo guidebooks and is featured in one of the Reel Rock’s films, is expected to attend in support. The third annual Reel Rock Film Tour includes a climbing feature film, plus short films on climbing and adventure.
To join CRAGS, volunteer for the clean-up or for more information please contact CRAGS Executive Director Brian Poulsen at 916-201-2376 bpoulsenjr@gmail.com or CRAGS Board member/Reel Rock Film Tour Organizer Rob Trelford at 415-640-3332.
Labels: Access Fund, Chris McNamara, climbing, event, REEL ROCK TOUR, Sacramento Pipeworks
¶ Monday, October 06, 2008 0 Comments
Friday, April 25, 2008
Bouldering at the Leap
On the trail on the way up to Lover’s Leap from the parking area, just outside the campground, there are a couple of killer granite boulders that are worth the trip alone. There are a few dozen boulder problems of easy to moderate grades, the air is clean, the setting is beautiful, and the car is close.
SuperTopo publishers have a guidebook to the boulders in Lovers Leap Select by Mission Cliff’s own Chris McNamara.
Lover’s Leap is about 2 hours from Sacramento and about 3-4 hours from San Francisco off of highway 50 on the way to South Lake Tahoe. That’s close enough for a day trip, and you’ll be so glad you did it once you get your hands on that cool, grippy granite and smell the pine trees.
On the trail on the way up to Lover’s Leap from the parking area, just outside the campground, there are a couple of killer granite boulders that are worth the trip alone. There are a few dozen boulder problems of easy to moderate grades, the air is clean, the setting is beautiful, and the car is close.
SuperTopo publishers have a guidebook to the boulders in Lovers Leap Select by Mission Cliff’s own Chris McNamara.
Lover’s Leap is about 2 hours from Sacramento and about 3-4 hours from San Francisco off of highway 50 on the way to South Lake Tahoe. That’s close enough for a day trip, and you’ll be so glad you did it once you get your hands on that cool, grippy granite and smell the pine trees.
Labels: Chris McNamara, climbing, hot spots, Lover's Leap, Tahoe
¶ Friday, April 25, 2008 0 Comments
Monday, November 27, 2006
McNamara shows the way
Some people go to a Touchstone gym to train. Chris McNamara goes because he likes it.
“I don’t train. I just climb,” he says. “For a long time pretty much all I did was climb in the gym and climb El Cap.”
The 27-year-old bachelor has been going to Mission Cliffs since he was a teenager and the gym was brand new.
“I was one of the first investors, and I worked there when I was in high school,” says McNamara. “The gyms just keep getting cooler. And there’s more people at the gyms, which is pretty cool. It’s definitely more fun when there are more climbers to meet and go climbing with.”
McNamara’s climbing has spawned a couple of ventures. Not satisfied with the El Capitan guidebook he was using in the late 1990s, he wrote his own article.
“I did one step, got a lot of great feedback from people, and went to the next level” he says.
Those steps evolved into SuperTopo, a series of climbing guidebooks published out of South Lake Tahoe. Key features include a history of the climbing route, pitch lengths, gear sizes, and detailed approach and descent maps.
Some climbers have said such detailed information takes the adventure out of climbing. While McNamara agrees that the sense of adventure is important, he doesn’t think he’s giving too much away.
“We listen to a lot of people, and go from there as far as deciding what to say. We don’t describe every single move,” he says. “Even with the information we provide, you still have to do all the climbing yourself.”
McNamara also founded the American Safe Climbing Association, a group that replaces deteriorating bolts on climbs throughout the country and educates climbers on safety. It grew out of his own efforts to replace bolts on El Capitan. He realized other people might be willing to help out, and the ASCA was born.
“I ran it for maybe five years,” he says. “I’m now kind of just on the board.”
McNamara continues to push boundaries. These days his big passions are big-wall climbing and BASE jumping, “finding new cliffs that haven’t been jumped off, and climbing big walls in a day that haven’t been done in a day."
Some people go to a Touchstone gym to train. Chris McNamara goes because he likes it.“I don’t train. I just climb,” he says. “For a long time pretty much all I did was climb in the gym and climb El Cap.”
The 27-year-old bachelor has been going to Mission Cliffs since he was a teenager and the gym was brand new.
“I was one of the first investors, and I worked there when I was in high school,” says McNamara. “The gyms just keep getting cooler. And there’s more people at the gyms, which is pretty cool. It’s definitely more fun when there are more climbers to meet and go climbing with.”
McNamara’s climbing has spawned a couple of ventures. Not satisfied with the El Capitan guidebook he was using in the late 1990s, he wrote his own article.
“I did one step, got a lot of great feedback from people, and went to the next level” he says.
Those steps evolved into SuperTopo, a series of climbing guidebooks published out of South Lake Tahoe. Key features include a history of the climbing route, pitch lengths, gear sizes, and detailed approach and descent maps.
Some climbers have said such detailed information takes the adventure out of climbing. While McNamara agrees that the sense of adventure is important, he doesn’t think he’s giving too much away.
“We listen to a lot of people, and go from there as far as deciding what to say. We don’t describe every single move,” he says. “Even with the information we provide, you still have to do all the climbing yourself.”
McNamara also founded the American Safe Climbing Association, a group that replaces deteriorating bolts on climbs throughout the country and educates climbers on safety. It grew out of his own efforts to replace bolts on El Capitan. He realized other people might be willing to help out, and the ASCA was born.
“I ran it for maybe five years,” he says. “I’m now kind of just on the board.”
McNamara continues to push boundaries. These days his big passions are big-wall climbing and BASE jumping, “finding new cliffs that haven’t been jumped off, and climbing big walls in a day that haven’t been done in a day."
Labels: Chris McNamara, climbing, El Capitan, members, mission cliffs, Tahoe
¶ Monday, November 27, 2006 0 Comments
