Touchstone Blog Archive
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Castle Hill Ice Cream- Moon Goes Bouldering
Recently Ryan Moon, a 26 year old bay area climber and 5 year Touchstone employee, traveled to Castle Hill on the central northern portion of the south island of New Zealand. Moon traveled with Eric Vergne, another Touchstone employee, for the entire month of May. The pair climbed on the slabby and glassy rock of Castle Hills.
In the first two weeks, the pair climbed four or five days. The weather was crushing and it rained frequently. Ryan spent all his time non-climbing time blimping out on the country’s amazing ice cream. “Come for the climbing, stay for the ice cream,” Moon wrote on his blog.
“The birthplace of our love for the infamous Tip Top ice cream is right here in Darfield. One should be prepared before ordering ice cream on a cone in New Zealand. A single scoop in the states is just that, a single scoop. A single scoop in New Zealand is a grapefruit sized ball of bliss that even my sweet tooth can barely handle. There was one experience where the woman serving the ice cream crushed my cone into oblivion attempting to place the gigantic frozen sugar sphere onto what would normally be a structurally sound cone. Alas, she had to rescoop.”
Eric crushing a boulder problem
When the weather cleared, Moon and Vergne managed to shake off the extra ice cream and meat pie weight and head to the crags. “The climbing was very 'anti-Ryan Moon'. It was slabby, buldgy, slopey, glossy, and everything else i can't climb,” Moon said. “Tons of mantles. Not an easy topout in the country.”
Moon's video of the trip
Moon said that some of the other highlights of the trip included sick nasty padslides, dance parties, shortbread cookies called 'melting moments', amazing climbing, runnel climbing, mingling with peeps from other countries, beautiful scenery, annoying kiwis with jokes about lord of the rings, locking friends in the bathrooms that have locks on the outside for some reason, sheep jokes.
Ryan climbing a V2 runnel
Moon is back behind the desk at Berkeley Ironworks, where he can’t stop talking about going back and how he’s “stuck” in Berkeley. If you see him, tell him he needs to call the Wahmubulance.
In the first two weeks, the pair climbed four or five days. The weather was crushing and it rained frequently. Ryan spent all his time non-climbing time blimping out on the country’s amazing ice cream. “Come for the climbing, stay for the ice cream,” Moon wrote on his blog.
“The birthplace of our love for the infamous Tip Top ice cream is right here in Darfield. One should be prepared before ordering ice cream on a cone in New Zealand. A single scoop in the states is just that, a single scoop. A single scoop in New Zealand is a grapefruit sized ball of bliss that even my sweet tooth can barely handle. There was one experience where the woman serving the ice cream crushed my cone into oblivion attempting to place the gigantic frozen sugar sphere onto what would normally be a structurally sound cone. Alas, she had to rescoop.”
Eric crushing a boulder problem
When the weather cleared, Moon and Vergne managed to shake off the extra ice cream and meat pie weight and head to the crags. “The climbing was very 'anti-Ryan Moon'. It was slabby, buldgy, slopey, glossy, and everything else i can't climb,” Moon said. “Tons of mantles. Not an easy topout in the country.”
New Zealand Mega Adventure 2011 from Old Man Moon on Vimeo.
Moon's video of the trip
Moon said that some of the other highlights of the trip included sick nasty padslides, dance parties, shortbread cookies called 'melting moments', amazing climbing, runnel climbing, mingling with peeps from other countries, beautiful scenery, annoying kiwis with jokes about lord of the rings, locking friends in the bathrooms that have locks on the outside for some reason, sheep jokes.
Ryan climbing a V2 runnel
Moon is back behind the desk at Berkeley Ironworks, where he can’t stop talking about going back and how he’s “stuck” in Berkeley. If you see him, tell him he needs to call the Wahmubulance.
Labels: Bouldering, Castle Hill, Ryan Moon
¶ Tuesday, June 14, 2011 0 Comments
Saturday, April 23, 2011
East Betas Bake Sale
On Tuesday, April 26, there will be a bake sale for Great Western Power Company's teen team- the East Betas. The bake sale will be showcasing the baking talents of Berkeley Ironworks manager Lyn Verinsky, hardman sport climber and pastry chef Tony Calvert, and teen team coach and notorious water burner Ryan Moon. There will also be sweet potato pies from Mamie & Makhis and lots of other pies, cookies, and treats from bakeries around the bay area.
The East Beta's on top of the roof at GWPC. The team meets at GWPC every Tuesday from 4-6 pm
Ryan Moon designed this great logo for the teen team. The money from the bake sale will be used to make the team t-shirts.
The bake sale will start at 4pm on Tuesday at GWPC and continue until 8pm. Stop by, support the teen team and get some excellent snacks between climbs!
The East Beta's on top of the roof at GWPC. The team meets at GWPC every Tuesday from 4-6 pm
Ryan Moon designed this great logo for the teen team. The money from the bake sale will be used to make the team t-shirts.
The bake sale will start at 4pm on Tuesday at GWPC and continue until 8pm. Stop by, support the teen team and get some excellent snacks between climbs!
Labels: East Betas, Ryan Moon, teen team climbing
¶ Saturday, April 23, 2011 0 Comments
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Ironworks Staff Bros Head to Boulders
Ryan Moon and Justin Alarcon, two of the classic characters working at the Berkeley Ironworks front desk, headed out to the boulders of Sonora for a "bro-date"- hipster lingo for when two "bros" hang out. They made a video of their day of climbing, chronicling the boulder problems they checked out, and the impressive driving send. Check out the video.
Man Date from Princess on Vimeo.
Labels: Justin Alarcon, Ryan Moon, Sonora bouldering
¶ Sunday, January 02, 2011 0 Comments
Monday, August 9, 2010
Touchstone Represents At Squamish Days
Great Western Power Company front desk funny man, Ryan Moon sprinted across a wet log, carrying a 34 kilogram, eight-metre-long standard rigging choker. When he cleared the pond, he jumped across two enormous logs, tied the choker to a pole, then he dashed back to the start, trying his best to finish before his intimidating competitor, former Touchstone employee Jeff Cheng.
Climbers across the world folk every summer to the granite mecca of Squamish, British Columbia, a small town just across the Canadian border. Most climbers head there for the sloping granite boulders, the big trad lines on the Chief, and the sport climbing at Chekamus but this year a couple of Touchstone climbers found a new reason to head to the great north-Squamish Days.
Squamish Days started over fifty years ago as a one day loggers competition. The games have expanded into a three day competition at the end of July. With events like the chockerman's race, a standing block chop, and axe throwing, the games are a perfect event for tough guys like Ryan and Jeff to test themselves on rest days.
Jeff managed to pull ahead of Ryan with a time of 0:42:07 to Moon's 0:51:68 because Ryan fell into the water while running across the log. Their times are recording on the Squamish days results site. Ryan did manage to nearly qualify in the axe throwing competition, hitting close to the bulls eye twice, before missing the target entirely on his third try.
After their logger competitions, the pair joined the rest of the loggers in Kokanne drinking trouble. Besides their logging games activities, the pair pulled off a number of rad boulder problem ascents. Ryan Moon fired the highball test-piece This Monkey's Gone to Heaven and Jeff scrunched up to send Swank Stretch and a number of other classics.
Climbers across the world folk every summer to the granite mecca of Squamish, British Columbia, a small town just across the Canadian border. Most climbers head there for the sloping granite boulders, the big trad lines on the Chief, and the sport climbing at Chekamus but this year a couple of Touchstone climbers found a new reason to head to the great north-Squamish Days.
Squamish Days started over fifty years ago as a one day loggers competition. The games have expanded into a three day competition at the end of July. With events like the chockerman's race, a standing block chop, and axe throwing, the games are a perfect event for tough guys like Ryan and Jeff to test themselves on rest days.
Jeff managed to pull ahead of Ryan with a time of 0:42:07 to Moon's 0:51:68 because Ryan fell into the water while running across the log. Their times are recording on the Squamish days results site. Ryan did manage to nearly qualify in the axe throwing competition, hitting close to the bulls eye twice, before missing the target entirely on his third try.
After their logger competitions, the pair joined the rest of the loggers in Kokanne drinking trouble. Besides their logging games activities, the pair pulled off a number of rad boulder problem ascents. Ryan Moon fired the highball test-piece This Monkey's Gone to Heaven and Jeff scrunched up to send Swank Stretch and a number of other classics.
Labels: Jeff Cheng, Ryan Moon, Squamish Days
¶ Monday, August 09, 2010 0 Comments
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Moon Bouldering Clinic
Great Western Power Company's Ryan Moon will be having a bouldering clinic this Saturday from 6-8 pm. Moon has been bouldering for a long time. He's traveled across the globe to climb and this summer he attacked the sandstone boulders of South Africa. Come learn excellent technique and how to employ all your power to crush the boulders at the Moon Bouldering Clinic. The cost is $40 per person for members. Sign up at GWPC this week!
Great Western Power Company's Ryan Moon will be having a bouldering clinic this Saturday from 6-8 pm. Moon has been bouldering for a long time. He's traveled across the globe to climb and this summer he attacked the sandstone boulders of South Africa. Come learn excellent technique and how to employ all your power to crush the boulders at the Moon Bouldering Clinic. The cost is $40 per person for members. Sign up at GWPC this week!
Labels: Bouldering Clinic, Great Western Power Co., Ryan Moon
¶ Tuesday, December 08, 2009 0 Comments
