New Guest Pass Policy Starting immediately, we are happy to bring back the old guest pass policy. We are allowing you as Touchstone members to bring a guest to any of our Touchstone gyms. We recognize that many of you appreciate the privilege of using a guest pass at any of our facilities rather than exclusively at your home gym.



Thank you for your support and feedback as it means a lot to us at Touchstone!

Labels: climbing gyms, Guest Pass, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Wednesday, March 30, 2011 0 Comments

  Touchstone Wins Best of the Bay Recently, the San Francisco Gate had a reader decided contest about the "Best in the Bay" -the best restaurants, museums, and most importantly climbing gyms. This year, thanks to the votes of many local climbers, Touchstone Climbing gyms won the Best of the Bay Climbing Gym.

With 4 gyms in the Bay Area, Touchstone is the standard for Rock Climbing gyms in the Bay Area. Mission Cliffs in San Francisco & Berkeley Ironworks each provide 20,000 sq ft of climbing. Great Western Power Co. in Oakland is our newest gym with truly unique wall built around an old smokestack. Diablo Rock Gym in Concord not only provides amazing climbing but starting in 2010 it also has a pool. All of our gyms not only have amazing rock climbing but also a full range of fitness programs, cardio machines and lots of weight equipment.

Lots of voters chimed in with their thoughts on how great Touchstone is.

Allison K wrote, "I love this rock climbing gym. Not only do they have great climbing & routes, but also lots of weight and cardio equip to train on and really nice, helpful staff. Lately, I've been taking some lead classes with one of the staff named Todd. He has been great. He encourages you and gives great tips. I've learned a lot - from safer belay techniques to better footwork. And best of all, I've gone from 10c leading to 11b after just a few short classes. Go see Todd."

"Touchstone gyms have the best climbing experience around. Full time setting crew makes sure that the routes are always fresh," said Rod Grossman.

Thanks to all the people who got out and voted for Touchstone as The Best of the Bay!

Labels: Best of the Bay, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Thursday, June 24, 2010 0 Comments

  Touchstone Twitter The Touchstone Climbing gyms have set up a new Twitter account. Read about the upcoming expansion at Mission Cliffs, recent accidents in Yosemite, and other important updates on the happenings at Touchstone.

Just click on the link and follow Touchstone's Tweets.

Labels: Touchstone Blog, Touchstone Climbing, Twitter

  ¶ Wednesday, May 19, 2010 0 Comments

  Vote for Best of the Bay Rock Climbing Gym There are eleven climbing gyms in the greater Bay area. That's a lot of different locations to choose from. The San Francisco Chronicle and SF Gate are having a contest to decide which climbing spot is the best. Take a moment to vote for one of the great Touchstone locations- Berkeley Ironworks, Mission Cliffs in San Francisco, Great Western Power Company in Oakland, or Diablo Rock Gym in Concord.

Just click the link and add your vote to the tally. Share your voice and help make your favorite Touchstone gym the Best in the Bay.

Labels: Best of the Bay, SF Gate, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Wednesday, April 28, 2010 0 Comments

  1/2 off Initiation Fees for October! Tell your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers: if they sign up in October at any Touchstone gym, they will receive 50% off their initiation fee. Remember, members have full use of the gym, all the climbing, fitness classes, yoga and more. The beginner climbing class is included with membership, so there are no excuses not to join. Rumor has it, this is an El Nino year . . . get ahead of the bad winter weather and join Touchstone!

Labels: El Nino, Great Western Power Co., Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Friday, October 09, 2009 0 Comments

  Route Updates on Twitter A few months ago, Touchstone began putting route updates on a Twitter page. Easily find out what new routes and boulder problems are being put up by subscribing to Touchstone'e Twitter site. Also, check out the news feed with updates on the web site or check out the Facebook pages of the gyms.

Ironworks, Great Western Power Company, Diablo Rock Gym, Mission Cliffs, and Pipeworks

Labels: Facebook, Touchstone Climbing, Twitter

  ¶ Thursday, August 27, 2009 0 Comments

  All Touchstone Gyms Now Require a Double Fisherman Back Up Knot
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.

Labels: Back Up Knot, Double Fisherman, Safety, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Thursday, May 28, 2009 1 Comments

  See El Cap Close Up and Personal
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 personal look at the place is great.

Word is that the ElCap Report now has it's very own blog filled with information, reports, and yes, pictures of this great place. This is a one-stop shop to read up about climbers and their amazing El Cap exploits, as well as take in some photographic proof at just how impressive this place really is.

So, feel free to go check it out and read up about one of climbings most impressive locations. Great way to get inspired to climb at your peak potential, great way to get inspired to just get better. Who knows, we might see you on the site next!

Labels: El Capitan, Touchstone Climbing, Yosemite, Yosemite National Park

  ¶ Wednesday, May 27, 2009 0 Comments

  Happy Memorial Day from Touchstone Climbing 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 gyms will have different hours today, and there will be no classes being held. Please check with your local gym to figure out when they are open, and what time they'll be shutting down for the day.

Have a great Memorial Day and we'll see you tomorrow!

Labels: Holiday, Hours, Memorial Day, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Monday, May 25, 2009 0 Comments

  The Climbing Harness: Most Important Piece of Equipment We've talked about the importance of a good climbing helmet, and even how much a great pair of climbing shoes can help elevate your climbing, but the one piece of equipment that is vital to our sport, no matter where you're doing it, is the most basic and the first one you'll need when you jump into climbing. The harness.

Without a climbing harness you can't safely tie into any lines, you can't fall without serious injury and you can't climb with confidence. A proper, well-fitted harness is the very first piece of equipment you should be looking into, and with all of the choices it can get a bit confusing. I know we're talking basics here, but who knows, maybe someone out there doesn't know what to look for. My first advice: Go into a Touchstone Climbing gym and talk to the professionals, they can get you sized and fitted with the perfect harness for you in no time. Other than that, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• "Decide what type of climbing you'll be doing most. Will you be mixing your climbing? If so, don't make the mistake of purchasing a specialized type of harness such as a full body harness for Mountaineering with limited racking or a beefy big-wall felt-fast that will jab your love handles on free-climbing high steps. There are many fine all-around harnesses out there and you need not fret over safety - no manufacturer is foolish enough to use a dangerous design.
• Try it first. Consider the fit and how it feels when you wear it. A harness forms a chair when you tie-in. A good fit in the waist and leg loops is critical. Male climbers should make sure the loops don't cut off circulation to the groin if they want to preserve their family line. Heavier climbers should choose a harness with wider leg loops and a thick padded waist to support their lower back. Wider straps may cut into your flesh less, while narrower straps are lighter and allow ease of movement. A woman's harness has a smaller waist with proportionately larger leg loops. Moreover, the rise (the distance between the leg loops and tie-in loop) is longer and adjustable to the pelvic shape."

There are different harnesses for different types of climbing and deciding which kind of climbing you're going to be doing is key. Rock climbing harnesses usually have padded leg loops and even gear racking loops, while sports climbing harnesses are usually very slim profiled and come with little or no "extras." Stop in to Touchstone Climbing and talk to our experts about which harness will best suit you.

Labels: Climbing Equipment, Climbing Gear, Harness, How To, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Thursday, May 21, 2009 0 Comments

  Touchstone Teams Do Great At "The Relay"
Looks like our Touchstone Climbing running teams performed amazingly at The Relay recently. Here's a bit more about the race, and just how they all did!

The Relay (http://therelay.com) is a benefit run to raise awareness for organ donation. The Relay covers 199 miles between Calistoga and Santa Cruz and is run by teams of 12, with each person responsible for 3 approximately 10K legs. The running team: Clarence Mamuyac, Dan Weintraub, Diane Ortega, Mason Moore, Harlan Reymont, Ryan Rougeux, Scott Clark, Tina Moore, Vaughn Medford, Veronica Carrasco, Sean Wilkenfeld, Will Harris; Drivers were Kristen Venditelli and Rhonda Hurst.

Sponsored wholly by Touchstone Climbing, "Touchstone 12" ran for 29 hours, 46 minutes and 59 seconds, mostly in the rain, coming in 36th out of 78 in Mens Open Category and 99th out of 228 overall teams - 18 SECONDS behind the Bay Area Touchstone runners "We're Keepin' R's" who placed 98th. Said Dan Weintraub: "What are the odds of us finishing 18 seconds apart (and behind) the other Touchstone team after 199 miles and nearly 30 hours of racing? Obviously a million little things here or there (and one big thing, my quads), could have swung that balance, but the real heartbreaker is that Mason was directed down the wrong street on his final leg, which cost him over a minute by the time he climbed a very steep hill and then descended to get back on course. We wuz robbed."

Mason Moore shared this story about one of his legs: "After crawling up the huge hill on my first leg and passing people and wishing them well along the way, I was feeling like a champion. I then started down the crazy decent, dodging cows, slipping and getting covered in mud and loving it. After one final little ascent, the valley and lights of the city were visible in front of me and I couldn’t help but shout as loud as I could: “WHOOO HOOOO” It was then 2 miles more of the most blazing downhill I have ever done. Something about going as fast as I could in the pitch black jumping cattle guards and never wanting it to end just filled me with tons of joy. Thank you for this, it was such a great experience; I will never forget it!"

Said Tina Moore: "I found the experience to be very inspiring. Whether we were running at full speed down the final straight-away or slowly working our way up some horrendous climb, everyone ran their hearts out. There was pain and suffering and much laughter. I'm already looking forward to our next adventure together."

The following are some one word descriptions of The Relay:

Will - punchy
Veronica - awesome
Sean - epic
Harlan - potatoes
Dan - exhilaration
Scott - incomparable
Kristen - signage (as in lack thereof)
Tina - shot wad
Rhonda - inspirational
Vaughn - teamwork
Diane - consummate
Mason - woohoo

Congratulations everyone, what an impressive and amazing feat.

Labels: Team Sport, The Relay, Touchstone Climbing, Touchstone Running

  ¶ Thursday, May 14, 2009 0 Comments

  Climbing Equipment 101: The Helmet
When it comes to outfitting yourself with the appropriate gear to really start getting into rock climbing, whether it's indoor or outdoor, there are a few pieces of equipment you need. On Monday, we covered the need for a great pair of climbing shoes. Many people over look the need for good climbing shoes, but hopefully after the post, you've reconsidered the need. Today, we're going to cover the need for a different piece of equipment that is less performance based, and more centered around safety. That's right, the Helmet.

While not the coolest, most stylish or most technologically advanced of all climbing gear, the Helmet might be one of the most important. A high quality, properly fitted helmet can protect you from not only falling debris from above, but also from impact injuries if and when you do fall. Here's some advice on what to look for for a good helmet:

"a helmet should be able to protect the head while allowing freedom of movement, vision, and not be uncomfortable when climbing. It should fit snugly and securely on the head. The helmet should not be tilted back, exposing the forehead. Helmets sometimes have special features, such as ventilation holes or clips for securing a headlamp."

Keep those things in mind, or better yet, stop into one of our Touchstone Climbing locations and let the experts fit you properly and get you all suited up. Protect that melon of yours, it's the only one you've got!

Labels: Climbing Equipment, Climbing Gear, How To, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Thursday, May 07, 2009 0 Comments

  Climbing Medicine: Joshua Tree Climbing Salve
We've all been there, the rough and sore hands after a long day climbing. We've all gotten the climbing calluses and major skin irritations for using too much chalk for too long. Now, if you stop into one of our Touchstone Gyms, you can buy something that will help all of that, immediately.

Check out the new product we have in stock, Joshua Tree Climbing Salve:

Help your skin heal after a hard day of climbing!

Joshua Tree Salve contains a carefully designed combination of natural ingredients blended into an effective salve and packaged in convenient to carry and use containers. Designed to heal any skin irritation without softening the skin!

Why no softeners??? Because a healthy callus is your body’s own natural protection, and it hurts when they get soft and peel!

No Scents - No Softeners - Saves Calluses - Lush Moisturizers - Powerful Healing

Pick up a container of Joshua Tree Climbing Salve at your Touchstone Climbing gym today and let the healing begin!

*Joshua Tree Climbers Salve is made with 100% Organic ingredients. Click here for a description of them and their functionality.*

Labels: Climbing Equipment, Climbing Salve, Medicine, Store, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Wednesday, May 06, 2009 0 Comments

  How To Buy Rock Climbing Shoes
When it comes to rock climbing, indoor or outdoor, one piece of equipment that is worth its weight in gold, is a good pair of rock climbing shoes. If you've never climbed in proper shoes, you'll be shocked how much better you are, feel and how much higher your confidence will be once you get into them. They are vital, but many people aren't aware just how important they are.

We just found a good post that offers up a brief primer on what to look for, and why you should be looking, when it comes to rock climbing shoes. Basically, rock climbing shoes are specially made and designed "with a special kind of rubber that provides friction when climbing on rock. They also are formed so that a climber can jam their foot into a crack, or smear on a flat slab. Thus, they have a significant advantage over sneakers or boots."

When doing the actual shopping around, here are a few things you should look for:

"...consider doing so at a specialty climbing shop. It’s easier to make an informed purchase after trying the shoe on for fit and comfort, and the sales staff can help finding a particular shoe for different kinds of climbing (for instance, sport climbing on short routes versus trad climbing on long routes). The shoes should fit snugly, but not so tight as to cut off circulation. The store might have a simulated climbing surface to try out the shoes on."

Our advice, come into one of our Touchstone Climbing gym locations. Our staff can help you make the best decision possible, and you can even try them out right there on our walls. Remember, don't neglect the shoes, they'll take your climbing to new levels.

Labels: Climbing Equipment, Climbing Shoes, How To, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Monday, May 04, 2009 0 Comments

  Alliance Academy Stops By Great Western Power Co.
For the last 3 years our Great Western Power Co. gym has been lucky enough to host an awesome group that brings great students and a great attitude. The group recently stopped by and we were lucky enough to hear back from one of their teachers on this year's version of their annual trip. Alliance Academy stopped by for some climbing and we just heard back.

Nevertheless, a great time was had and according to Rachel Hellesto, a teacher at Alliance, they will be coming back in the future for even more climbing and learning experiences. Here's what she had to say in her testimonial to us:

"I teach 8th grade at Alliance Academy on 98th Ave in East Oakland. Students at are school love to be active, but they live in an unsafe neighborhood and often have nowhere to go after school besides home. For the past 3 years students at our school have been climbing at Great Western Power Company and Ironworks. Taking our students climbing is a chance for our students to be exposed to something outside East Oakland. When I took my students on the bus to the gym, it was the first time one of them had been to downtown Oakland, even though he's grown up about 8 miles away. Climbing gives students self-confidence, teaches them about teamwork (I love to hear them cheer for each other as they reach the top), and it gives them a safe and positive place to be after school. Thanks for giving our students this great opportunity!"

-Rachel Hellesto, teacher.

Thanks Rachel and thanks to everyone at Alliance for the day. Can't wait to see you back again soon!

Labels: Alliance Academy, Community Group, Events, Great Western Power Co., Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Friday, April 24, 2009 0 Comments

  Touchstone Bike Club Member Rocks Sacramento
Just got this one from Vaughn, our GM at our Sacramento Pipeworks gym and it shows a lot about just how impressive our Touchstone Bike Club members and riders really are. One of our riders, Peter Harney recently took part and competed in the Prairie City Race Series in Sacramento and did amazingly well.

Peter races in the Sport 34-39 Division and just took 8th place in the very first race of the series, and then 7th this week. What's more impressive is that he actually plans on racing in all 12 events that constitute the Prairie City Race Series and also just signed up to do the Downieville XC. We feel lazy just writing that.

To top it all off, and what I'm sure Peter would say is even more important than these races, is the fact that he is the proud Dad of a brand new two-and-a-half week old baby girl. Bottom line: Congratulations Peter, and keep up the great work...you're making Touchstone look very, very good.

Labels: Congratulations, Featured Members, Touchstone Bike Club, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Tuesday, April 14, 2009 0 Comments

  TBS Series Returning in July!
Good news for any of you that missed it, any of you that loved it, or any of you that were hoping that there would be more of it...The TBS Series WILL be returning in July. That's right, it was so fun, and so successful the last time around, some changes have been made.

Here is some more information that just came down the grapevine into my ear. Check it out:

Due to the unbelievable success of both the Touchstone Bouldering Series and the Touchstone Roped Series, Touchstone has decided to shift the schedule of these two series. The TBS series will now run during the fall and the TRS will run during the spring. By shifting the TRS to the spring, this will allow Touchstone to use these comp routes to host USA Climbing event for local kids.

Thus the TBS will return in July and run through November and the TRS will start up in January and run through May. We look forward to another exciting comp season and we hope to see all of you in July.

So, start getting ready, training and practicing...we'll see you all in a few months!

Labels: Competition, Events, How To Fall, p, TBS, Touchstone Bouldering, Touchstone Climbing, Touchstone Roped Series

  ¶ Monday, March 23, 2009 0 Comments

  Sacramento Pipeworks Featured Members!
At our Sacramento Pipeworks gym, for the last 7 years we've been doing a "featured member" series. Every so often, our staff members will pick someone who they feel exemplifies the Pipeworks dedication to health, diversity, fun and sense of community.

When this person is chosen, their photo will be displayed for a time along with their answers to some very silly questions we asked them. Vaughn over at Pipeworks sent us this about some of their recent Featured Members, and what struck him, was how diverse our membership is here at Touchstone Climbing. Here's what he had to say:

"While compiling this collage, I was struck by how truly diverse our membership is: young and old, men and women, boys and girls, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, people of all shapes, sizes, colors and dispositions. We have featured individuals, as well as brothers/sisters, fathers/sons and couples. The common thread seems to be that they are all happy and healthy, and have all played a part in shaping what a great place this gym has become!"

Thanks everyone who has become a member!

Labels: Featured Members, members, Membership, Sacramento Pipeworks, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Thursday, March 19, 2009 0 Comments

  Touchstone Climbing's NEW Forums!
Here's a quick note to let you all know that we did a complete redesign and overhaul of our message board and forums. It's always been a great place for everyone to get together and discuss just about anything you could possibly imagine when it comes to climbing, gear, routes and locations. Now, it's gotten even better and easier to use.

So, head over and check out our new Touchstone Climbing Forums & Message Board; you can do everything from buy and sell used and new gear, find road trip partners, climbing partners, talk about Yoga and Training as well as check up on both the Cycling news and our Running Club.

Check it out, sign up, and start joining the conversations!

Labels: Climbing News, Forums, Message Board, Touchstone Climbing, Upgrade

  ¶ Monday, March 09, 2009 0 Comments

  TBS4 Sees HUGE Turnout At Diablo Rock Gym
Here's a quick update about the TBS4 event we held at Diablo Rock Gym at the end of February. First and foremost, it was a HUGE success! We want to take a moment to thank everyone for competing, for showing up, for taking part in what was a great day.

This event at DRG was part 4 of the TBS4, and our grand finale will be March 20th, at Berkeley Ironworks. We were lucky enough to have Ben Molale, one of our members as the DJ for the event and saw a record breaking number of competitors for DRG as 196 of you showed up to compete.

So, while you're waiting for the Finale event, here are some things to keep you busy in the meantime. First off, why don't you check out the results and individual competition scores from this TBS4 at Diablo Rock Gym. Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone that showed up to compete.

One of our members, Paul Hara took a bunch of photos that you can browse in case you were unlucky enough to miss the event, or if you want to try to spot yourself in action. Finally, check out the video below to get a full flavor of what went on.

Thanks again to everyone that made TBS4 such an amazing success!

Labels: Competition, Diablo Rock Gym, DRG, event, TBS4, Touchstone Climbing

  ¶ Thursday, March 05, 2009 0 Comments