Touchstone San Jose set to Close
We are sad to announce that we will be closing Touchstone San Jose on April 30th, 2008 upon the expiration of our lease.

Over the last five years, we have been excited by the enthusiasm of the San Jose bouldering community. The passion of the San Jose membership for both climbing and the gym has been inspiring. We're sorry not to be able to support this community further.

Labels: san jose

  ¶ Tuesday, February 26, 2008 0 Comments

  TBS3 Photos Now Up
Photos of TBS3 competition held at Touchstone San Jose on November 16th can now be viewed in the Touchstone Gallery. Touchstone San Jose blew up the South Bay’s bouldering scene with a hair under 200 competitors, and well over 50 spectators! Fat Tire flowed from the tap while With DJ’s Tony and Keith rocked the house with their set of funky and tech house, jungle, drum-&-bass, hip-hop, and some good old rock’n roll to keep the community climbing strong. Results can be viewed on Touchstone’s competition page.

To all those who came out to compete, spectate, and support the best indoor bouldering in the South Bay to make it Touchstone San Jose’s biggest competition yet, thank you! See you all in Pipeworks on December 14th!

Labels: climbing, comps, san jose

  ¶ Wednesday, November 28, 2007 0 Comments

  Coats for Kids
Touchstone San Jose, in cooperation with NorCal Waste Systems Inc., is participating in the 11th Annual “Coats For Kids” winter coat drive. If you have any winter coats, jackets, sweaters, or vests that you would be willing to donate, you can drop them off at the front desk. Clean, gently worn clothing of any size will be accepted.

The “Coats For Kids” winter coat drive will be running until November 9th.

Labels: community, san jose

  ¶ Monday, November 05, 2007 0 Comments

  East-Meets-West
During the month of October, the artwork of Touchstone San Jose member, Alex Matus, will be featured at The Hide Gallery in downtown Santa Cruz. A recent graduate of UC Santa Cruz, Alex’s work fuses her influences from punk rock music and Eastern Art with the beauty of anatomy and the human form in a unique “East-meets-West” fashion.

Alex’s prints will be on display and for sale at The Hide Gallery until October 28th. Located on 131 B Front Street in downtown Santa Cruz, The Hide Gallery is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11am – 9pm. For more information, contact The Hide Gallery at 831-621-3939 or visit them at hidegallery.com.

Labels: members, san jose

  ¶ Friday, October 12, 2007 0 Comments

  TBS3 Starts This Month!!!
Touchstone Climbing will once again host the Touchstone Bouldering Series, now in its third season. With the opening of the Great Western Power Co. in Oakland, the series will expand to seven comps this year, that will be held on Friday evenings, one at each of the Touchstone locations. All events will include a red point Bouldering comp as well as refreshments, games and prizes. Points will be award for each comp with overall winners being announced after the final comp. The first event will be held in October in Concord and will conclude this year at Berkeley Ironworks.

These comps are FREE for Touchstone Members

Concord
October 26th, 2007
in Concord

San Jose
November 16th, 2007
in San Jose

Pipeworks
December 14th, 2007
in Sacramento

G.W.P.C.
January 11th, 2008
in Oakland

Mission Cliffs
February 8th, 2008
in San Francisco

Class 5
February 29th, 2008
in San Rafael

Ironworks
April 4th, 2008
in Berkeley

Labels: Berkeley Ironworks, class 5, climbing, comps, concord, Diablo Rock Gym, Great Western Power Co., mission cliffs, oakland, Sacramento Pipeworks, san jose, touchstone

  ¶ Tuesday, October 09, 2007 0 Comments

  No initiation Fee in October
In celebration of our newest gym opening later this fall, all Touchstone gyms will be offering a zero initiation fee deal. Take advantage of this great opportunity to save from $50 to $150 off the regular sign-up fee by becoming a member in October.

Those folks wanting to become members at the new Great Western Power Company should contact manager, Lyn Verinsky, to get their names on the pre-opening list. Everyone on the list will be eligible for the zero initiation deal immediately after the gym opens. Or better yet, sign up now at Berkeley Ironworks and start enjoying Touchstone today. Once G.W.P.C. opens, you can transfer you membership to the Power Company for no charge. Remember, the days are just getting shorter and wetter, so sign up soon

Labels: Berkeley Ironworks, class 5, concord, Diablo Rock Gym, Great Western Power Co., mission cliffs, oakland, Sacramento Pipeworks, san jose, touchstone

  ¶ Friday, October 05, 2007 0 Comments

  Yelping Ever wonder what other climbers think about the gyms? Follow this link to find out what other people are saying on Yelp about Touchstone Concord and add some comments of your own.

Here's one highlight:

"For a beginner, this is the place to go to if you want to learn from a knowledgeable staff and a patient one as well. The vibe is a plus and the equipment to stretch out are great. Besides the coffee they offer at the front is definitely needed. The people that worked there when I visited were what I call military safe, our instructor taught us as a group and then made sure we each knew how to tie our own ropes and how to belay properly. At other locations, they will show you how and make sure you know how to, but here they will stay with you for your first few runs up. Safety and fun here are a priority." -Robert B.

You can also find 97 reviews of Mission Cliffs, 33 reviews of Ironworks and even 7 reviews of Touchstone San Jose. Yelp is also a great way to find a good restaurant around the gym to try after your workout.

Labels: Berkeley Ironworks, concord, Diablo Rock Gym, mission cliffs, san jose

  ¶ Monday, September 10, 2007 0 Comments

  Labor Day Hours This Monday, all Touchstone gyms will be open and operating on weekend hours. Standard weekend rates will apply for all gyms. Please contact your local gym to find out the exact hours of operation and pricing.

REMINDER: The Bay Bridge will be closed all weekend. For more info, check here.

Labels: Berkeley Ironworks, class 5, concord, Diablo Rock Gym, mission cliffs, Sacramento Pipeworks, san jose

  ¶ Thursday, August 30, 2007 0 Comments

  A New Face in San Jose If you’ve been around Touchstone Concord, you’ll probably notice a familiar face behind the desk at Touchstone San Jose. Staff member, Monica Aranda, is a self-proclaimed climbing addict. With about 5 years of climbing experience, she mostly boulders but welcomes both top-roping and leading as well. In addition to climbing, she has taken her passion of photography down to the San Jose, where she will be pursuing a degree in photojournalism at San Jose State University.

Touchstone San Jose welcomes Monica into the South Bay’s best bouldering community!

Labels: san jose, staff

  ¶ Monday, August 13, 2007 0 Comments

  Trible Trouble Head to the Front This coming August 10th and 11th, three members of San Jose’s bouldering community, Citahbria “Tofu” Richards (aka Tobi), Lilly “LilBit” Nguyen, and staff member Michael Abell, will be competing in the Mammut-EMS Bouldering Championships and Citizens’ Comp at The Front Climbing Club in Salt Lake City, Utah. Formerly known as Send Fest, the Mammut-EMS Bouldering Championships and Citizens’ Comp draws in some of the best climbers from across the nation to compete for a $5,000 cash prize.

Analogous to the three Musketeers, Tobi, Lilly, and Mike are often taken as an inseparable unit. Recently, the they took a trip to Squamish, B.C. to boulder, and quickly dispensed of classic lines such as Squamish Days, Cutting Edge, Superfly, and Sloppy Poppy, as well as harder and more striking lines such as Worm World, Tatonka, and Sesame Street. The trio of San Jose climbers are psyched to take their renewed motivation, strength, and energy indoors to do well and have fun at the comp.

The South Bay wishes Tobi, Lilly, and Mike all the best in their travels and competition in Utah!

Labels: climbing, comps, members, san jose

  ¶ Wednesday, August 08, 2007 0 Comments

  Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant We would like to congratulate Touchstone San Jose’s Yoga instructor, Tara Robertson, for completing her training and certification to become an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant. Ayurvedic medicine is an ancient system of health care originating from India. Rooted in the terms, āyus, meaning “life” or “life principle, and “veda”, meaning knowledge or a system of knowledge, “Ayurveda” roughly translates to the “knowledge of life”. Thus, Ayurvedic practitioners utilize their knowledge of the body, herbal medicine, and of therapeutic measures to improve and maintain the mental, physical, social, and spiritual components central in having a healthy lifestyle.

We wish Tara well in her pursuit of helping others towards healthy living.

Labels: san jose, staff, Yoga

  ¶ Wednesday, August 01, 2007 0 Comments

  A Speedy Weekend in San Jose
The 3rd annual San Jose Grand Prix will be held on July 27th, 28th, and 29th. Please note that many of the city streets will be closed off due to the layout of the race course, and parking will be impacted. You can see a map of the race track as well as the different events around the track here.

Labels: event, san jose

  ¶ Friday, July 20, 2007 0 Comments

  Helping Urban Youth Get Outdoors If you thought San Jose was simply about pebble wrestling, well, think again! This July, Touchstone San Jose member Erika Smith will be climbing Mt. Shasta, a 14,169-foot volcano in Northern California. Her climb will have additional meaning though, as Erika has joined with Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping urban youth venture outdoors. To prepare for her trip, Erika is raising money to help get more kids and young adults outdoors to experience the power and beauty of nature first-hand. Having served over 4,700 youth since 1999, taking them safely out on multi-day hikes, camping, and backpacking trips.

We wish Erika good luck with her training and preparation to reach her goals this July!

Labels: community, members, san jose

  ¶ Wednesday, June 13, 2007 0 Comments

  Music in the Park San Jose summers usually mean free music festivals! Every summer, the City of San Jose holds free music festivals in Ceasar Chavez Park and St. James Park. The festivals, Music in the Park and Music in the Other Park, respectively, are held at 5:30PM – 9:00PM every Thursday night during the months of June and July. Please note that parking in downtown San Jose may be difficult to find Thursday nights due to the free concerts.

Labels: event, san jose

  ¶ Monday, June 11, 2007 0 Comments

  Yoga for Climbers in SJ Starting in May, Touchstone San Jose will be offering a Ilyengar Yoga class led by Alejandro Rivas, geared towards climbers to help address finger/tendon issues, elbow and/or shoulder problems, flexibility, static strength, and other issues climbers face during climbing. Classes are $10 for non-members, $5 for San Jose Bouldering-Only Gym Members, and Free for those with a Regular Membership.

Labels: fitness, san jose, Yoga

  ¶ Friday, May 04, 2007 0 Comments

  Photos On Display If you haven’t noticed, the walls behind the front desk have been changing to become a new photo gallery. Photography taken by two San Jose members, Hien Lam, a photographer by day and climber by night, and Simon Hale, San Jose’s resident Georgetown physicist, are on display. The artwork depicts various moments of a Bishop bouldering trip that occurred over New Year’s. Roughly 20 climbers composes of Touchstone San Jose Members, Staff, and local south bay boulderers made their way to the Eastside for a week-long bouldering trip. The trip was filled with hard climbing, warm campfires, toasted marshmallows, and great stories.

Labels: members, san jose

  ¶ Friday, March 30, 2007 0 Comments

  San Jose Storms the Castle On Saturday, March 10th, approximately 20 Touchstone San Jose members ventured outside to the local South Bay bouldering spot, Castle Rock State Park, to break up the monotony of pulling on plastic with some good, old-fashioned sloper-slapping fun! Conditions were prime, as over half the group visited the park and climbed outside for the first time. Both staff and experienced members assisted the newer climbers in climbing, spotting, outdoor etiquette and the “No Trace” Ethic. At the end of the day, members got a renewed sense of bouldering’s roots, as well as the spirit of climbing and a greater sense of community.

Labels: climbing, members, san jose

  ¶ Wednesday, March 21, 2007 0 Comments

  Thursday Night Social Starting March 15th:

Touchstone San Jose will be hosting a social to give members an opportunity to get together, interact, play climbing games, share training tips, meet new friends, and have a great session! Socials will be facilitated by a staff member and held every other Thursday night at 8PM. Check the calender for dates. Contact the Front Desk for more details.

Labels: climbing, san jose

  ¶ Wednesday, March 14, 2007 0 Comments

  San Jose Staff Helping in Mexico During the last week of February, San Jose staff member, Paul Spitzmueller, who also teaches at Bellarmine College Preparatory went to Guaymas, Mexico with eleven high school students to volunteer his time to a community in need of support. The trip had a few goals in mind that included an immersion experience into Mexican culture, accompaniment with the people they serve, and finally, to understand their context in the setting of global poverty. Both the school and the trip aimed to move students into a space that challenged their traditional ways of thinking.

The days consisted of working with a Franciscan community in the morning, fulfilling certain projects that needed to be complete (ie. community clean up jobs, interacting with the youth, etc…). This year, they returned to a house covered in tasteless graffiti. They scraped the paint off, re-painted the surface, and replaced them with student-painted murals of Mother Theresa and Jesus. As a side note, they've found from past experiences that walls with murals (typically with a Christian theme) are respected and valued much more by the community and tend to be preserved better than blank walls that are seen as empty canvases. The students who did not work on the mural planted a garden. In the afternoon, they served food at the soup kitchen and listened to the stories of the local homeless. For many of the students, this was their first time hearing Spanish spoken exclusively at meals, providing a good challenge and opportunity to deal with their comfort zones. During the evenings, they went to a local boys and girls club to play with you kids that ranged from 7-12. This club is the only kind in town, started by an American 14 years ago, it serves as a social outlet for kids to go and play safely with others as soon as school lets out. It's an effective way to keep them off of the streets where they are exposed to drugs and violence.

Labels: community, san jose

  ¶ Friday, March 09, 2007 0 Comments

  A Manager Change at San Jose Touchstone would like to announce Art Balaoro as the new manager of Touchstone San Jose. Art has been working for Touchstone San Jose since July of '03. He currently is in the process of finishing up his B.S. in Psychology with a Minor in Philosophy at San Jose State. Art has been climbing for approximately 4.5 to 5 years. He enjoys both sport climbing and bouldering, and would be psyched to learn trad. He is also an avid snowboarder in the winter, and on rest days enjoys watching movies.

Touchstone would like to wish Al Liu all the best as he moves on to explorer new opportunities in the the outdoor industry. Al had taken a job at Mountain Hardwear, in Richmond CA, as customer operations specialist.

Labels: san jose, touchstone

  ¶ Friday, February 16, 2007 0 Comments