Great Western Power Company

Members + 10 Pass with Reservation Only M-F 10:00AM 10:00PM S/S 10:00AM 5:00PM

We are OVER THE MOON that we will be able to reopen for climbing this Friday 10/23!! We’re working hard to get our reservation systems and hours updated so we can get you all back in the gyms. Check your email inboxes as we’ll be sending out an email tomorrow morning with reservation links. See you back in the gyms and back on the walls soon

Needing to spruce up your mask collection? Look no further than our Touchstone Face Masks, available in our online shop! As TS athlete Canaan Vallejos knows, our lightweight face mask is the perfect way to cover up and rock Touchstone Climbing while working out, climbing, or strolling your local farmers market. Our masks were developed using technical fabrics woven specifically for activewear! Available in two sizes: S/M and L/XL. Check them out on shop.touchstoneclimbin...g.com : Outpost Digital Cinema

Well, it’s not exactly the opening we wanted, but we’ll take what we can get: Berkeley Ironworks and Great Western Power Co will be reopening in a limited, WEIGHTS AND CARDIO ONLY capacity to current members and 10-pass holders on Monday, 10/12! That’s rightno climbing. Alameda County has chosen to follow San Francisco’s extraordinary lead in becoming one of the only places in the country to prohibit climbing. While of course we all want to get back to climbing more than AN...YTHING, we know that we still have a lot to offer our community. For now, only our weights, cardio, and fitness areas will be available. Both Ironworks’ and Great Western’s hours will be MonFri, 4p10p and Sat/Sun, 8a3p. State guidelines currently restrict gyms to 10% capacity, so we will be using an online reservation system. Touchstone members and 10-pass holders will be able to reserve two-hour time slots up to twice per week. Time slots can be reserved up to 1 week in advance and will open every hour. Members will also be able to book a workout partner on their reservation, as long as they are also Touchstone members or 10-pass holders. (Please note that reservations made by a friend also count towards your 2x/week limit!) You can use the RGPro Connect App to book and cancel your reservations on your mobile device. For desktop, you can also use the Express Booking Profile located on the right side of our reservation page. You MUST have a reservation to use the gym, and reservations MUST be made onlineno walk-ins are available at this time. We’ll expand our availability (and hours) as soon as we can! You can be sure that we are in contact with the Alameda Health Department asking them to reconsider their decision, given the dearth of scientific evidence supporting the claim that climbing walls are higher risk. See you in the gym!

Meet our newest Touchstone Athletes, Malcolm and Pierre Alcutt! They both come from 8+ years of indoor trampoline experience, which they say helps a ton for their general fitness base and body awareness. After years of bouncing and tumbling, the two brothers found a new challenge in climbing and a new community in their home gym, Diablo Rock. Climbing is just like a more grown-up version of what we were already doing, Pierre says. A self-identified boulderer, Malcolm oft...en runs out of projects in the cave & Kilter Board. I love how each climb is a puzzle to be solved both physically and mentally, he says, and how each climber’s strengths and weaknesses often allows them to unlock the same puzzle, but in different ways. While Pierre can often be found quietly scrolling through his Instagram feed (or respectfully avoiding yet another lap on your project), don’t let his modesty fool youhe’s got incredible determination and laser-like focus. But climbing is about more than sending the gnar for him: It’s the best excuse to be outside, discover a different view and perspective of nature, and spend time with my brother. On top of putting down big numbers in the gym, they’ve also both just recently done Ill Cave (V10) in Tahoeafter only 1.5 years of climbing. We can’t wait to see what they do next. Say hello to these crushers out at the rocks or in our gyms when they reopen! : Steve Babuljak

Due to recent comments by the CEO of CrossFit, Touchstone Climbing and our CrossFit instructors have made the mutual decision to end our affiliation with the CrossFit brand. We’re not yet sure what its future will be, but we look forward to moving into it with you. We will share more details about this change as we begin reopening the gyms.

When we say climbing is for everyone, we are taking a stance. We are saying that we believe in everyone’s right to access to our sportand that we know we haven’t gotten there yet. Access is not about opening our doors and expecting people to walk through. It is about recognizing the barriers to entry and working to take them down. And there is no greater barrier than being denied your basic humanity. Black people in America can’t expect to feel safe jogging in their neig...hborhoods, buying candy from a corner store, holding cellphones in public, or even relaxing in their own homeshow could we expect them to feel safe rock climbing? To our Black community: We stand with you. We recognize our role in creating a more just society, starting with our gyms. We are reiterating our commitment to do better. We will continue to do the work within Touchstone to cultivate social equity at every level, from hiring practices to employee trainings and staff support. We will continue to work with organizations and support local leadership who fight for equity and access to rock climbing, both indoors and out, for all. We hope everyone in the Touchstone family feels empowered to speak out in this painful moment. It can be hard to know what you can do to fight systemic racism as an individual. It feels scary and impossible to change a system, but it CAN be changed. Here are ways that you (yes, YOU) can fight racism today: VOTE. Laws are made by lawmakers. You choose who those lawmakers are. https://registertovote.ca.gov/ Support Black-owned businesses https://bit.ly/supportBlackbizBayArea Support on-the-ground activist groups https://bit.ly/supportactivists

What are quaranGAINS you ask?! Well read on to find out and to get pumped!

Here's a chance to get to know some of our SoCal setters...virtually of course

Ethan Pringle mini-doc tonight at 7pm!

Watch party happening on Touchstone Climbing's Facebook this Friday, April 10th at 7pm premiering a 14-minute mini-documentary we've made about Ethan Pringle!

PSA: If there is a mistake with your account, please let us know right away so we can handle it! A lot has been going on these past few weeks, and we’re receiving a high volume of membership change requests. Mistakes happen, but we’re more than happy to fix themwe’ll do it faster than your bank, too!

Join us LIVE for Steph's core class tonight at 6:30 on Touchstone Live Fitness!

COVID-19 Update We hope you’re all taking good care of yourselves in these strange days. Unfortunately, we will not be able to reopen April 1st, but you can bet that we will reopen as soon as we are able. Some important updates as April approaches: * We have been in contact with all members with details about your memberships! If you have not received these emails, please update your email by visiting the My Account page on our website ASAP.... * If you have a prepaid membership, do not worry! Your account is automatically credited through the closure and you won’t lose out on any gym days once we reopen. No need to contact us. * We are paying ALL staff their scheduled hours through April 5th. Regardless of the situation, we are committed to maintaining healthcare coverage for all that currently receive it through Touchstone (100% coverage for full-time staff). * If you’d like to support us, please consider purchasing an online gift card! Gift cards are good for anything at any Touchstone gym and never expire. Till then, you can stick with us through our live online fitness classes and Touchstone Athlete-led livestream videos, and keep sending us content to share at [email protected]!