Rock Ice & Mountain Club

During the early parts of the Covid pandemic I took a trip to J tree, what was supposed to be 6 days turned into almost 14 days and surrounded by so many of my friends from the vertex community. On day 6 as I was headed out thinking I was about to make the trek home instead I get a call from Kevin saying stay down in J tree, we are shutting down and I’ll be there in the morning. We had been without service for 3 or 4 days and in which time California had been put on lock do...wn. After getting the call I filled up my gas, restocked the fridge in the van and turned around to reclaim our spot in the hidden valley camp ground. By morning we have a crew of about 9-10 people, and what happen next was several more days of non stop sends. One of the best memories I have of that trip is free soloing an easy 5.3/5.4 with @ricketyradle and @hunter.tension and then we scrambled down the back ,to sprint to the dome near camp and see the sunset. @send_like_a_sloth #rimclubinstagramtakeover #freesolo #jtree See more

By far the most exciting trip I’ve ever been on would be Cosmic Wall in Mount Shasta at Castle Crags. This was the true test to see how comfortable I was leading a trad climb, granted it was only 5.6 but still tested me mentally and physically. I was fortunate enough to climb this with my best friend who gave you support the entire time. On this climb I learned running it out is part of experience. Each pitch I had a maximum of 6 to 7 pieces per hundred feet and at one point I even made a call to a friend who was very experienced on the climb because I thought I had gone off route. @send_like_a_sloth #rimclubinstagramtakeover #castlecragsstatepark #castlecrags

Happy 4th of July everyone. We hope everyone is recreating safely. For our next guest we have Stephen Dneaster. You probably recognize him from @climbvertex. He coaches a youth competitive climbing team and is class instructor. Stephen is a local Santa Rosa climber who started really getting into climbing about 4 years ago. After working at the gym he soon realized his passion for teaching others the tools and techniques needed to climb up the walls inside and outside. Currently Stephen’s goal is to become a certified climbing guide and travel the world exploring the different heights that the sport has to offer.

Vertex is reopening July 1st with a new Covid Protocol. Check out there website for more details and if you want to make a change to your current membership.

The best part about moving across the country is that each time you cross you can turn it into a road trip. Weather it’s waking up to a beautiful sunrise in Idaho, scrambling up the 2nd flatiron, or weaving your way through a slot canyon it’s hard to beat a road trip. #roadtrip #rimclubinstagramtakeover @jvnflows

My dad first took me climbing at Goat Rock when I was 6. I made it 3/4 of the way up Sunset Face before I started turning around and looking at my dad and his friends to tell them I couldn’t do it. With a lot encouragement I ended up flashing the route. It wasn’t the last time I climbed, but shortly thereafter I moved out of state and lost touch with the climbing. When I moved back here a year and a half ago it was the first climb I did in Sonoma County. As I went up the face I started to get nervous at about the same spot as I did so many years ago. Frankly the only reason I didn’t hang was because I didn’t want 6 year old me to laugh, so I gritted my teeth and finished it out. Since then I have become much more comfortable with heights when I want to be. #rimclubinstagramtakeover #sunsetboulders #goatrockstatepark @jvnflows