About

And now... a history lesson.

Touchstone Climbing Inc. began in 1994 as a dream of Mark and Debra Melvin to bring indoor rock climbing to San Francisco. After scouring the city for the perfect location and raising start-up capital, they opened Mission Cliffs in 1995 in the vibrant Mission District of San Francisco. The new gym captured the imagination of the city and immediately set a new standard for indoor climbing facilities world-wide. Within a month of its opening, Mission Cliffs hosted the sport climbing National Championship competition, introducing climbers from around the country to what was quickly heralded as the most spectacular facility in the world. 

In 1996, Touchstone purchased Class 5, a small indoor climbing gym in San Rafael. After renovating much of the facility - including the construction of impressive new climbing walls and a bouldering area - the gym became the second of the Touchstone facilities. Sadly, Touchstone lost the lease on the building in 2008. We continue to search for a replacement in Marin county, but it turns out a building large enough to house 45 foot walls is hard to come by!

In 1997, Touchstone acquired CityRock of Emeryville, which was one of the first indoor climbing gyms built in the country. Gym members enjoyed the benefits of multiple locations, but with a population of over two million people in the greater northern Bay Area, there was room to grow! 

Realizing that the East Bay market was underserved by CityRock's moderate size, Touchstone embarked on an ambitious project to build a new gym that was nearly 3 times as large. Ironworks in Berkeley was completed in 2000, adding fitness components to club design and revolutionizing the concept of what a climbing gym could be. 

In 2001, Touchstone continued to grow and purchased an historic building just north of downtown Sacramento. After extensive renovations, Sacramento Pipeworks opened its doors, following the model at Ironworks and integrating fitness programming and workout facilities with superior quality climbing and bouldering terrain. 

2003 was a busy year for Touchstone, as we expanded further into the Easy Bay with the completion of our Concord location, Diablo Rock Gym. That same year we opened our first bouldering only gym in downtown San Jose. Unfortunately for our South Bay members, the Bouldering Gym closed in 2008.

2004 saw the acquisition of Stone Age Climbing, a well established and reputable climbing hold and accessory manufacturer, now located at the Sacramento Pipeworks site in Sacramento. Here, our professional setting crew is involved in hand shaping climbing holds to create just the right routes. 

Touchstone opened its next gym in the fall of 2007; Great Western Power Company. In the heart of Uptown Oakland's vibrant restoration of art deco buildings, this former steam generation plant is the kind of building that Touchstone patrons have fallen in love with. Shaping the walls around the original building has created an interesting urban climbing vibe. 

But of course, it didn't end there. In 2011, we opened MetalMark in Fresno. This is the first gym where we constructed our own building for the gym.  Which means we got to design it from the ground up to bring something truly unique to the Central Valley. You want innovative terrain? You got it. Adjustable cracks to practice for Yosemite splitters? No problem. Striking full glass windows to light the 45 foot walls? Of Course! MetalMark shows why contemporary and cutting edge indoor climbing gyms are synonymous with Touchstone Inc. 

So what's next for Touchstone?

Some things never change. Mark Melvin is still hard at work building and welding, and Debra Melvin is still keeping track of the paperwork. But while they retain the original dedication to bringing premier indoor climbing to the Bay Area, 17 years of experience and innovation has brought the company a long way. We are hard at work building another state of the art facility in San Jose. Set to open in early 2012, The Studio will bring Touchstone climbing back to the South Bay. Also in 2012, a major remodel of the gym that started it all, Mission Cliffs. With a major expansion of the bouldering & fitness, this will once again put Mission Cliffs as one of the top gyms anywhere! 

So there you have it! Touchstone Climbing Inc. is arguably the best-known indoor climbing operation in the world. With seven gyms in Northern California, we are the biggest company in country and have hosted more national accredited roped climbing competitions than any other organization. But our true success comes not from what we do, but why we do it. From owners to belay staff, route setters to instructors, we believe in creating a place where we can all come together and do what we love. We are not just gyms. We are communities. Whether you are an experienced climber, a bright-eyed newbie, or just someone looking for a great place to work out, you'll find your place with Touchstone.