Touchstone San Jose Climbing & Fitness

Yes, this location is closed. But they opened up a newer location at
396 S 1^st St
San Jose, CA 95 113

Awesome climbing studio. The staff is knowledgeable and the instructors are great. Everyone is friendly and helpful. TCS makes climbing fun. Climb on!

Loved it! I told the guy (I’m so sorry I didn’t get his name but he was wonderful!) at the front desk and that it was our first time and we wanted to sign up the kids. He took us on a tour and answered our questions and we got the girls signed up and on their way to climbing! Susan was so great with the girls!!! Staff is AMAZING and great Hospitality.

Awesome facility, awesome staff, awesome everything! I was only in town a short while for a job, and the entire time I was using the facilities here everyone was fantastic.

I’m sad to hear this place closed down! (according to Kenneth F.).
I came here on several occassions for free form rock climbing and always had a blast. At first I was a little hesitant because there were nothing to harnass you too but after actually standing at the wall it’s not really that high to need one. Also, there were mats surrounding the floor so you could really just jump off if you wanted to, but it wasn’t recommended.
I’ll definitely miss this place. I guess I’ll have to settle for the rock climb @ SJSU now =P

r.i.p.

I’m sad to hear that this place is closing. It was my south-​bay alternative to ironworks (when i visit home-​home)
They really do have some great bouldering runs. Try it out before it closes shop April 30^th!

i’m gonna miss this place.

Awesome place to boulder. I’ve been around to several gyms and this place definitely sets the bar high in terms of routes and environment. The staff is really friendly and usually very helpful. It’s a small gym, but because of that, it’s easier to meet and interact with others who enjoy the sport. I’m going to be really sad to see it go, because the 2 or 3 other options around the south bay aren’t particularly great. Definitely visit while you still can. They’ve been making an extra effort to set walls every 1 or 2 weeks lately.

This is a well run facility with a very great and friendly staff and friendly environment. The other climbers are helpfull and always willing to lend some beta to help you out. The routes range from beginer to advancent levels so there is something for everyone to do. Unfortunately this place is going out of business and there is apparently nothing we can do about it.
Check it out before it is gone.

As far as a bouldering place goes this place is good. There are a variety of levels so everyone from beginner to expert will enjoy their time here. The people who come and climb here are very friendly and encouraging, helping you succeed in the climb. Also the staff is good if you have any questions or need help. The only downfall of this place is the hours. I know the majority of people who come here are either college students or yuppies, so the hours are set to that schedule. Other than it not opening until later on weekdays, I really enjoy coming here to climb.

went here a couple weeks ago. it was my first time and i had lots of questions. staff had lots of answers. got there right when it opened and was the only climber for about 15 minutes. quickly this place filled up since it’s a tad bit small. but since is located downtown next to cam 12, i don’t have to travel far!
good variety of climbing levels and reggae music playing on the day i went! i did some beginners and took it up a notch on my last. other climbers who see you struggling (arms were tired after 1.5 hrs of climbing) will guide you as they were with me on my last climb. they even spotted me.
price is 10 to climb (no time limit) and 4 for shoes.
i’m deffinitely coming back to this spot for my alternative work outs!

I’m not too impressed with this particular facility. I find it too small, especially during the peak hours. I also didn’t think there were enough routes for beginners. I prefer Touchstone’s San Francisco location (Mission Cliffs) and the Sacramento location (Pipeworks). Planet Granite seems to be a better alternative as well. In addition, the staff seem to be asleep, but still friendly. (probably from too much studying as I’m sure they’re SJSU students). Then again, bouldering is not my primary means of working out or having fun. Still, I left with a satisfied endorphin rush!

i love rock climbing here. so homey here and its a fun place to be. only negative, and this is not the facilities’ fault, sometimes it is just way too crowded to climb. and not enough floaters but eh popularity is growing here, so just gotta deal!

Touchstone climbing is in the heart of downtown San Jose, so if you’re coming in before 6 during the weekdays, expect parking to be a hassle. The climbing in this touchstone facility is bouldering only and reaches around 14 – 16 feet. The place is well padded, with floating (moveable pads) placed over stationary pads.
The routes in this gym encompass beginner to advanced routes, the highest I can recall being a V8-​V9. While I’m sure there are more difficult routes that I might’ve missed, this place is probably a good place to get a good workout in regardless of a person’s skill level as they offer yoga, and other forms of working out.
The climbing grades here also seem to really depict their level. While some places, a V0 might be extremely difficult, any beginner will feel right at home in this facility.
The staff is extremely friendly, and the gym stocks climbing gear and the place is clean and bright. Expect a sense of community as everyone here is friendly. The day pass is 10 dollars, and 4 dollars extra for shoes. I’m sure you can rent chalk but I’m not sure how much that is. They offer memberships and they validate parking for 2 hours.
Aside from poor ventilation during busy hours, early closing hours on the weekends and some weekdays, and the 16 foot walls, anyone wanting to get in some climbing or looking to make new friends can come to touchstone.
Edit: 3÷14÷08
Its with sad news to report, but Touchstone San Jose is closing on April 30^th as their lease wasn’t renewed. 5 stars for their 5 years of supporting the San Jose climbing community, and encouraging guests to push their limits healthily.

Although I’m a beginning climber, I find touchstone a great place to learn. There are many routes of all difficulty levels, but what really makes it is the community. Everytime I’ve gone a more experienced climber will come over to give advice or suggest a better route or how to get started. And they never make me feel like a noob even though I am. The staff are equally helpful and create a really fun atmosphere. I need to make it to one of the upcoming classes and really learn how to edge and move on the rocks.

Underneath the stiletto heels, the makeup, the vamp-​ish dresses… I admit: I’m a Tomboy at heart.
‘Bouldering’ is indoor rock-​climbing without the harness, so not only is it a test of upper body strength, but also personal fear levels regarding height, and an excercise in determination — because if you get tired once you get to the top, you have to force yourself to get back down lest you drop 16 feet down to the floor (which although padded will still hurt — *ouchie!*).
Yet, once you get used to it, it’s the greatest feeling to move up to the more difficult climbs. The cost is only $ 10 for a day pass, plus $ 4 shoe rental. You could viably stay there all day with a group of friends, and even bring a lunch to eat there. it’s a great bonding thing to do with your homies — or even strangers. I started using someone else’s chalk thinking it was «commmunity chalk» provided by the gym, but then realized it belonged to someone when he took it along with him to another part of the rock. He saw me do it, and didn’t say a thing! Ha! I was pretty embarrassed once I came to the realization, but he was really nice about it when I apologized. Everyone — even the staff — is very nice and friendly there in general.
As a newbie, your forearms are shot to hell afterwards, but if you’re like me — it’s «pleasure from pain»… It made me feel TOUGH. Like Demi Moore in «G.I Jane».
HOO-​RAH!

I’ve been coming here since. .. July? Something like that. Long enough to make me go, «huh, what would I do without Touchstone?». I usually make it here at least twice a week, sometimes more like a painful four times a week, and it’s something that I look forward to every time. Not only are the people here amazing, but the gym itself has some of the most enjoyable bouldering I’ve seen anywhere.
I would agree with Kristopher that some of the V ratings seem lower than what I’ve seen at Planet Granite, but they also seem about the same as what I’ve seen at Mission Cliffs, so make of it what you will. Since I just climb to have fun, I could usually care less about the rating as long as I enjoy the route, and I find the routes here much more interesting than what I’ve seen at Planet Granite. The staff here really work hard on the routes and the invented-​on-​the-​spot routes by members and setters are even more fun.
Notable points:
— This gym is bouldering only; there is no top-​roping here. This is not only good if you’re a boulderer but great. The one-​day passes here are only $ 10 versus $ 17 at Planet Granite or $ 18 at Mission Cliffs since operating a bouldering-​only gym is cheaper. Infrequent users can get a ten-​pass that will drop the daily admission rate to $ 8. Membership is also cheaper at $ 35 monthly versus $ 64 and $ 61 for Planet Granite and Mission Cliffs respectively; yes, those two do have gym facilities in addition to walls, but that’s usually not the reason a person signs up for a climbing gym. If that’s important to you, however, that’s something to think about.
— Parking is *easy*; the free parking after 6PM in downtown San Jose is a real treat. Downtown San Jose may not be the most happening place in the world, but the proximity of close, fast, and healthy food to this gym is a real plus after you wear yourself out.
— Staff and climbers are great to chat and climb with; it really does have that great «everybody knows your name» kind of feel.
— Gym has more available padding than most bouldering gyms by a long shot. Places like Planet Granite and Mission Cliffs have tiny floater pads (some might argue that the floors are better padded, but I don’t see a difference) while Touchstone SJ has pads lining the entire set of problems and additional floater pads to go on top of the main pads.
— Members check in with a swipe of their driver’s license; quick, easy, and no additional cards to remember.
Climbing in all its incarnations comes highly recommended by me, and if you’re into the deeply technical insanely fun art of bouldering, this is the place to do it.

A few friends and i have been going an average of 1.5 times a week for about 5 months now, and i think Touchstone San Jose is a great place to climb (boulder):
That homie little place where you can find just enough regulars to make it feel like Cheers, but attract just enough newbies every night meet new folks. It’ll feel like a local place, as its size and location might suggest, but its also part of a group of climbing places in the bay area. and that seems great for attracting people for competitions.
Facility:
–Climbing problems are evenly spaced on the V-​scale, so everyone has something to warm up, tackle, get frustrated, or conquer.
–Music is usually reggae or hiphop/​rap. Very chill.
–If yer a member, check in is as quick and easy as a swipe of a card and a smile. Why wait.
People:
–Staff is friendly, but will remind you to «spot» your fellow climber just enough to keep everyone in check. Hurray for safety.
–Climbers i’ve met there so far have been really nice. Some are quieter than others. Some are really good, and some are just starting out. But everyone so far has been supportive and give a little push of motivation when you need it.
Other
— The climbing problems tend to be set a little shy of their V-​rating in comparison to other places (e.g. Planet Granite, though i’ve seen 1 or 2 of the same setters between the two facilities).
— At its busiest, sometimes you might have to deal with 1 thin crash pads instead of the recommended 2. But we usually only encounter it once a month.
–Parking is the bees knees with 3 or 4 parking lots/​structures all within a block. And all public parking in dtsj is free after 6pm.
–Bathrooms are clean. Well,. i dunno about the girls’, but the guy’s one is most of the time. They offer yoga, though i’ve never taken it there.
–One time, a climber twisted her ankle and they didn’t have a proper splint. Actually, the first thing they presented was a waiver. But to their credit, they were genuinely concerned with her well being, helped carry her out of the gym, and even asked about her weeks later.