Golden State Guiding is pleased to announce we’ll be hosting a slideshow for GSG Ambassador and Guide Jordan Cannon on January 30th at Vertical Hold Climbing Gym in San Diego. Come listen to Jordan talk about his last 2 seasons in Yosemite Valley, enjoy some tasty beverages from Saint Archer Brewery and enter our raffle for your chance to win some great climbing gear from our sponsors! Everyone who RSVP’s receives 1 free raffle ticket. Additional tickets can be purchased and 100% of the proceeds will go to Yosemite Conservancy and Friends of Joshua Tree which are organizations Golden State Guiding supports through being a member of 1% for the Planet. Hope to see you there!
Wilderness Medicine Courses // 2019 Schedule
Golden State Guiding is pleased to announce we will be hosting 4 Remote Wilderness Medicine Courses in 2019 with our partner and provider MED Alliance and Vertical Hold Climbing Gym. If you are an avid backcountry traveler or simply enjoy getting out every weekend to hike some of your favorite local trails, then a wilderness medicine course is for you! Being trained and capable to stabilize a patient and facilitate an emergency rescue/ evacuation when you are within an hour or more from definitive help is a key skill every outdoor enthusiast should possess. Educate yourself, get the training, and be prepared. 2019 course dates are below. Looking forward to a year of education in Remote Wilderness Medicine!
BBQ's x BELAY's x BEER'S // Event #2 Joshua Tree National Park
Well that officially wraps up our 2nd annual BBQ’s x BELAY’s BEER’s events in Joshua Tree, NP! We had another stellar weekend of climbing and great weather, awesome participants and an all around good time! We can’t thank everyone enough for coming out to both weekends and hanging with us in one of our favorite places to guide! Big thanks to all of our guides, ambassadors and friends who came out to hang and facilitate these awesome weekends. @gregasaurus_flex @senseisplitter @kelvin_artdoors @tytytheclimbingguy @meganfromthemountains @siwamoto @sarah___bee @verticalnomad @orionisasian @shane.mclimbing @kormungus @kylie_clarke @jamieson_bern @kylieann_photography @albscheng @chrisjamesgeorge @cannonjtc @ben__rad, you all rock! Thanks for everything you do! Lastly, these events wouldn’t be possible without our partners @traegergrills@traegeroutdoors @yeti @saintarcherbrew @verticalhold @sheltahats @bettawear @outdoorresearch @sandiegochapter_aac @americanalpine @gsioutdoors, your support of these events is always greatly appreciated! Looking forward to our next BBQ’s x BELAY’s x BEER’s events in 2019!!!
BBQ's x BELAY's x BEER'S // Event #1 Joshua Tree National Park
Well we just wrapped up our first of 2 events for this years BBQ”s x BELAY’s x BEER’s in Joshua Tree National Park and what a great weekend it was! Over 20 participants came out to enjoy this special National Park with us last weekend and the event did not disappoint! Two days of stellar rock climbing in Joshua Tree, 2 nights of camping, some tasty food from Traeger Grills, Saint Archer Brewery, and Yeti Coolers, a rope coiling contest and plenty of awesome memories to last a lifetime! Big thanks to everyone who came out to our first weekend of BBQ”s x BELAY’s x BEER’s! We have one more event coming up December 14th - 16th so stay tuned for more highlights from the next weekend out!
3rd Annual American Alpine Club Holiday Party
Mark it on your calendar San Diego climbers! The American Alpine Clubs San Diego Chapter is throwing their 3rd annual Holiday party on Thursday, November 29th from 6-9 pm at Helix Brewing. Presentations will be given by local climbers David Rozul and Amy Amodio, tasty food will be available, a raffle will go down and good beer will be drank! Come support the local AAC chapter and have a good time while doing it! Hope to see everyone out there!
Wilderness First Responder Course with MED Alliance
After 14 consecutive days, 72+ hours, and 2 final exams we’re pleased to announce that everyone who attended our first Working Professionals Wilderness First Responder Course, facilitated by our partner @themedalliance passed! Big congratulations to all of the participants for sticking it out over the duration of the course and gaining certification. Your commitment to furthering your education in wilderness medicine to help others in distress is commendable. Also, huge thanks to MED Alliance for providing the curriculum and awesome instructor, Jake Ward and to our other partner @verticalhold for letting us use their facility, you all rock! If you missed out this time don’t sweat it! We plan to host multiple WFR and WFA courses throughout 2019 so stay tuned and keep up to date by following our social media outlets or by signing up for our eNewsletter.
AMGA Annual Meeting // Salt Lake City
Another annual AMGA meeting comes to an end. Big thanks to the @amga1979 for providing an amazing few days at the Petzl Institute in Salt Lake City and an even bigger thanks to all the Instructors and Guides that facilitated the clinics and classroom meetings, it’s greatly appreciated. Looking forward to another great meeting next year.
GSG Guide Kelvin Nguyen Successful Summits // Ama Dablam x Island Peak
We couldn’t be more stoked for this guy right here! GSG Guide @kelvin_artdoors successfully lead a team up the stunning peaks of Ama Dablam (6,812 m/ 22,349’) and Island Peak (6,189 m/ 20,305’) located in the Himalaya/ Eastern Nepal this October. Both mountains reside outside of the town Pangboche, the gateway to Everest. Kelvin’s success was a culmination of years of dedication and hard work put into various mountain ranges all over the world. We can’t think of a more humble and deserving guy to congratulate. Waita get after your dreams and send it Kelvin!
Ladies Weekend Out Event // Joshua Tree National Park
What an incredible weekend out with all the Ladies who attended our Ladies Weekend Out, Fall 2018 event this past weekend in Joshua Tree National Park! Stoke levels were through the roof and it showed in all the Ladies climbing! First climbs outdoors, camaraderie, crack climbing, new friendships forged, demos, it all went down! We can’t thank everyone enough for coming out for the weekend. It was truly inspiring to see the Ladies sending so hard, well done!
HUGE thanks to our partners of the LWO event, Saint Archer, Aret Basewear, Yeti, Outdoor Research, American Alpine Club - San Diego Chapter, Vertical Hold and Shelta Hats, we couldn’t do it without your support.
Lastly, we always need to pay our finest respects to the GSG Guides and Ambassadors that facilitate these amazing outings for us. Lauren Breitenbach, Greg Davis, Tyler Dandurand, Sarah Barille and Scott Iwamoto, all of you are truly talented in the field, we can’t thank you enough for your continued efforts! And last but not least, we can’t forget our incredibly gifted GSG Ambassador and photographer Jameson Schultz for shooting the entire event, thanks for everything you do Jamo! Check out his link above for some amazing photos!
To see a full gallery shot by Jameson click here, you’ll be happy you did!
Toop 625 // Joshua Tree National Park
Awesome being back in the park and facilitating a full value day for Boy Scout Troop 625! Lots of instruction, plenty of climbing and as always, a fun rappel to top the day off with! Thanks for having us Troop 625 and big thanks to GSG Guide Greg Davis and Apprentice Guide Ash Gambhir for facilitating, couldn’t do it without you guys!.
1% for the Planet x Golden State Guiding
Golden State Guiding is proud to announce we’re an official member of 1% for the Planet.
Supporting our community of climbers and outdoor enthusiasts has always been at the forefront of our service but equally important is our responsibility as a business to protect the natural places we recreate in for future generations.
Our commitment to preserving the environment begins in the field and with 1% for the Planet. We couldn’t be more thrilled to share this exciting news with our community and begin supporting the organizations we believe make a difference.
Photo: @Jameson.Schultz
2nd Annual BBQ's x BELAY's x BEER's // Registration Open
Registration is officially open for our 2nd Annual BBQ’s x BELAY’s x BEER’s events in Joshua Tree, NP! Come climb with our professionally trained AMGA guides as we take you out to some of our favorite crags in Joshua Tree! Cost is $225 and includes 2 days of guided climbing, 2 nights camping, and dinner and refreshments Saturday evening. Click here to learn more about the event and register. Hope to see you out there!
GSG Ambassador Meetup // Eastern Sierra & Yosemite
Staying connected to the people that represent our company is important to us. Whether Guides or Ambassadors, we are all connected by this simple activity that brings us joy, rock climbing. We decided to head out into the alpine this past weekend with a few of our Ambassadors to tick a couple classic routes in the Sierra. GSG Ambassadors Shane McNichol, Kory McAfee and Founder of GSG Ryan Hartegan hit the road late Friday evening for a quick strike mission up the beautiful North Arete of Crystal Crag and one of the most breathtaking lines in all of Yosemite, the Regular Route on Cathedral Peak. These images basically sum up the weekend, stellar climbing, great companionship, and one of the most stunning sunsets any of them had ever witnessed as they descended Cathedral Peak. Weekends like this remind us of how incredibly fortunate we are for the friendships we’ve forged over the years, the natural landscapes we have the privilege of exploring and this beautiful planet we get to call home.
Golden State Guiding // Tech Video Shoot
We've officially begun shooting our first series of Tech Videos at Golden State Guiding! The video series will reinforce our commitment to furthering education for our climbing community by focusing on simple techniques, best practices and some obscure systems you may not find on other online tutorials. Our official launch is aimed at the end of the 2018 or beginning of 2019, keep a lookout!
GSG Welcomes Ash Gambhir to the Ambassador Family
Golden State Guiding's Ambassador Family just grew again! We're pleased to announce our latest addition to the GSG Ambassador Family, Ash Gambhir (@verticalnomad). Ash joins the program with a heart full of adventure and an impressive list of achievements, especially in the alpine. Recently awarded the Live Your Dream Grant by the American Alpine Club in 2018, Ash has been at it non-stop ticking some classic alpine lines. From the striking ice climb, Liberty Ridge on Mount Rainier, to the beautiful line, Fishhook Arete on Mount Russell, to a very recent ascent of Thunerbolt peak in the Palisades, Ash has spent more time at elevation than many people we know! Ash is also working as an Apprentice Guide with Golden State Guiding and is currently pursuing certification through the AMGA as a Single Pitch Instructor and plans to enroll in the AMGA Alpine Skills Course this fall. Along with his thirst for adventure Ash also enjoys giving back to his community by being an active member of the American Alpine Club's San Diego Chapter. We're incredibly excited to have Ash join the GSG Ambassador Family, be on the lookout for more trip reports from Ash which you can follow by checking out his blog Vertical Nomads at verticalnomads.com
Mount Emerson // South East Face
Getting a client to the top of their first alpine route is always an incredibly satisfying moment. The progression people are capable of in such a short amount of time these days is impressive to say the least. We always make sure to assess our clients physical and mental capacities before putting them on an alpine objective but sometimes it's a no-brainer as was the case with Jake last week during his first alpine ascent of Mount Emerson's South East Face. GSG Guide Joshua Reinig had the pleasure of guiding Jake up this moderate alpine route in the Eastern Sierra just outside of Bishop and what an incredible day they both had. Technical climbing right off the deck followed by a long scree chute and rib hoping, ending with a knife edge traverse, we'd say Jake got the full value experience his first day in the alpine! Thanks to Jake for giving us the chance to guide him in our favorite arena and to GSG Guide Josh for facilitating the day.
Mount Sill // Swiss Arete // Palisade Range
Another successful outing into the Palisade Range went down this past weekend! These 3 badass ladies conquered the Swiss Arete (5.7, Grade III), during a 3 day outing in one of our favorite places to guide. Perfect temps, good vibes and an all around great time was had by all. Big congratulations to these 3 for summiting one of the more iconic peaks in the Eastern Sierra! Also, big thanks to GSG Lead Guide Josh Reinig for facilitating the outing and to GSG Guide Greg Davis for taking the time to be mentored by Josh. We couldn't do it without our awesome Guide Family!
Gym 2 Crag // July Series Wrap Up
We just wrapped up another Gym 2 Crag series for the month of July and had nothing but happy participants at the end of the course! Knots and Hitches, Top Rope Anchors and Rappelling skills were taught throughout the 3 weeks at our partner gym Vertical Hold then we took it to our local crag, Mission Gorge, where our students put their newly acquired skills to the test! Big thanks to everyone who attended the G2C for the month of July we couldn't be more pleased with your success! Also, big thanks to our newest apprentice Scott Iwamoto for helping facilitate the day out!
Beating the Heat // Holcomb Valley Rock Climbing
With California temperatures reaching all time highs at lower elevations we opted for cooler temps and took a short drive to Holcomb Valley just outside of the town of Big Bear, CA. The first good indicator was that we were able to find a close parking spot at the southern lot! Crowds were minimal, temperatures optimal, and good vibes were being spread among the guides and our two clients as we climbed up numerous pitches throughout the day. It's always a pleasure catching up with repeat clients and Lauren and AJ were stoked to get back out with us. Thanks for the great day you two and big thanks to GSG Guide Greg Davis for facilitating.
Sierra Single Pitchn' Event // Eastern Sierra
Another amazing weekend with great people in a beautiful place! We wrapped up our Sierra Single Pitchn’ Event in the Eastern Sierra and I think it’s safe to say we’re still coming down from a big high! We spent 2 nights camping in beautiful Rock Creek Canyon and ventured out each day into the Eastern Sierra, sampling some fine rock climbing along the way. Day 1 was spent at Clark Canyon where we climbed large formations composed of volcanic rock followed by a dip in Rock Creek Lake to round out the day. Day 2 we ventured north into the Mammoth Lakes Basin area where we spent the day climbing at Horseshoe Slabs, nestled between Horseshoe Lake and beautiful pine trees of all shapes and sizes. The Sierra is a very special place to all of our Guides, it’s a privilege to be able to introduce people to a place so near and dear to our heart. Thanks to everyone who attended the first annual Sierra Single Pitchn’ Event, this is just the beginning of more fun outings to come on the Eastside! Also, big shout out to GSG Guide Greg Davis for facilitating the weekend and to GSG Guide Tyler Dandurand and GSG Apprentice Guide Sarah Barille for helping along the way. Awesome team we have, couldn't do it without you guys!
To view the full gallery of photos click here.
