Rock n Roll at the V-Club A story from the VW Archives, written by founder Rich Johnston. Circa 1989, just two years after the birth of the first climbing gym in America.   I was working the counter at the Vertical Club back in 1989 one day, and not much was going on.  It was a beautiful spring day and I was working on filing one of the few membership forms into an expanding folder that we kept under the desk.  This was the desk that was...

    In 1989 Lynn Hill, one of the most accomplished climbers of her time clipped into the chains at the top of a climb in France, leaned back and fell 70ft. through a tree to land between two boulders on the ground.   Amazingly, Lynn came out with only a broken ankle and some scrapes and bruises. The cause of this accident you ask? She simply forgot to finish tying her figure 8 knot. This sort of absent mindedness is the...

2015 was a year of many changes, challenges, triumphs, and moreover, great climbing – it’s definitely an interesting time to be alive and a part of the outdoor community! Amidst our busy year  of cranking out  fun and informative events, we’re so pleased with the alliances we’ve developed with gear companies, non-profits, guiding companies, and most importantly, climbers. Throughout the ebb and flow, we’d pause in the...