Note: this poem is published in Volume 17, now available. Banner photo of the author bouldering in Coopers Rock State Forest, West Virginia. Photo: Jessi Haynes My temple is carved in a face holding tens of thousands of years of strife. The ages echo through its forms, flowing down countless laughter lines borne of violence,…
Say a prayer for those you love and everyone else. That’s what I’ve written on my sleeping pad, and the last words I read before going to bed. The first person I pray for lately is my friend Mark Grundon. Mark is twenty two years old and has cancer, or hopefully, by now, had cancer. …
Just A Climber (For Bears Ears) is the result of 20 years of thinking and recreating in Indian Creek. When the new protections are threatened by the Trump administration Luke Mehall sharpens his tools from his rucksack of poetry, and prepares for the battle to save Bears Ears. Directed / Edited / Greg Cairns //…
This last month, as we raise funds for The Climbing Zine Book, I’ve been telling a lot of stories about how The Zine came to be. I thought over the course of the month I’d run short on material, but now 29 days into it, I realized I have so many stories its ridiculous. …
Since November, I’ve been in Modesto, California, with my family and, while here, digitally archiving the multitude of slides, negatives, writings, etc., that occupy nearly every corner of our home. Luke and I had discussed doing this photo essay months ago, and it’s been a bizarre endeavor, writing about something as personal and precious as…
It would have been hard to write about Phil Schaal even if he were still here—here meaning still alive. Alive meaning still breathing and walking. With anything that involved Phil, he would have been critical, demanded better, demanded the best. by Cyrena Lee, Senior Contributor to The Climbing Zine. This piece is published in The…
Most women, at some point in their lives, get discouraged about their appearance because they may not possess the ideal body, according to societal standards. I was no different. I have always lived in predominantly white communities, and with that, feminine beauty typically meant white or light skin, tall, skinny, long hair, European facial features—the…
The fringe is where the magic happens. Four climbers pack into The Freedom Mobile, a graffiti-ed vehicle, spray painted red, white and blue. The sun is shining so brilliantly, its impossible not to be intoxicated by the Vitamin D it provides, even before climbing. by Luke Mehall, (This piece was originally published in Volume 5,…