Camelback Mountain Safety Sign & Memorial for Fall Victim Clint McHale

A new sign being planned for Camelback Mountain will likely memorialize falling victim Clint McHale with a picture, but don’t call it a memorial, says one Phoenix official.”It’ll be more like an educational or information sign,” says Kathi Reichert, deputy director for Phoenix’s Parks and Recreation department. “It talks about…

CrossFit: Nine Spots to Check Out the Olympian Workout in Phoenix

All gyms are not created equal. If the high-tech treadmills and state-of-the-art weight training equipment haven’t brought expected results, CrossFit could be the answer.Military special operations and police academies have turned to CrossFit gyms since 2005, and mainstream versions of the workout routine have multiplied to the thousands since 2010. The…

When to Catch the First Meteor Shower of 2012

The Quadrantids meteor shower will be shinning bright (for anyone willing to roll out of bed) with a maximum rate of about 100 meteor per hour, according to NASA. While most of last year’s showers were hard to see because of full moons, Tuesday night/Wednesday morning’s shower will have little to…

We’re Doomed: Scientists Discover Jumping Cockroach

Yes, friends, this week scientists announced the discovery of the newest, scariest addition to the already dream-haunting 4,000 species of the sewer bug — and this one jumps. The leaproach, scientific name saltoblattella montistabularis, is noted as an “evolution” of the cockroach with “extreme” bulging eyes to pinpoint landing spots, more aerodynamic antenna sockets…

When to Catch Tomorrow’s “Impossible” Total Lunar Eclipse

If you can drag yourself out of bed tomorrow morning, you’ll want to look up to get a glimpse of a total lunar eclipse — the last one until 2014. The moon passes through the southern part of the Earth’s shadow, which gives the “eclipse” effect, (fortunately not of the vampire…

“Team Thrashers” Takes Kids to Higher Levels in Rock Climbing

Few things are as humbling to an athletic adult as failing to reach the top of a tough wall at the rock-climbing gym — then watching a 12-year-old do it without breaking a sweat.And for the 12-year-old, that’s just cool.This happens all the time at one of our favorite haunts,…

Lance Armstrong Wins Urban Dirt Tri in Tempe

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong came, saw, and conquered the Four Peaks Brewery Urban Dirt Triathlon in Tempe on Sunday. He blew the competition out of the Town Lake water by more than four minutes.Armstrong announced his participation in the race on his Twitter feed a few days ago, but other…

Tempe’s Climbmax Climbing Gym Reopens

After a two-day hiatus and a big scare to the local climbing community, Climbmax owner Mike Fitzgerald announced last night that the Tempe indoor climbing gym will be open again, as of this afternoon. “Our short closure has given way to negotiations to renew our lease,” Fitzgerald wrote on the Climbmax’s…

Closed for Business: Climbmax Climbing Gym in Tempe

Mike Fitzgerald announced Wednesday that he was closing the doors of Climbmax, effective immediately. Word spread quickly through the climbing community, and an open letter was posted by Fitzgerald on the Climbmax website:”Due to reasons beyond our control, we have been forced to immediately close this facility,” Fitzgerald writes. “Closing the gym…

Usery Mountain’s Wind Cave Trail

This week’s hiking lesson: The $6 entrance fee to see the Wind Cave Trail at Usery Mountain Recreation Area is totally worth it. The 1.6-mile trail is fairly easy; it’s the most popular hike in the area. There are few rough spots where you have to navigate over some big…

A State Park Photo Quest

The hunt is on.Last week, four Arizona State Parks posters of Kartchner Caverns, Alamo Lake, Lost Dutchman, and Slide Rock were placed at various Light Rail stations from Phoenix to Tempe. If you find all four and submit your own digital photos of the the posters at the stations (example…

Lessons Learned from The Warrior Dash

The first Arizona Warrior Dash concluded on Sunday with live music, beer in plastic cups, and muddy, muddy masses. Here are a few things we learned from the 3.4-mile run. Noted for next year: 1. The obstacles are no joke. Some of the obstacles were pretty easy, but some were pretty…

See Saturn From an ASU Rooftop This Friday

On Friday night, ASU will host its last Astronomy Open House of the year with views of Saturn through rooftop telescopes. You know that means — cool, free date night. The telescopes will be set up from 8 to 10 p.m.on the Bateman Physical Sciences H-Wing on the Tempe Campus…

Desert Foothills/Telegraph Pass/National East

Phoenix’s South Mountain is known for its extensive trail system; even if you start at the same place every time you go hiking, you can end up taking five different trails to the top. The mountain’s Desert Foothills Trailhead provides an easy start — a wide, paved, flat surface. But…