The Story

The sport of rock climbing is essentially about moving your body freely. It takes on special significance in Palestine where, because of decades of Israeli military occupation and colonization, Palestinians are not free to move. 

In 2014, Tim Bruns and Will Harris moved to Ramallah, Palestine with the goal of establishing a climbing gym and introducing locals to the sport. They had studied Arabic in Jordan and were inspired by the growth of other climbing communities in the Arab world. In 2016, with the help of local friends and expats, Wadi Climbing, the first climbing gym in Palestine, was opened to the public. In addition to the gym, Tim, Will and many others helped establish outdoor climbing areas in the West Bank that are accessible to Palestinians. 

Today, there is a vibrant community of psyched Palestinian climbers that continue to explore, develop and grow the sport of climbing. Wadi Climbing operates trips to introduce everyone from Palestinian kids to visiting tourists to the joys of rock climbing in Palestine. In 2019, Climbing Palestine; A Guide to Rock Climbing in the West Bank was published. Some climbers from the community established the Palestine Climbers Association with the goal of growing the sport and helping local climbers gain access to international competitions. 

In 2022, Sender Films, a production company out of Boulder, Colorado sent a film crew to document this nascent community. The result was a 37-minute film called Resistance Climbing, which was part of the Reel Rock 17 film tour and was seen by audiences around the world. 

After October 7th, 2023 and the ensuing genocide in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli regime, it felt important to leverage the newfound international connection to rock climbing in Palestine in order to raise funds for Gaza relief. As such, proceeds from the sales of these products will go to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.