UKC

Beyond the Wall: climbing in the West BankFri Night Vid

© BMC TV

In spring 2016 Palestine's first climbing wall was opened as part of the Wadi Climbing project, to help develop the Palestinian climbing community. Based in the West Bank city of Ramallah and close to the nearby 'barrier' crossing point of Qalandiya to reach East Jerusalem, these places are better known as flashpoints for Israeli/Palestinian tensions.

Primarily through the eyes of West Bank residents, Anas Askar and his brother Urwah, the film takes a look at being a climber in Palestine and the problems that impromptu roadblocks and illegal Israeli settlements can mean in order to just reach the crag. Ultimately, irrespective of where we live the film shows that the reasons why we climb are similar but under some circumstances, the act of going climbing serves an even greater importance.


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16 Mar, 2018

Great that you featured this video. I meant to link it on the Ondra thread earlier this week because I think the crag is the same one he visited, but possibly he went through the Settlement, not around? I think it was mentioned in the article.

17 Mar, 2018

Very good film. Hopefully this will encourgae the folks in the West Bank to carry on, and people in the wider world to perhaps go visit.

17 Mar, 2018

I thought this video was excellent. Very difficult to strike the correct tone with respect to the impact of the political and security issues of the West Bank and I think this was achieved perfectly.

17 Mar, 2018

I liked the chap interviewed too, about not being competitive with his brother. I thought his attitude sounded very similar to mine, I consider myself very good at going climbing (early starts, car sharing with mates, chatting with others at the crag, drinking coffee from a thermos, working out which route is which from bad guidebooks, sun bathing etc.) It's just the actual climbing I'm not so good at! He seemed to have an equally relaxed philosophy. :-)

Hope they get a chance to come on a BMC international meet.

17 Mar, 2018

"Sometimes I let my brother put in the quickdraws". Disgraceful. I would never dream of that kind of that kind of behaviour :)

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