Climbing in Vietnam, Vietnam in Climbing

I recently wrote a story for Climbing about a small business owner who built a climbing gym and then gave it away for free.

What stayed with me wasn’t just his generosity, but the intention behind it. The gym wasn’t built to scale, to brand, or to last forever. It was built so kids could climb. So they could move their bodies, build confidence, and experience joy in a way that didn’t ask for anything in return.

Reporting this piece reminded me that climbing, at its best, isn’t about exclusivity or optimization. It’s about access. About choosing to share what you’ve built. About recognizing when something is more valuable in someone else’s hands.

Stories like this are easy to overlook because they’re quiet. But they point to a version of climbing culture rooted not in growth or prestige, but in care. It's hard to get long features out there, especially if they aren't flashy or bold or big-names doing big things. They're expensive, time consuming and use way too many words. But I hope we can all agree they're important.

Thank you to everyone who trusted me with this story and let me share it.

You can read the full piece here:

https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/why-a-small-business-owner-built-a-climbing-gym-then-gave-it-away-for-free/