Dozens of climbing gyms and brands around the United States stood in solidarity on Friday with immigrants and protesters of federal immigration enforcement actions. Some businesses temporarily closed their operations for the day, as part of the nationwide “no work, no school, no shopping” strikes, while others stayed open but donated some or all proceeds to nonprofit organizations supporting immigrants and mutual aid efforts.
The demonstrations last week were some of the latest responses to months of increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities across the country—raids, detentions and deportations—and deployment of the U.S. National Guard in several major U.S. cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, New Orleans and Washington D.C. Most recently, the January 30 protests and strikes followed weeks of ICE involvement in Minneapolis and the deaths of Keith Porter Jr., Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
Below are some examples of how climbing industry businesses were expressing solidarity with protesters and immigrant friends, neighbors and families last week, per their social media posts; many more collective actions have been taking place that are not included below.
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Organizing in Minneapolis
In Minneapolis, Minnesota Climbing Cooperative (MNCC) and The A twice paused day pass sales, on January 23 and January 30, and encouraged everyone to support the strike and protest instead of climbing at the gym. MNCC also extended its opening hours on January 31 to raise money for the Edison High School Activity Council’s mutual aid fund, with proceeds going toward local families impacted by the recent events in Minneapolis.
Bouldering Project held modified hours at its Minneapolis gym on January 23, delayed the grand opening of its new St. Paul location, and instead on January 31 offered discounted day passes and unlimited guest passes for members, donating $1 per check-in and $5 on specific retail sales to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.
Vertical Endeavors cancelled its Jug or Not 2026 competition that was set to take place on January 31 at VE Minneapolis, pivoting the event to a Six Hours for Community competition which was “free to all with a donation to the Groveland Food Shelf or the Calvary Baptist Church’s Neighbor Fund,” per the gym’s Instagram post.
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Temporary Closures
Elsewhere, climbing gyms and brands in multiple states outright closed their doors for the day.
In California, Touchstone closed its 18 locations on January 30, while affirming “all hourly employees who were scheduled to work will be paid.” The Stronghold Climbing Gym also closed its gyms on Friday, only days after an employee at the business was deported.
In Colorado, Ascent Studio and The Campus both halted operations on January 30 as well, and so did a number of brands, including Absolute Holds, Kilter and Tension. Kilter’s Instagram post stated, “…We cannot stand by and be complicit. We make this decision with love for all Americans and hope we can work toward a better future together!”
Further east, in Wisconsin, Boulders Climbing Gym joined the strike, noting like many other businesses that “staff who will be missing shifts will still be paid for their hours.” And the brand Organic, in Pennsylvania, closed as well on January 30.
Climbing Business Journal also participated in the nationwide shutdown, pausing business for the day and replacing its homepage with a solidarity statement, while continuing to pay CBJ staff.
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Other Solidarity Efforts
Countless more climbing gyms and brands across the country stayed open but held related initiatives on January 30, from offering free day passes to donating proceeds toward charitable causes, which often centered around supporting immigrants.
This list includes but is not limited to: Alaska Rock Gym in Alaska; Benchmark Climbing, Sender One and The Boulder Field in California; ABC Kids, Boulder Rock Club, Climbing Collective, KAYA, Steamboat Climbing Collective and The Spot in Colorado; Ascent Climbing Gym in Connecticut; Mosaic and LEF in Kentucky and Ohio; MetroRock Littleton in Massachusetts; Dyno Detroit in Michigan; NH Climbing in New Hampshire; Mustangs Bouldering in New York; Crux Climbing Center in Texas; The Front Climbing Club in Utah; and Greater Heights in Wisconsin.
“As many of you know, and as I’ve never been shy about sharing: I am an immigrant,” said Sender One CEO Alice Kao in an Instagram post. “One of the things I love most about living in the United States is the freedom to choose how I support the causes I believe in. While there are many ways to respond, this is how Sender One will—by keeping our doors open as a welcoming space and using our platform to support human rights in a tangible way.”
Stay tuned to CBJ for the latest coverage of news from around the climbing industry.
