Climbing to new life in the Jiu Valley, Romania since 2015.

Climbing to new life

The story of Fără Limite began years before our doors opened, when Janelle and Felipe started taking along local youth when they went climbing outdoors. They quickly realized that climbing offered them an opportunity to truly connect with and mentor teens that didn’t have many other after-school options. They were limited, however, to the summer months and sunny days, and they wondered what it would look like to have a space where they could climb with youth year-round. Felipe began drafting up plans for a climbing gym and raising the support needed in order to make this dream a reality.

In April 2015, the doors of Fără Limite opened in the city of Vulcan and local children and teens, mostly from the neighborhood of Dallas right next door, began to flock to the gym. While Fără Limite prides itself in the talent, dedication, and success of our climbers, we recognize that this place is much more than just a climbing gym. This is a place where young people can be challenged and supported, where they can form lasting relationships with staff and with each other, where they can have their horizons expanded and their potentials developed with care.

Alternative education

On average, we have nearly 100 children and teens with memberships who participate weekly in our programs. Memberships are free for everyone, but members are expected to climb regularly at the gym, come to our weekly reading hour, and stay in school with passing grades. Several parents and teachers have reported seeing a measurable difference in the attendance and work of the kids who take part in our programs.

Many of our climber have been training with us since the beginning. They are extremely dedicated to the sport and a number of them compete both nationally and internationally. Our climbers regularly reach the podium in these competitions.

What drives our gym

Glorifying God in everything we do
Creating a safe and fun space
Developing relationships
Expanding worldview and awareness
Championing education
Providing access and equality
Maintaining safety and excellence

Why climbing?

Climbing is an involved sport that uses your mind and spirit just as much as your body.

Climbing increases confidence, requires discipline, encourages physical health, develops teamwork and trust, teaches perseverance, and provides a platform for mentorship.

We believe that climbing can bring real social change and positive impact in the lives of our youth because we’ve seen it happen.

A new future for the Jiu Valley

The Jiu Valley is often overlooked in Romania. A formerly thriving coal mining zone, the transition away from coal has proven difficult. Many people think that the future for the Jiu Valley lies in its natural beauty and its potential for adventure tourism.

The team at Fără Limite has worked at contributing to this potential since 2016, when we started developing crags in the Campusel area for sport climbing. Since that first bolt, we have developed over 70 routes and continue to discover new climbing areas, including a bouldering park right on the edge of the town of Lupeni.

Every August since 2017, Fără Limite hosts an annual Campusel Climbing Festival where climbers from all over the country come for a long weekend to take advantage of all this area has to offer.

We continue to look for ways to help the Jiu Valley get back on the map for what we know it to be: a valley of great beauty, great potential, and great climbing.

PROGRAMS

INDOOR CLIMBING

Kids and teens come to our bouldering gym six days a week to climb, to train, to read, to play games, or sometimes just to socialize. We route-set twice a week so that there is always something fresh to work on, and we set routes from beginner to very advanced so that everyone can find their appropriate challenge.

COMPETITIONS

Throughout the year, we take groups of our most dedicated climbers to competitions around the country, and sometimes abroad. These trips allow our climbers to see more of their country and the world, to make connections within the broader climbing community, and to be recognized and awarded for their own hard work and dedication.

EDUCATION PROGRAM

Since the very beginning of our gym, education has been a guiding value in our program. Anything we can do to keep our climbers successful in school we consider an important investment in this region. By encouraging our climbers academically through special classes and tutoring programs, we strive to help these kids learn how to love learning.

GIRLS’ NIGHT

For one night every week we open the gym to girls only with the goal of fostering a safe and welcoming community in hopes of increasing the number and and attendance of our female climbers. In addition to climbing together, we also spend some time playing games, doing fun activities, or talking about various topics related to physical, mental, and emotional health.

OUTDOOR CLIMBING

In the summer months, when the weather cooperates, we take groups of kids and teens to local crags once or twice a week where they can put to use the skills they’ve learned at the gym, and gain new skills as well. We also organize a climbing camp every summer where we all spend several days camping and climbing together in Campusel.