Allison Vest

Allison Vest
Personal information
NationalityCanadian
Born (1995-06-26) June 26, 1995 (age 29)
St. Paul, Minnesota
EducationUniversity of British Columbia
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Climbing career
Type of climber
Highest grade
Medal record
Canadian Bouldering Nationals
Gold medal – first place 2018 Bouldering
Gold medal – first place 2020 Bouldering
Canadian Lead Nationals
Gold medal – first place 2019 Lead

Allison Vest (born June 26, 1995) is a Canadian rock climber known for competition climbing, bouldering and sport climbing. She won the Canadian Bouldering Nationals in 2018[1] and 2020.[2] She also came first in Canadian Lead Nationals in 2019,[1] and placed 10th in the World Beach Games in Doha, Qatar in 2019.[3] In August 2019, Vest became the first female Canadian climber to a conquer a V13 (8B) graded boulder, with The Terminator, in Squamish, British Columbia. This feat was documented in the 2020 film The Terminator, which premiered at the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival on March 1, 2020.

In February of 2022, after taking an extended break from competition climbing, Vest became the first Canadian woman to climb a V14 (8B+) graded boulder, "Show Your Scars", in Ogden, Utah.[4]

Biography

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Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Vest relocated to Canmore, Alberta, with her family when she was seven. She retains dual citizenship.[5] Living in the Canadian Rockies, she began competitive climbing at age 9,[6] and joined the Canadian National Team as a teenager.

Vest is nicknamed "Albatross"[citation needed] because of her 7+ ape index. At 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), her wingspan is 7 inches (180 mm) longer than her height (5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)).

Canadian Nationals performance

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CEC Women's Open Boulder and Open Lead Rankings
Rank
2020 Open Boulder Nationals 1st
2019 Open Lead Nationals 1st
2019 Open Boulder Nationals 6th
2018 Open Boulder Nationals 1st

Personal life

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She has garnered a following on social media as a result of her humorous and satirical training videos.[7]

She began her studies at the University of Alberta and transferred to the University of British Columbia in 2015 to study kinesiology.[5] She is sponsored by Black Diamond, Tension Climbing, RhinoSkin Solutions, and Hive Climbing. In her spare time, she was a youth team coach at the Hive Climbing Gym in Vancouver.

Since spring 2020, she has lived and trained in Salt Lake City with friend and American climber Kyra Condie, and the pair began documenting their training on their shared TikTok account, @climbingroommates.[8] In 2022, Vest and Condie launched the podcast "Circle Up with Allison and Kyra", creating 30 minute episodes on climbing, motivation, body image and mindset.[9]

[edit]

TrainingBeta podcast, "Finger Strength Domination and Outdoor vs. Indoor Bouldering", Vest is interviewed as the subject of this episode.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Results and Rankings". Climbing Escalade Canada. 2019-03-04. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  2. ^ "The Final Round of the Canadian Boulder Nationals 2020". Gripped Magazine. 2020-01-13. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  3. ^ "AWBG 2019". BORNAN. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  4. ^ Walker, Noah (2022-02-06). "Allison Vest Becomes First Canadian Woman to Climb V14". Gripped Magazine. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  5. ^ a b Schaufele, Tim (2019-02-27). "Interview with 2018 Canadian Bouldering Champion Allison Vest | 2019 OBN". Squamish Climbing Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  6. ^ "Allison Vest". www.blackdiamondequipment.com. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  7. ^ "Six Funny Allison Vest Instagram Videos". Gripped Magazine. 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  8. ^ Schneider, Ari (February 8, 2021). "Life at Home With the BFF Rock Climbers Redefining the Sport". Vogue.
  9. ^ "Circle Up!". Spotify. Retrieved 2023-04-10.