Thomasina Pidgeon has been a familiar name in Canadian climbing for as long as I can remember. Originally from Newfoundland, Thomasina moved to Whistler and then Squamish, BC to pursue her love for outdoor climbing. Quickly turning to life on the road, Thomasina perfected her talents climbing outside in her stomping grounds of Bishop, Heuco, and Squamish. She was the first Canadian women to climb v10, v11, and v12, and more importantly, she has always been dedicated to her craft.
A few years ago, Thomasina decided to start a new journey into the world of competition climbing. Her adventures led her from the forest of Squamish to the indoor climbing gyms of Europe and the European competition circuit. Despite a number of hurdles, Thomasina has stayed steadfast in her desire to learn from her experience and continues to pursue the unforgiving world of competition climbing.
With the IFSC Bouldering World Cup in Toronto this weekend, we thought it was a great opportunity to talk to Thomasina about her experiences in Europe and her return to Squamish. After interviewing her, we knew that just one interview could not capture her experience. Thomasina will be representing Canada this weekend and then at the IFSC Bouldering World Cup in Vail, CO. Here is part one of our interview with Thomasina Pidgeon.
Thomasina and Cedar. Photo courtesy of Thomasina Pidgeon ©
You are headed to Toronto. How do you feel going into the first IFSC Bouldering World Cup of the year?
It feels strange to say this but I actually feel slightly excited for this comp! It is kind of a new feeling for me because although I do enjoy and get a lot out of comps, it’s in a weird sadistic sort of way, I can’t really say that I have ever been excited for one. There has just been too much fear and doubt behind my being that the very idea of relaxing seemed as foreign as all the languages I’ve heard in Europe.
Leading up to the comp, have you been doing anything specific to train or get ready?
It’s been a rough month for training as I hurt my right shoulder, then my back, then really tweaked the left shoulder, then had an attack of the flu… so, training didn’t go as planned. The left shoulder is still tweaked because of my impatience but looking on the bright side, it slowed me down and prevented me from the usual overtraining. Next time I will try not to be so short-sighted with injuries. With all that, my preparation consisted of doing what I could without further injuring myself which meant focusing on what I wanted which was bouldering in the forest, mixed with a combination of strength training at the Squamish Co-op, and a few days doing 4*4’s! Way less prep than Nationals but man, the time spent in the forest was special!
Mom and daughter heading into of the forest. Photo courtesy of Thomasina Pidgeon ©
You almost didn’t make it to this one. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Oh the disastrous Nationals. Basically, I worked very hard under the guidance of a trainer from SLC who knew what he was doing and I trusted him. Physically I was prepared though perhaps I could have tapered a little earlier. But my biggest problem however was the mental side. This has been a big crux for me so I tried everything to improve. From visualizations to meditations, to stressing myself out so to practice under pressure, you name it, I did it. It was one of few comps that I felt prepared for but in the end, I way over did it. At problem one, I was a deer in headlights. I froze. Any mindfulness went out the window and the sweating hands to parched mouth didn’t register. I copied what others did instead of listening to myself and basically ran through the semis without a breath. I fell off the last move of every problem in a most hesitating and self defeating way, I questioned myself and lacked all trust in my abilities to finish. It was unfortunate because the next day I did the problems in one or two goes so I knew my climbing skill wasn’t the problem. My ability to relax and be calm under pressure, however, was a major issue. In retrospect, I learned a lot from what happened; perhaps more than I would have learned had I done well.
Warming up at Nationals. Photo courtesy of Thomasina Pidgeon ©
How hard is it going to these comps without full financial support?
People often say to me that they don’t know how I do it and my response is yeah, I don’t know how either!! It has been pretty hard to say the least. My sponsors help with gear which helps but there is no funding. I have been able to deal with the financial stress 75% of the time mostly because of my idealistic, dreamy outlook on life but 25% of the time, reality hits and so does the meltdown. This time last year I arrived in Toronto for the World Cup with a ticket purchased on borrowed money, enough pocket change for a bus ticket to my friends and a visa card that was being denied. That wasn’t the first or last time things went like that but things work out. The extra demand of plane tickets forces me to be a bit more creative and how I get to the comps varies each time. Sometimes I borrow and pay back when work pays or I use the magic Visa card. Last year, crowdfunding helped get us back for the Nationals and the Toronto comp but this year has been harder. Last week I was going to pull from the comps partly because of my shoulder but mostly because I didn’t yet have the tickets to Vail or the return to Vancouver. While I got the first set of tickets though accumulated air-mile points, getting the remainder seemed next to impossible. So, I set up a public sponsorship campaign through my blog and that’s helped. But I am still hopelessly in debt and basically live off my Visa card which isn’t sustainable but for now it’s the only choice. While most people can’t handle this pressure, I have a great faith that things work out and besides, experience is invaluable.
You recently moved back to Squamish after spending two and half years in Europe. How has the transition been for you?
At first, I anticipated what language I would hear and often translated what I wanted to say beforehand in my mind. Then there were the plastic bills and the time I went to pay with pennies… the unrecognizable faces in the boulders… things were a little different…!! The challenge is finding psyched partners and enough crash pads to attack projects. Europe was like this too so I am somewhat accustomed. The crew of friends who once roamed the forest has somewhat dissipated into their own worlds and houses. This has been different but good, it makes room for growth and new experiences. Besides all that, it has been awesome!!! I am most happy to be back in Squamish and I think the break was really good for me. I really appreciate what we have here in terms of everything, the climbing, the land, the community… Community has always been very important to me and having been in Europe for so long without that connection… well, it is something very nice and not something I take for granted. Squamish is a special place.
Photo courtesy of Thomasina Pidgeon ©
Can you tell us a bit about why you went to Europe and some of the things you learned there?
Originally, I went to have a change of scene. Life in Squamish was stagnant and psych was low. I craved to see different things, to hear words I didn’t understand. I also thought it would be a good opportunity to learn how to train and compete with some strong Europeans. I quickly found out my ideals were naïve. Europeans don’t let anyone in on their training knowledge except for maybe the Swiss and Slovenians. As for what was learned I would have to say I learned more about myself then anything. There was a lot of time spent alone, more than my normal reclusiveness which made me question a lot of things about people, community and more so myself. It wasn’t a super easy time but it was interesting to say the least! Lots of inner and outer adventures!
You have been working a competitions for a number of years. What have you learned so far?
Besides the whole realization that gym and competition climbing is a completely different style of climbing and lifestyle than what I was used to, the deeper answer is to long for this interview…!! But to sum it up, I learned a lot about myself from how I handle inner and public pressure, to my sense of self-worth in respect to climbing; and to how I think and approach problems in general. I struggled a lot with the mental side of competitions which has led me to a really interesting journey of learning about my own mind set, negative habits and limiting beliefs that I’ve had since a child. It has been the hardest but most rewarding. The funny thing about the pressure filled situations of competitions is that I see it as an opportunity to apply what I learned or to see what I have to learn; it’s like a test of letting go. Sometimes you can’t, sometimes you can…
Thomasina on the campus board at The Spot. Photo courtesy of Thomasina Pidgeon ©
Often back and forth about if its worth it, where are you now?
Despite all the emotional turmoil that comps invoke inside of me I would happily say that yes it is worth it. Comps are a test where I can choose to break free of my own self and limiting beliefs or let them drag me down into the abyss which I have been to many a time. It has forced me to look a little deeper as well as introduced me to new ideas and concepts I never really heard of that in the end make life more meaningful and interesting. If I hadn’t done comps I maybe never would know what a fixed verses growth mindset is. Maybe I would not have quit sugar..! So many things!!
Has your outdoor climbing suffered because of competing?
There is for sure less time to go outside because if I want to improve on plastic, I have to train on plastic. When training for Nationals I missed some of the best days of the Squamish spring which made me questioned my sanity. Squamish has always been my area to measure my improvement. When I came back, I felt stronger on individual moves but my fitness and footwork were terrible but that came back pretty quick. In Europe, I didn’t have that ability to compare myself on an old project so I always questioned if I was improving or not. In Europe I did get outside, not as much as I wanted but it was enough to keep the jitters down. I managed to climb a few v11’s and a v12 and was very close to another which helped with the motivation. I had done so bad in comps it really affected my confidence and made me question my abilities but I was glad to see that all wasn’t lost. If anything I am really looking forward to getting back on the rock.
Photo courtesy of Thomasina Pidgeon ©
What are you looking forward to the most this weekend?
It’s funny I don’t think I ever really looked ‘forward’ to the comps but for this one I actually feel a bit excited. I am psyched to see some old friends and see the impressive euros climb. It would be nice to see if I can go to this comp and just focus on relaxing and having fun for once! I would like to practice viewing it as just another training session and an opportunity to learn and try to be better than my last time. I am very analytical which tends to dig me into a hole and so am trying to keep it simple this time round.
Well good luck today and thanks so much for your answers.
Thomasina on Black Hole. Photo courtesy of Thomasina Pidgeon ©
Thomasina Pidgeon is sponsored by Metolius and La Sportiva