Thomasina Pidgeon’s life and work has taken many forms including being a professional climber, coach, writer, traveler, business owner and mother. Since leaving Newfoundland at age 18, she has been exploring, learning, and ‘nomading’ out of various Toyota vans for over 25 years. Climbing obsessed, she has stood on the edge of ocean cliffs in North Wales and has chased boulders half way across the world.
Thomasina’s semi-nomadic lifestyle has cultivated within her a deep respect and appreciation for natural spaces and instilled the importance of culture, community and minimal living. Feeling a deep responsibility for Mother Earth and human rights, Thomasina is compelled to fight for social and environmental justice, while inquiring into the truth of the matter at hand. Through use of words and images, Thomasina shares experiences and strives to dig deep and inspire discussion about the reality and kind of future we are creating.
When introduced to climbing at 24, it didn’t take long for it to consume her every thought and life decision. She has climbed in over 15 countries, became the first Canadian woman to boulder V10, V11, V12, and has since bouldered over 75 problems in this range. Thomasina has placed 1st (and last) in multiple national and international level bouldering competitions. In her late 30’s, she was a National Team member for 3-4 years where she balanced work, sole parenting, and climbing outside with competition climbing. Her best result was 29th at the IFSC Bouldering World Cup in 2015 at age of 40. In 2016, a serious shoulder injury forced her take a step back. Thomasina is rarely found on a rope.
Her writing is a collection of stories and thoughts from life on the road, balancing motherhood and passions of climbing; injuries, success, failure, to reflections on past and current events.
Based out of the traditional, ancestral and unceded Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Territory, her home is a 1995 Toyota RV which she shares with her beautiful daughter Cedar has been out-climbing and outsmarting her for many years. Thomasina runs a small gym and is simultaneously pursuing a master’s degree in Human Geography, and is interested in how people who live in vehicles are positioned and regulated in society and how they push back against capital and colonial dominant understandings of home and property.
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