I Climb Like A Girl...I wish!

[chris_girard]

Hey guys, don't know if you've ever heard of Tori Allen, but she is probably the best women's climber (rock) in the world. She started climbing trees when she was 4 years old when her and her family used to live in Africa.

Her body actually adapted by giving her "monkey like" fingers because her bones were still forming and she climbed so much. Check out the link below:

http://iclimblikeagirl.blogspot.com/2007/09/i-climb-like-girl-rock-climbing-hero.html

 

[woodworkingboy]

Amazing young lady. "Not as hard as it looks".....yeah, thanks Tori.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Very cool.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I guess missionary work can lead to a good thing once-in-awhile.

 

[bonner1040]

She is certainly talented but far more difficult feats in rock climbing have been accomplished by other women. Sasha DiGiulian just sent some 5.14d's which is about as hard as it gets in female climbing. And anna Stohr just sent some v13 bouldering. For reference routes go up to 5.15b (5.13a,b,c,d 5.14a,b,c,d 5.15a,b) and bouldering goes to v16 in increments of 1.

 

[cory]

Another cool climbing girl, from that citi bank commercial :http://whoisthathotadgirl.tumblr.com/post/14565590448/q-who-is-the-hot-rock-climber-girl-in-the-citi

 

[woodworkingboy]

She is still so young, I mean people get to the top and deserve a shout, but it would seem that Tori had extreme natural ability when she first entered the public's eye, without a lot of comps and other rock climbs to perfect her skills. Half Dome at 12 was it? Not so much knowing what you are doing mentally, and still doing it at a top level is pure talent.

 

[Koala]

Those video were of a few years ago. I guess she's 23-24 now.

 

[chris_girard]

Yeah, Tori has graduated from college now and plans on opening a climbing store and school. I also believe that she is working on a climbing film.

Here's a little more info on her. She has grown up to be quite a beautiful woman.

http://www.overthecrux.com/cast/

 

[gf beranek]

Her talent is going to take her far.

 

[woodworkingboy]

it seems interesting that the young lady could climb trees when a child and end up getting some of the physical characteristics of a monkey, a kind of reverse evolution, if you believe in evolution. I wonder how far you could take that back? If you had a child that often played in mud and slime...? Just thinking out loud.....

 

[Burnham]

I think that's just media hype noise, personally.

 

[stig]

That makes two of us!

 

[Koala]

"Tori Allen was born in the United States but spent 4 years of her childhood in a West African countries called Benin. While she was there, she had a pet mona monkey named Georgie. Tori then started climbing trees with this monkey which resulted in her overly long fingers and arms."

This is what that article reports.
I don't see how climbing with a monkey could make your fingers or arms longer.
If that story is true...
... it is likely that the girl could have learned a lot of tricks imitating the movements of the little monkey.
That I could believe. then, if you look at how fast she climbs and jumps, she really looks like a little monkey.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Perhaps if she climbed enough when a child.... Currently, people's thumbs are changing as a result of texting.

 

[Burnham]

Baloney, Jay . Urban myth, I say. Not the skeletal structure, anyway.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Perhaps, but the article I read about it once seemed serious enough. Something about the joint movement, I believe.

 

[cory]

It's a fact that heavy use of the body during developmental ages as well as later in life can change bone size and structure/length. Archeologists have found remains which show it in children and in people who used heavy swords alot.

 

[chris_girard]

Yeah, just take a look at the length of her fingers when she was 12-13 and you can see the difference between her's and other kids her age. Pretty interesting that's for sure.

 

[Burnham]

Oh, I agree completely she has unusual fingers...i just have doubts it comes from having a pet monkey .

 

[cory]

Did any of you try the 2 finger pullup?? I did. Um, no go.

 

[Burnham]

Didn't even have to try, I knew what the outcome would be .

 

[cory]

i knew too but I just wanted to see how far from doing it I was.

Mad far.

 

[woodworkingboy]

There is the old saying that the younger one is when starting to learn a manual trade, skills that require motor neurons in the skeletal muscles, some kind of memorization, the more capable one can end up being in doing the given tasks and beyond. Hands get shaped to better fit the requirements and it becomes a winning combination. That can certainly be seen amongst the craftsmen of old that started their careers as teenagers or younger. The master could get thanked later for the indentured servitude.

 

[Burnham]

Well, I could be wrong...it has been know to happen, and not just a few times .