Boulder, CO – Ahead of a momentous year in climbing, during which the sport will reach a wider audience than ever as it becomes part of the Olympics, SCARPA is adding five athletes that bring a range of world-class skills and fresh perspectives to the brand’s climbing roster. New ambassadors include: Isabelle Faus, Nathaniel Coleman, Nikki Smith, Nina Williams and Sean Bailey.
Each with a diverse background and a range of different experiences in climbing, this group also has a few things in common: they are all pushing boundaries within the sport as well as themselves.
“By supporting climbers with diverse goals and backgrounds, SCARPA hopes to inspire and grow the climbing community, while seeing what is truly possible in the sport,” said Stefanie Kamm, athlete manager for SCARPA North America. “Whether it’s bouldering V14, competing in the Olympics, building a more inclusive and diverse climbing community, developing new climbing areas or first ascents around the world, these athletes have demonstrated a commitment to the sport. We’re proud to welcome Isabelle, Nathaniel, Nikki, Nina and Sean to the family.”
Isabelle Faus – Launching into climbing at 10 years old, Isabelle trained in the gym and began competition climbing. At age 15, she started devoting more time to climbing outside. After moving to Chattanooga to live with a friend, her obsession with climbing outside took off. By the time she was 20, she had moved to Colorado and was climbing outside exclusively. She has climbed 58 V11s, 39 V12s, 23 V13s, and three V14s, and has also spent a huge amount of time developing climbing around the world.
Nathaniel Coleman – The first North American male climber to qualify for the Olympics, Nathaniel was born and raised in Murray, Utah. At age 9, he found climbing through an indoor gym and quickly joined the competition team. By the time he was 11, climbing was his sole athletic focus. Competition and outdoor climbing have taken him to many international climbing destinations and today international competition is his motivation.
Nikki Smith – Nikki is a photographer, artist, writer, guidebook author, and climber based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She started climbing in the early 90s, and has authored five climbing guidebooks with more on the way. Nikki has put up more than 150 first ascents throughout the west and traveled the world to climb. Now, much of her work is focused on trying to build a more inclusive and diverse climbing community. She is an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community and a Board Member for the Access Fund.
Nina Williams – After starting climbing at 12 years old, Nina focused on competition into her early 20s before moving West and into outdoor climbing. She honed her outdoor resume by traveling to world-class climbing areas in the U.S., Switzerland, South Africa, Australia, and Brazil. After accomplishing bouldering grades upwards of V13, she shifted her attention towards the mental style of the sport. She has bouldered 30- to 50-foot formations such as Evilution Direct (V11), Ambrosia (V11) and Too Big to Flail (V10) in Bishop, CA.
Sean Bailey – For most of Sean’s life, climbing has been his outlet to learn about himself, experience the world, and give back to others. For the past several years, Sean’s split his time between sport-climbing projects and the World Cup Circuit. It’s Yin and Yang – when he’s outdoors, he gets to hang with like-minded people and track his progress on stone. When he competes, he gets to test his execution in a high-pressure environment.
