EAST FREO’S Anna Davey is the first WA woman in five years to qualify for the national bouldering climbing championships.

The 26-year-old will compete at the Oceania and Australian nationals in Ballarat, Victoria in October. She only took up rock climbing two years ago, but happily admits to a childhood of scampering up trees.

“I was always climbing up things and getting into trouble: I was a bit wild,” she laughs.

“So when I took it up in 2013, it just came naturally to me.”

• Anna Davey scaling Arthur Head in Fremantle—she’s off to Ballarat to compete in the nationals. Photo by Stephen Pollock

Davey trains at the Boulder Hub indoor facility in Wangara and outdoors at Bicton’s picturesque Blackwall Reach.

Not content with the punishing level of fitness required for vertical walking, Davey also keeps fit as a part-time waiter at Chalkys Cafe, next to the Round House.

“I like to keep active,” she says.

Her Instagram profile lists her as ”Climber. Weightlifter. Fitness Model.”

Davey has degrees in law and criminology but can’t make her start in the industry because she trains up to 20 hours a week.

Her goal is to compete in Europe, where the sport enjoys more prestige and challenges.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK