Climbing: John Paul College brothers reach new heights

Brothers Conrad, 17, and Henry Booker, 13, are combining the agility of a gymnast with the precision of a surgeon to excel as rock climbers.

This month the John Paul College pupils won the under-18 and under-14 age groups respectively at the 2017 New Zealand Lead Climbing Championships in Auckland.

Conrad has also been selected to represent New Zealand at the Oceania Lead Climbing Championships in New Caledonia next month.

He said lead climbing comprised climbing a rock wall and clipping your harness to secure points on the way up.

Competitors climb a long, difficult route and attempt to reach the top. Performance is determined by the highest hold reached and whether that hold was "controlled", meaning the climber achieved a stable position.

If more then one climber reaches the same point, the speed in which they got there determines the winner.

The New Zealand championships comprised two qualifying rounds before the top eight competed in the final.

The Booker brothers cruised through qualifying before taking top spot in their respective finals.

Before the final competitors are placed in "isolation" so the first time they see the wall is when they walk out to climb it.

Henry said he managed to get to the top in the two qualifying rounds before getting highest in the final.

"To become a good climber you have to train and practise for it. You can do a variety of exercises for endurance and overall strength.

"When I'm on the wall I try and think encouraging thoughts - if I'm thinking I won't be able to make a move I probably won't. But, if I think that I can I'll be able to do it.

"You've just got to have that mindset. It's not just a physical game it's a mental game," he said.

Conrad agreed, saying when he climbed a wall in competition he was in the zone.

"I actually don't think that much really, I kind of zone into the climb... I come off the line and people say 'did you hear me yelling?' I'm like 'no' because I was so focused on the climb," he said.

Henry gave rock climbing a go as an 8-year-old, as a way of channelling his abundance of energy, and a term later Conrad joined him.

The boys have been hooked ever since.

"We got into the sport because I kind of had no sport and mum was getting fed up with me being bored around the house.

"She found out there was the sport of climbing, I decided to start it, and it became our passion. Now we are pretty good I'd like to say," Henry said.

Conrad said he was looking forward to representing New Zealand at the Oceania Championships.

"I was chosen because in the previous year's competitions I got placings consistently enough, in comparison to other climbers. I am really excited," he said.

Conrad and Henry said they owed a lot to The Wall owner Simon Reilly who was always accommodating of their training.

"It couldn't happen without him, he lets us use his facility and lets us do anything here," he said.

Conrad said The Wall was "basically my second home".