Rock climbing: Top climber ready to conquer challenge

Sian Moffitt works on an outdoor bouldering problem in preparation for the World Youth Championships in Arco, Italy.

In two days' time, top Taupo climber Sian Moffitt will be heading for the biggest competition of her life.

The 17-year-old is competing at the world youth championships in Arco, Italy, from August 28 to September 6 as part of the 12-strong New Zealand team.

Moffitt is competing in lead climbing, where climbers clip a safety rope into carabiners as they climb upwards over climbs of increasing difficulty. If the climber falls, they will fall to below the last carabiner the rope is clipped into.

She is also tackling bouldering, where climbers do not use a rope and harness because the route is typically no higher than 6m, but must work their way up or over a bouldering "problem" without falling off.

Moffitt is competing in the female juniors' (under-20) category and will be climbing against 17 and 18-year-olds from around the world.

She not new to international competition after competing in Singapore, Australia and New Caledonia in the past, but this is the furthest she has had to travel to compete.

The travel, accommodation and other expenses are costing $7000 and Moffitt's grateful for the support of the Mizuno Half Marathon Society, which is helping with a grant.

Three weeks away from school, in the middle of preparing for level 3 NCEA exams is hardly ideal, but Moffitt has been working hard in the lead-up and says her Tauhara College teachers have helped by providing her with work while she's away.

Moffitt says despite the heavy workload before she goes (she has had to sit her mock NCEA exams ahead of time), and the work she'll have to do while she's away, she's still excited about the challenge.

"For the New Zealanders, we haven't had the chance to do world youth bouldering before so it's going to be a lot of fun. I'm really excited to try out how difficult the problems are compared to New Zealand."

With recent promising competition results -- first in the junior females' bouldering national competition round three in Glen Eden and first overall in the female junior lead climbing category -- Moffitt's in a good space and, if her performance at last year's Oceania youth camps is anything to go by, she hopes to make it at least as far as the semifinals.

"I'm so excited but there's always going to be those nerves, but with my experience I should be able to conquer those."