Teen climber aiming for the top

HEAD FOR HEIGHTS: Rotorua's Bryanna Bell, 15, will be in action today at the Climbing New Zealand national championships. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

Rotorua Lakes student out to cap great year with NZ title at home venue

BRYANNA BELL is certainly not one to suffer from vertigo.

The 15-year-old rock climber feels right at home hanging from small finger-holds high above the ground.

The Rotorua Lakes High School student will be using all her climbing experience this weekend as she guns for a national title in Rotorua.

Bryanna will compete in the under-16 girls' division at the Climbing New Zealand national championships being held at The Wall where about 120 climbers across all age groups will compete.

Bryanna said she would love to pick up a national title following a great year with her climbing.

She has already enjoyed major success on the national stage this season, winning national series events, and represented New Zealand in Italy recently.

Bryanna went up against the best young climbers in the world in Italy during the World Youth Climbing Championships.

"That was amazing. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had," she said.

"It was in a tiny little village called Arco ... It's called the home of climbing and that is where they hold all the big rock climbing competitions."

While The Wall in Rotorua is a lot different from where she climbed in Europe, Bryanna said she was looking forward to climbing at her home club for the national champs.

"I think it does give me a bit of an advantage. Climbers definitely do better at their home gym."

She will be competing in both disciplines at the national champs this weekend - with lead climbing today and bouldering tomorrow.

"I'll be doing both disciplines but I prefer lead climbing," she said. "Bouldering is more short powerful moves and lead climbing is more getting to know the sequence right."

Bouldering is done on low, challenging courses without ropes, while lead climbing involves climbers using safety ropes and going up a high wall.

Bryanna said she started climbing when she was about 7 or 8: "I'd just been climbing with a couple of friends for someone's birthday and really enjoyed it so I went down [to The Wall] and started lessons maybe the year after with my coach Lossie Maafu, who is still my coach now."

Bryanna said there was a great culture in the sport, especially within the local Rotorua club.

"I've had a couple of times when I guess I wasn't too keen on it but I think because I have been training with quite a few people for four or five years I've made heaps of good friendships."

The national championships are the final event of the year organised by Climbing New Zealand. Titles will be contested in men's and women's open grades as well as under-12, under-14, under-16, under-18, under-20 and masters (over-35) grades.

Anyone is welcome to go along and watch this weekend.