Hi, I’m Joshua Cornah.
I’m 25, from New Zealand, living part‑time in the UK.
And I spend most of my free time rock climbing, training for rock climbing, or reading about it.
Origins
My dad was a climber before emigrating to NZ, and when I joined the local club he was supportive, although he never got over the local rock quality. He took me climbing outdoors, and I was at the gym as often as I could. I also competed and represented NZ internationally.
Climbing gave me a sense of purpose I haven’t found elsewhere, and I’d rather be climbing than doing anything else.
Lessons from Youth
After my cruisy youth, highlighted by climbing Blood of Olympus (9a), I left home and tried dirtbagging. At first it was great, I even climbed Thor’s Hammer (9a/+). But the tiring low‑wage jobs, which made training difficult, and the cheap stints at crags, began to grind. I slowly learned that to truly enjoy climbing and perform well, the rest of life had to be in good shape too.
Study Years & Training Deep Dive
Returning home for covid, I studied sport science, taking online courses from top coaches like Aled Walters from South Africa’s national rugby team. I designed my own training plans, and got a lot stronger (V11 to V14, and my training numbers jumped). Although much of what I tried I wouldn’t repeat now.
Discovering Coaching
Friends asked about my training plans, and my coaching grew through word of mouth. I loved seeing their progress, but after covid I got the itch to go climbing overseas, so started working in rope access, which wasn’t compatible with coaching more than a couple of people at a time.
Work & Balance
I coached a few clients while travelling and working, then transitioned to repairing wind turbines. This seasonal work is more stable and lets me train beyond the minimal effective dose I managed before.
Where I Am Now
With more stability, I’ve decided to grow coaching again. Working with my one client this past year has been deeply rewarding, almost as good as making progress myself!
Looking Ahead
I’d love coaching to become full‑time, though it may mean tackling social media and marketing, which I don’t enjoy. For now I want to keep working on wind turbines in summer, but make space for coaching. And of course I have endless training and climbing goals, but I’ll keep those to myself!