Did you know the arborists you hire to prune your trees like to climb on the weekends, too? On May 19th-21st, a group of Vineland Tree Care’s arborists and tree climbers participated in the 2023 Minnesota Society of Arboriculture’s Tree Climbing Championship. The competition took place this year at Sturges Park in Buffalo, Minnesota. This year, Vineland entered seven climbers in the competition, adding to a historically high participation rate. Sixty-seven climbers entered, making Minnesota’s climbing competition the largest in the country.
What is the competition?
The tree climbing championship features some of the most experienced and talented tree climbers in Minnesota. The preliminary competition consists of five different events. The events simulate skills and scenarios relevant to the daily work arborists do in the tree canopy. These include the Ascent event, Belayed Speed Climb, Aerial Rescue, Work Climb, and Throwline event. Judges award points at each event based on participants’ performances. Vineland is proud to say we’ve had multiple competitors in the top ten each of the past two years!
After the points are totaled, the top-scoring climbers earn a spot in the Master’s challenge the next day. The Master’s challenge is a single, extended event designed to assess the climber’s overall efficiency, productivity and skill. The first place winners of the Masters’ Challenge for both the men’s and women’s divisions win the opportunity to represent MSA at the International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC), September 11-13, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Ascent Event
The Ascent event tests the competitor’s ability to quickly and safely ascend a climbing line. Climbers use their ascent system – a combination of friction devices and/or cordage – to essentially run up their rope. They ascend to a predetermined height, usually around 40 feet, where they strike a bell. Points are earned for speed as well as for meeting predetermined safety objectives. This event challenges the climber’s proficiency with their climbing gear, their familiarity with ascent technique, and their physical fitness.
Belayed Speed Climb
In the Belayed Speed Climb, competitor’s climb a predetermined route from the ground to a set point in the tree. This is where you can see arborists at their most squirrel-like. Judges time the climber’s with a stopwatch and award points based on the fastest times from the ground to the bell. This event focuses solely on the climber’s ability to climb the tree itself. To this end, they are prohibited from using their rope to ascend and are docked points for even touching it.
Aerial Rescue
The Aerial Rescue Event evaluates how effectively a climber can move through a mock rescue scenario in a tree. This is a timed event in which the competitor must climb up to and lower an immobile climber or dummy. Judges evaluate the climbers use of relevant rescue techniques to safely retrieve the dummy. They also test the climber’s ability to assess and address the risks and injuries in the scenario. So, in this event the climber both physically rescues the dummy and acts as the head coordinator of the rescue. This means they assume control of the site and all relevant safety issues, and ensure that emergency services are contacted. The aerial rescue event tests the climber’s preparedness for an emergency situation.
Work Climb
The Work Climb Event tests the competitor’s ability to move throughout the tree. Competitors work through five different stations all of which require them to complete a specific task using different pruning equipment. For example, at one station, climbers ring a bell with their handsaw at the end of a long limb to simulate making a pruning cut at a branch’s tips. At another, climbers toss a two by four into a bucket to imitate throwing branches into a small drop zone. Climbers earn points by completing the tasks safely and by reducing the overall time it takes them to do so. Additionally, judges award more subjective points based on metrics like creativity, poise, and control. This event more than the others measures the climber’s ability to complete work throughout the whole tree in a safe and efficient manner.
Throwline
The Throwline Event is a timed event that tests the competitor’s ability to accurately and efficiently install their climbing line in a tree. To do this, competitors attempt to toss a throwline – a thin line made from strong synthetic fibers with a weighted ball on the end – through different targets of varying difficulty. After getting their throwline over their targeted branch union, climbers will use that line to pull up their climbing line. The throwline event requires the climber to throw with high precision while racing against the clock. In this sense, it is both a test of physical skill and the climber’s control over their nerves.
Competition and Collaboration
Our participants enter the climbing championship to compete and weigh their skills alongside the top climbers in the state. However, the competitive spirit is often secondary to a feeling of collaboration and community that perfuses the weekend. Some folks say that “competition” is actually a bit of a misnomer. Competitors are constantly sharing ideas, giving encouragement, and exhibiting an irrepressible gusto for tree climbing. Vineland encourages all our climbers to participate in the event as every year participants come away with a wider understanding of climbing skills and a deeper enthusiasm for the work.
To learn more about the competition and view this year’s competition results you can check out the MSA website page, and to learn more about what Vineland Tree Care’s enthusiastic tree climber’s can do for you, reach out to us today!
