Missouri hosts world tree climbing championship
AP, Saint Louis, Missouri
Nearly 100 arborists clad in helmets and rope harnesses scaled pine, sweetgum and oak trees in a park in St. Louis, Missouri, during the International Tree Climbing Championship.
This year is the competition’s 50th anniversary, where contestants from 22 countries are showcasing their climbing finesse over three days, beginning on Friday.
During the belayed speed climb, fellow competitors cheered as climbers raced to the treetop under a sunny, blue sky. Spectators in camping chairs craned their necks to watch the arborists weave through branches to find a dummy during the aerial rescue event.
Alex Bower pulls himself up as he participates in the Aerial Rescue event, a competition that tests the ability to climb and safely lower an injured person, in the International Tree Climbing Championship in St. Louis, Missouri, on Friday.
Photo: AP
EJ Turner’s favorite event was the work climb, where competitors scramble through the 25m to 35m trees and ring bells at the end of branches to simulate cuts an arborist would make on the job. Turner, a third-generation climber and winner of five Midwest chapter competitions, said participants are graded on speed, route planning and poise.
“It’s a lot more climbing involved, and a lot more movement throughout the tree, jumping and swinging,” Turner said. “It’s kind of like being a kid.”
Along with the belayed speed climb, aerial rescue and work climb, climbers participate in ascent and throwline events during the first round. Those with the highest scores advance to the Masters’ Challenge.
The championship showcases what arborists do in their day-to-day jobs, said Caitlyn Pollihan, CEO of the nonprofit International Society of Arboriculture, which organizes the event. Many of the 52 men and 39 women in this year’s contest have competed against one another before.
“There’s this just fascinating camaraderie that you wouldn’t necessarily expect at a competition,” Pollihan said.
The first International Tree Climbing Championship was hosted in St. Louis in 1976. Pollihan said they chose to host the competition in the same city as a nod to the first contest. Organizers plan to make speeches and hand out keepsakes for the 50th anniversary.
“We have some fun nods to the fact that this is a big milestone,” Pollihan said.
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