NZAA / STIHL National Tree Climbing Championship

The New Zealand Arboricultural Association (NZAA), in conjunction with STIHL, presents the National Tree Climbing Championship (NTCC) for 2009.

This annual competition will be held in late November at Pollard Park in Blenheim, as part of the NZAA Annual Convention.

Qualifiers for this event (the Top 5 Men and Women in each regional TCC, plus selected Wildcards) will be vying to win the National title and the chance to represent New Zealand at the International TCC in Chicago in 2010.

History
Tree Climbing competitions began in the mid 1970s, in the USA, and simulated actual work scenarios for arborists. Initially, contestants competed as a team in four events;- the Work Climb, Aerial Rescue, Rope Throw, and the 40 foot (13 metre) Footlock or Body Thrust Speed Climb. The scores for each event were tallied and highest score produced a winner.

After concerns for safety and insurance issues temporarily discontinued the Footlock event from competitions, the event was redeveloped in 1989 and reintroduced. Eventually, as the variety of rope techniques used grew, the competition was ‘internationalised’ during the 1990’s, which allowed climbers from all corners of the world to compete together.

The Masters Challenge was also introduced and the competition, as we are familiar with today, was under way in full force.

Climbers now compete in five events - the Work Climb, the Aerial Rescue, the Throwline, the Belayed Speed Climb, and the Secured Footlock. The details of these events can be found by in the Climbing Competition Rules.

At National and International events, the Masters Challenge is the Championship round of the competition, where the top finishers from the preliminary rounds battle out for ultimate victory. It is designed to judge a contestant’s overall productivity and skill in the tree - deomonstrating mastery of techniques, equipment use, poise, and safety - and it is not necessarily a speed event.

In New Zealand, the New Zealand Arboricultural Association holds regional Tree Climbing Competitions (TCCs) annually in main centres around the country. The qualifiers from the regionals then participate in the National Tree Climbing Championship (NTCC). The Men’s and Women’s Champions earn the right to compete at the ISA’s International Tree Climbing Championship.

New Zealand climbers, naturally, are highly competitive and regularly place highly at international events - recently New Zealand has won the Women’s event three times.

Contact
For more information about the Tree Climbing Competitions, please contact the NZ TCC Co-ordinator Rick Mexted via email at rick.mexted@hortito.org.nz.

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