Tree Climbing Competitions

Saturday, September 9, 2017
Chatham University, Eden Hall Campus, 6035 Ridge Road, Richland Township, PA 15044

CLIMBING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The primary purpose of these annual championships is education. The Tree Climbing Championship brings together the area’s most experienced climbers for the benefit of friendly competition and the exchange of ideas and techniques. This will enable participants the opportunity to experience state-of-the-art-climbing techniques, equipment innovations, and safety regulations under simulated working conditions. Rules for each event will be available for review on the day of the Climbing Championship. It is the responsibility of each contestant to review the rules and address any questions with the judges prior to participating in each event.

The five events are as follows:

1. WORK CLIMB (Journeyman & Apprentice = less than 2 years experience)

The work climb is designed to judge the contestant’s ability to safely advance through various workstations in the tree while on a rope and saddle. Each participant is allowed approximately 5 minutes to demonstrate climbing skills and complete the course.

2. BELAYED SPEED CLIMB

This timed event tests the competitor’s ability to climb a predetermined route from ground to approximately 60 feet up a tree with a belayed climbing line attached for safety. The competitor must reach and ring a bell at the top of the course in the least time possible.

3. SECURED FOOTLOCK

The Secured Footlock measures the contestant’s ability to perform a vertical ascent into a tree using a Prusik hitch or other approved friction hitch for fall protection and the footlock rope-climbing method on a doubled climbing line. The heights are 15 meters (49’ 2.5”) for the men’s event and 12 meters (39’ 4.5”) for the women’s event. Mechanical ascenders may not be used. The event is timed, and the contestant with the fastest time wins.

4. THROW LINE EVENT

The Throwline is a timed event that tests the contestant’s ability to accurately place a throwline and climbing line in a tree at heights between 40 and 60 feet.

5. AERIAL RESCUE

The simulated aerial rescue is designed to measure the ability of each contestant to reach a worker in a tree, inspect for injury, and evacuate the injured worker from a tree to the ground safely, quickly, and efficiently.

The winner of this event will go on to represent the Penn-Del Chapter at the 2018 ITCC in Columbus, Ohio.

Location

Chatham University, Eden Hall Campus, 6035 Ridge Road, Richland Township, PA 15044

Directions

Directions can be found here: https://www.chatham.edu/edenhall/directions.cfm

Contact Information

Lou Anne Caligirui
(412) 365-2996
lcaligiuri@chatham.edu