You may not know it, but there's an art to climbing a tree.
And on Saturday, July 14, the best tree climbers will converge in Agassiz at the Research Centre for the BC Tree Climbing Championships.
Ryan Senechal, event coordinator, is expecting 30 competitors. While most of them will reign from communities across B.C. he said there could be some challengers from Washington and Oregon competing.
"This is not the tree climbing you remember from your childhood," he said. "The
tree climbing competition simulates working conditions of arborists in the field."
It takes a lot of finesse to move around treetops all day, and working aloft is common for arborists.
They use ropes and harnesses to safely perform skillful tasks, all in an effort to care for and maintain trees.
But on Saturday, they'll be climbing for competition, and the event is open to the public.
Male and female competitors perform five different events during the preliminary round of the competition that demonstrate the difficulty of the tasks and the need for safety. Each event tests a competitor's ability to professionally, and safely maneuver in a tree to care for
it with minimal impact to the health of the tree.
Preliminary events will be taking place from 8 a.m. until approximately 2 p.m. at which time the finals begin. The event is expected to wrap up at around 5 p.m.
Follow the signs at the Agassiz Research Centre.
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