ISAT is the Texas chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). Every year ISAT puts on the Texas Tree Climbing Championships. The winner of our Texas competition qualifies to represent our chapter in the international tree climbing championships (ITCC). Just to be clear, the ISA is truly an international organization. There are 37 chapters and 9 associate organizations. 20 of them are US and 17 other countries.
The competition is made up of 5 preliminary events:
- Thow line – tests a climber’s ability to install a climbing line high in the tree.
- Belayed speed climb – hand over hand climbing to the top of a 50′ tree. This is a pure power house event.
- Footlock – like climbing the rope in gym class, only the rope is 1/2″ thick and there are no knots to grab. This is balance of skill, calmness and agility.
- Aerial rescue – a 150 lb sand-filled dummy is set in a tree in a simulated injury – rescue scenario. The climber must assess the situation and safely bring the injured climber to the ground.
- Work climb – We set 4 stations in the tree, climber’s time starts when they are already in the top of the tree and finish when they are on the ground and unclip from their gear.
- hand bell station – climbers simply ring a bell with a hand saw carried on their harness.
- pole saw station – climbers use a pole saw (already hanging in the tree) to ring a bell.
- limb toss – using a short piece of pvc pipe that simulates a branch, climbers, toss the limb into a target painted on the ground (as if to avoid dropping a branch on a customers prized rose bush!).
- limb walk – a plum-bob is hung from the end of a long low branch. Climbers must climb out to the end of the limb and ring a bell without putting too much weight on the limb. You have to put all your weight in the saddle vs. standing on the limb. If you put too much weight on the limb, the plum-bob will drop and set off a buzzer!
Here are a few video demonstrations.
Footlock:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7ycQbCi3DY
Work Climb:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjRl6mlDuIo
Aerial Rescue:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6IuFKDDwb0