Balboa Park tree climbers wow crowd, pursue glory

The crowd in Balboa Park was eerily quiet as Aneesa Winn shifted her body through the branches of a eucalyptus tree at 90 feet in the air.

In less than 30 minutes, she had managed to climb to several designated points on the tree and establish herself as one of the best tree climbers in North America.

The 25-year-old Denver woman was one of 39 competitors this weekend in the North American Tree Climbing Championship. Winners go on to an international competition next summer with prizes and, at least in the arborist community, fame and glory.

While the competition put on by the International Society of Arboriculture is a showcase for skill and athleticism, the point is also to promote the role of arborists — a profession dedicated to maintaining the health of trees — and educate the public about tree well-being.

Winn, like other competitors, works as a professional arborist. She said as soon as she heard about a profession where she could climb trees, she signed up. After just three years in the vocation, Winn has won several competitions, eventually scoring second in the Sunday Balboa Park event. She said it really isn’t easy to explain to people outside the arborist community what she’s up to.

“My friends and parents don’t really know what I do,” she said.

Competitors were from the United States, Mexico and Canada, said Philip Ruiz, chair of the championship organization. After events on Saturday, the top six climbers competed for the chance to go to the international competition in Albuquerque in August 2020.

The way the contest worked was a climber entered into a circle that was 80 feet in diameter surrounding two eucalyptus trees near the corner of Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street. The arborist would use a throwball launcher — which looks a bit like a sling shot — to catapult a weighted bag with a line attached to it. Then, once the line on the bag is wrapped around a tree branch, the climber then uses it to get a stronger rope up the tree.

The climber then uses that rope to scale the tree.

Using plenty of harness equipment to make sure they are safe, climbers must then reach different points on the tree and demonstrate specific techniques. They have 30 minutes to complete this or they are disqualified.

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469035-sd-me-tree-climb_NL San Diego, CA October 32, 2019 Internationally know tree climbing competitor Marilou Dussault begins her ascent into an eucalyptus tree as judges look on during the finals of The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) North American Tree Climbing Competition (NATCC) in San Diego’s Balboa Park (near 6th Avenue and El Prado. The best tree climbers (men and women) from across the country competed in a series of challenges showcasing skill, technique and athleticism during the three day even,. The competition was FREE and open to the general public. © 2019 Nancee E. Lewis / Nancee Lewis Photography.   (Nancee E. Lewis)

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469035-sd-me-tree-climb_NL San Diego, CA October 32, 2019 Internationally know tree climbing competitor Marilou Dussault sets her line in an eucalyptus tree as judges look on during the finals of The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) North American Tree Climbing Competition (NATCC) in San Diego’s Balboa Park (near 6th Avenue and El Prado. The best tree climbers (men and women) from across the country competed in a series of challenges showcasing skill, technique and athleticism during the three day even,. The competition was FREE and open to the general public. © 2019 Nancee E. Lewis / Nancee Lewis Photography.   (Nancee E. Lewis)

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469035-sd-me-tree-climb_NL San Diego, CA October 32, 2019 Internationally know tree climbing competitor Marilou Dussault makes her way from one target to the next during the finals of The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) North American Tree Climbing Competition (NATCC) in San Diego’s Balboa Park (near 6th Avenue and El Prado. Climbers must set their rope and reach four strategically located targets in an half hour to successfully complete the course. The best tree climbers (men and women) from across the country competed in a series of challenges showcasing skill, technique and athleticism during the three day even,. The competition was FREE and open to the general public. © 2019 Nancee E. Lewis / Nancee Lewis Photography.   (Nancee E. Lewis)

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469035-sd-me-tree-climb_NL San Diego, CA October 32, 2019 Internationally know tree climbing competitor Marilou Dussault sets her line in an eucalyptus tree as judges look on during the finals of The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) North American Tree Climbing Competition (NATCC) in San Diego’s Balboa Park (near 6th Avenue and El Prado. The best treeclimbers (men and women) from across the country competed in a series of challenges showcasing skill, technique and athleticism during the three day even,. The competition was FREE and open to the general public. © 2019 Nancee E. Lewis / Nancee Lewis Photography.   (Nancee E. Lewis)

The crowd watching the competition was made up of roughly 100 people, mainly fellow climbers and supporters. Elizabeth Fox, 37, of Hillcrest, said she was going for a morning walk when she decided to stop and watch what was going on. She said it was not something she felt like trying.

“Watching them really brings home how skillful you need to be to not hurt yourself,” Fox said.

The nonprofit Tree San Diego used the event to educate the public about tree health. It had a sign up to promote the benefits of trees including storm water collection, improving air quality, energy savings and beautifying neighborhoods. Interns David Espinosa and Dominique Kane said the organization plants trees in underserved neighborhoods and makes sure old wood is reused for lumber, furniture and other uses.

There are nearly 50 branches of the International Society of Arboriculture spread out throughout the globe. The Asia Pacific tree climbing competition took place in April and the European competition was in June. The winners of the Balboa Park event, who will go on to the international competition next year, were Krista Strating of Ontario and James Earnhardt of the Mid-Atlantic chapter.