It's an event you might not logically expect in the cactus country of Southern Arizona: a tree-climbing competition.
Never mind logic.
The Arizona Tree Climbing Championships are set for Jan. 15 in the sun-baked, saguaro-studded town of Casa Grande.
How's that going to work?
"It's going to be in a park with some big, old, wonderful trees," said Conni Ingallina, executive director of the Arizona Community Tree Council.
The council, which promotes the care and planting of trees, is hosting the competition as a public-outreach event. Admission is free for spectators.
Most of the competitors will be professional arborists whose work often calls for tree-climbing skills.
"This isn't the tree-climbing stuff of our youth," said Louisa Ballard, president of the council. "Professional tree-climbers prune trees, care for trees and (occasionally) save lives. These tree-climbing championships bring out the state's best and highly skilled climbers."
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The competition, at Casa Grande's Peart Park, will be a far cry from just shinnying up a tree.
Climbers, using ropes and other technical gear, will compete in four events:
• Aerial rescue, in which competitors will retrieve a rescue dummy and bring it to the ground - simulating the rescue of a real person.
• Footlock, in which climbers are timed as they race as high as 60 feet up a tree in a secured footlock.
• Belayed speed-climb footlock, in which competitors race up a tree while on belay in a secured footlock.
• Work climb, in which competitors are timed while completing five work stations in a tree.
"The competition is a fun way of showing off their climbing skills," Ingallina said. "Arborists need the skill of climbing for their jobs, and they spend many hours training."
Winners in the competition will receive $500 toward a trip to the Western Chapter Tree Climbing Championship on Jan. 29 in San Diego.
Contact reporter Doug Kreutz at dkreutz@azstarnet.com or at 573-4192.
