Episode 7 - The Masters Challenge - Tips and Tricks for your First Tree Climbing Competition

In Episode 7 and our last video in the climbing competition series, Mike and Kate go through The Masters Challenge. Covering everything from walk through, gear you'll need, step by step demos and a full run through of a real time Masters.
GEAR CHECK FORM:
www.itcc-isa.com/Portals/0/Do...
The ISA scoresheet and rulebook:
www.itcc-isa.com/Portals/0/Do...
Approved gear list:
www.itcc-isa.com/Portals/0/Do...
EVENT SUMMARY:
The Masters’ Challenge is the championship round of the competition in which the top men and women finishers from the preliminary round compete for the title. The Masters’ Challenge
is designed to judge in a single challenge event the competitor’s overall poise, techniques, and mastery of the combined skills tested in preliminary events.
At the event, on the Head Judge’s signal, a competitor enters the designated work area with all their equipment. The competitor is then judged on their tree assessment, installation of climbing equipment, ascent into the tree, route planning to all workstations throughout the tree canopy, final descent out of the tree, gear retrieval, and the communication that the climber has had with ground personnel during the climb.
Each competitor must show the ability to efficiently ascend into the tree. Similar to the work climb, they must safely traverse the tree’s canopy smoothly and with disciplined precision to multiple workstations, position themselves at each workstation to perform tasks with both hands, then exit the tree and retrieve all equipment in the tree in a controlled manner. A maximum time to complete the event is specified in advance. Every competitor is able to accumulate points throughout their climb with the overall time of the event as a component in the scoring.
We have collaborated with Mike and Katie Curwen who both have an extensive knowledge of comps and bags of experience when it comes to competing. Mike recently finished 4th in the World championships and 3rd in the Europeans.
We hope you have enjoyed the series and have a bit more of an insight into tree comps. Let us know what you think in the comments or if you have any questions. Share with your mates or anyone that’s thinking about competing.
*Disclaimer - The helmet that Mike is wearing in the video is no longer allowed under the new ISA rules that changed after filming this video. Make sure to check the rule book on what is and isn't allowed before heading to a competition.
Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
0:18 - What is the Masters Challenge?
2:25 - What you’ll need
3:42 - Walkthrough
6:11 - Before you start
7:10 - Stage 1 Visual Tree Assessment
7:34 - Stage 1 Demo
8:41 - Stage 2 Installing Climbing Line
9:48 - Stage 2 Demo
16:16 - Stage 3 Set up climbing line
17:12 - Stage 3 Demo
18:58 - Stage 4 Work Stations
20:27 - Stage 4 Demo
23:22 - Stage 5 Descent and retrieving gear
24:20 - Stage 5 Demo
26:04 - Discretionary Points
26:51 - Penalty Points
29:23 - Real Time Masters Demo
53:09 - Summary
53:52 - Bloopers
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#treeclimbing #arborist #masters #arboriculture #mastersclimb #climbingcompetition

[@williamsolomon1307]

Excellent demo! Thanks for sharing

[@PickingandEntering]

Great video!! Appreciate all the effort that went into this!

[@BenWilson0225]

🔥 thanks for the video! Plan on making it out to my first comp this year

[@falkrybak3654]

Thank a lot for this lesson :)

[@survivalsearcher]

Hats off to the camera men and gals.
Great presentation. Are climbers given latitude on how they complete the task. Could a 2nd independent climbing line be set? Can you do any of the stations on the way up?

[@plmengineer9238]

brilliant, thanks for making this 👍

[@AndyWoo-ta]

great demo!

[@jacobzjm]

very helpful,nice technique,nice explaination .

[@ryansams1271]

Great video. Where the little bag from that you put inside the bigger bag?

[@carter_kolarek]

What a dream tree

[@crudeprimate5056]

Don’t need to use two systems??

[@shoobaloobabobdingalingadong]

Your dog isn't wearing its PPE. -5