Tree Climbing Updates

Nicolas Martinez Takes 2005 State

Tree Climbing Championship

by Kevin Bassett

Nicolas Martinez, Assistant Production Manager at Arborilogical Services, Inc., was the winner of the 2005 Texas Tree Climbing Championship held in Austin’s historic Zilker Park.  This makes the fourth time Nicolas has won the statewide event!  Arborilogical Services employees Leoncio Carlos and last year’s State Champion, Miguel Pastenes finished second and fourth, respectively.  The Master’s Challenge, an event to determine a champion, took place in a towering Bald Cypress tree on the banks of Town Lake, overlooking the downtown Austin skyline.

As the State Champion, Nicolas earned the opportunity to represent the Texas Chapter in the International Society of Arboriculture’s worldwide competition held in Nashville, Tennessee.  Nicolas was well supported by a contingency of co-workers who traveled to Nashville to witness the competition firsthand and learn new techniques.

Nicolas narrowly missed a second place finish in the Throw Line event when he chose to remove a throw that had scored from a target area, in an attempt to re-throw and win the event.  Unfortunately, his attempt failed when the time limit expired. Nicolas’s competitive nature is to be applauded, as his decision to proceed was an all-or-nothing position and a second place finish would not have been acceptable when an opportunity to win existed.

Nicolas scored well in all events but was unable to make the finals where five of the world’s best climbers competed.  Dan Krauss of Seattle, Washington won the International Competition.  His nearly flawless climb narrowly defeated five-time International Champion, Berend Strasser of Germany.  Kevin Bassett of Arborilogical Services and Guy LeBlanc of Arbor Vitae Tree Care in Austin served as Head Judges in the Foot Lock and Aerial Rescue events, respectively.  Texas tree climbers were well represented by both Kevin and Guy and their participation was highly valued by the International Tree Climbing Championship.

The 2006 Texas Tree Climbing Championship will return to Waco’s Texas Ranger Museum with dates yet to be announced.  The International Competition will be in Minneapolis, Minnesota in August.  The climbers at Arborilogical Services will be pushed to their limits, as a number of climbers in the state have demonstrated the skills to win.  The dominance that Arborilogical Services employees have enjoyed at this event is phenomenal considering the competition.  Since 1990, six different Arborilogical Services employees have won the Texas Championship—thirteen times.  Our Production Crews are comprised of climbers who are considered among the tree care industry’s best.  Their skills are evident on a daily basis as they take on the challenges of caring for our clients’ trees.

The Texas Tree Climbing Championship is where the state’s best tree climbers compete for the opportunity to win the “Houser Cup” (named in honor of our company president, Steve Houser), and represent Texas at the International Tree Climbing Championship.  Official results for the ITCC are available online at

www.isa-arbor.com.  Click on “Welcome”, “Media Source”, “International Tree Climbing Championship”, “Competition Results”, and the 2005 results and articles will be available to you.

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