Up a tree and happy to be there

Making it through to the Masters Challenge will be the aim of the 35 competitors at the national tree-climbing championships to be held at Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton tomorrow and Sunday.

The top four points-getters in the preliminary events among the men and the top two among the women will fight it out for what are the ultimate titles.

All points gained earlier will be returned to zero in a contest designed to showcase the climbers' skill, fitness, experience, adaptability, safety and proficiency.

The intention is to bring together all the skills exhibited in the preliminaries. In this order the climber must: analyse the tree, throw into and install a climbing line in the tree, ascend to an appropriate point, complete the various stations, descend and retrieve all their gear. The time limit is set by the head judge and is normally 30 minutes and there are 300 points available.

The Masters Challenge is only one event on a busy programme.

Competitors will be divided into six groups tomorrow and they will join together on Sunday for the speed events, in which the slowest qualifiers go first and the fastest last, meaning the competition heats up as the action progresses.

A brief summation of each of the disciplines:

Work Climb: Tests a climber's speed and ability to perform specific tasks within the tree. The climber starts at a pre-arranged anchor point high in the tree and descends on a zig-zag course, completing various stations on the way down before exiting at a landing target.

Foot lock: The traditional method of ascending into a tree. The foot lock technique requires the climber to create a knot in the rope with their feet in a series of steps. Between each step climbers pull themselves up with their hands. The fastest climber gets 20 points with other climbers being deducted one point for each second they are behind.

Throw line: Tests the ability of the climbers to install their climbing rope. It involves throwing a weighted bag into a tree with various targets to be reached, the hardest earning 15 points.

Speed climb: Tests speed and strength, with the fastest climber receiving 20 points. Climbers behind the fastest time will lose 1 point for every two seconds they fall short of that time.

Aerial rescue: A very technical event. Knowledge of trees, first aid, climbing and co-ordination are required to score well. The best climbers will commentate themselves through their rescue.