Looking for a weekend full of adventure, awe, and gravity-defying skills? Clear your calendar: from Friday 17 October to Sunday 19 October 2025, the Christchurch Botanic Gardens will host the International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) in all its vertical glory.
Mountain Adventure is thrilled to be part of the action, bringing along our premium climbing partner Edelrid. Come by our stand, check out top-tier gear (yes, including the famous Edelrid ropes), and meet our climbing experts who’ll be on site for demonstrations and Q&A. Better yet — one of the headline competitors will be Swiss tree climbing sensation Murielle Krebs, competing right here in Christchurch!
But before we dive into who’s coming and what you’ll see, let’s pause and talk about what arboriculture actually is.
A bit about arboriculture
At its heart, arboriculture is the practice of caring for trees: planting, pruning, maintaining, and sometimes removing them in safe, controlled ways. But for many arborists, climbing is a key piece of the puzzle. Instead of using heavy machinery, arborists often ascend trees using rope systems, harnesses, and specialized techniques to reach limbs, make cuts, inspect for disease, or perform skilled maintenance work in the canopy.
Tree climbing isn’t just about muscles and guts, it’s a skillful discipline combining mechanical advantage (ropes, pulleys, friction devices), knowledge of tree biology, disease and structure coupled with an absolute focus on safety. In many ways, competitive tree climbing takes those practical skills and turns them into a test of speed, precision, creative rope work, and calm judgement under pressure.
At the ITCC, you’ll see some of the finest arborists in the world in action — athletes of the forest, pushing the boundaries of height, agility, and technique.
What to expect at the Christchurch competition
The ITCC in Christchurch is more than just a contest, it’s a gathering of the global tree climbing community. It offers a chance for working arborists to showcase new techniques, try cutting-edge gear, and exchange knowledge around safe and innovative climbing practices.
Over the three days, expect a schedule full of climbing challenges, demonstrations, gear inspections, and community events. Visitors will be treated to spectacular ascents, aerial rescues, speed climbs, and technical rope maneuvers, all performed with the utmost regard for safety.
And yes: you’ll get to watch Murielle Krebs — a top name in the climbing world — compete in her element. Krebs is on the ETCC Hall of Champions from Switzerland, and she has made a mark in high-level tree climbing competitions. Having her presence here adds serious star power as she’s not just a competitor but a benchmark for excellence.
Credits: Belgian Arborist Associations
Explrore our Edelrid showcase
At our stand, Mountain Adventure brings you inside the vertical world. We’ll feature Edelrid’s flagship gear — including ropes, harnesses, connectors, pulleys, and more — letting you inspect, handle, and ask questions. We’re here to demo proper rigging techniques, explain how to maintain gear, and help you understand how what’s on the ground translates to safety high in a tree.
When it comes to tree climbing and vertical work, reliability and innovation matter. Edelrid is a long-standing name in climbing and professional rope systems, with over 160 years in business, serving both sport climbers and work at-height professionals. Their product lines straddle both worlds: ultra high-performance ropes, robust safety hardware, and tested systems for tree care, rescue, and rope access. Their emphasis on developing ropes, harnesses, and fixtures with safe tolerances and smart design makes their gear a natural choice for serious arborists.
By partnering with Edelrid, we help create a bridge between the enthusiast climber and the professional orchard of canopy experts. Seeing gear in action, alongside the athletes who rely on it, gives you real insight into what makes gear trustworthy up high.
Don’t miss the canopy show
From 17–19 October 2025, the Christchurch Botanic Gardens becomes a vertical arena. This isn’t just an event for arborists or climbers, it’s a spectacle open to all nature lovers, curious people, and families wanting something a bit different. Come by the Edelrid stand, ask questions, watch demos, and soak up the energy. Bring your sense of wonder. We’ll bring the ropes.