Alice Weaver
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I live in rochester ny and am looking for training programs to become a tree climber. If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be great!
Looking for arborist training?
- Thread starter Alice Weaver
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CanopyGorilla
climber....sawyer
Being a groundie is the best way to learn/ apprentice. I swear, kids these days want to go to school for everything.
Black Dogg
ArboristSite Lurker
If you'd like to go to school for this, I have heard that Paul Smith's College in Saranac Lake has an Arborist program; that wouldn't be too far from you.
However, I'd like to second Canopygorilla. I think for this type of work it's better to learn from the ground up (pardon the pun
) and in a hands-on environment. That's what I'm looking to do (besides not having the money for school). Practicing on my own should get me some basic knowledge like knots and get me comfortable with the gear, but all the little secrets only come from experience and that's where hands-on training comes in.
Good Luck and be safe, no matter which route you decide to take!
However, I'd like to second Canopygorilla. I think for this type of work it's better to learn from the ground up (pardon the pun
) and in a hands-on environment. That's what I'm looking to do (besides not having the money for school). Practicing on my own should get me some basic knowledge like knots and get me comfortable with the gear, but all the little secrets only come from experience and that's where hands-on training comes in.Good Luck and be safe, no matter which route you decide to take!
crotchclimber
ArboristSite Operative
If you're looking for training to climb trees for recreation or research, there are several teachers out there. I took a week long course from Tree Climbing Planet. If you want to climb for trimming trees, it's probably best just to get hired by skilled companies in your area as a groundie and work your way up. There are also quite a few good books available on tree climbing and rigging if you want to try to teach yourself.
Look up Arbormasters. They hold clinics throughout the country.
crotchclimber
ArboristSite Operative
Check out Cornell's tree climbing programs to see if they have what you're looking for. Probably the closest option. https://treeclimbing.coe.cornell.edu/
ACRT offers different courses. They hold their classes in Akron, OH. They are week long courses. They focus a lot on ANSI standards and you spend a lot of time in the field climbing. The instructors (at least the ones I met) have owned their own tree services and are able to answer a lot of questions outside of the basic text book.
You won't learn everything but they can get you started climbing and show you how and why to do certain things. After they got us climbing they allowed us to get up in the trees and cut and they showed us a few basic rigging techniques.
You won't learn everything but they can get you started climbing and show you how and why to do certain things. After they got us climbing they allowed us to get up in the trees and cut and they showed us a few basic rigging techniques.
Alice, forgive me if I'm politically incorrect, but I checked your profile to see if you were a girl. All I've got to say is go girl go. Before I retired I was a fourth generation Arborist in the Metro DC area. I remember about 35 years ago, one of the big companies had 2 female top climbers. They were as good as most and better than a lot. Most girls wind up on the spray rigs or stump grinders, which I never could understand. Climbing is mostly knowledge, knots, rigging, stress points, etc. You have to be very flexible, agile, not Arnold Schwartezgovener. Pulling yourself around in a tree day after day will build a lot of upper body strength. Hooking take downs will build strength in your legs in muscles you didn't know you had. But that's a durability type of strength. I would agree with the folks that said start out as a groundie. Once you learn what a climber needs from you, you'll understand what a groundie can do for you. It's miserable to be stuck in a tree all day doing all of your own roping because you can't trust your ground man. If you get on with a decent company and show interest they will get you off the ground. Good climbers are hard to come by. Just for climbing skills you might try the recreational climbing thread. You might find some folks in your area that need a new team member. Gear might be a little different, but you could learn a lot about getting around in a tree without using hooks. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful about training programs. I grew up in the industry, it's all I knew. Back then I never really heard of a climbing schools. Times have changed. Best of luck, Joe.
CanopyGorilla
climber....sawyer
Yeah, there was a thread a while back on hear with some meathead saying that women didn't have the gorilla power to be good climbers. I couldn't disagree more. Its all about knowledge!! I can't even remember how many big burly groundies have asked me to teach them to climb. My response every time; "OK, no problem. Learn to tie all these knots, hithes and bends and when you can I will get you off the ground" the list: Blake's hitch, prussik hitch, vt hitch, distill hitch, girth hitch, clove hitch, munter hitch, timber hitch, cow hitch, figure 8, bowline, running bowline, double bowline, alpine butterfly, fisherman's, double fisherman's, double overhand, overhand on a bight, 8 on a bight, and a sheet bend. Not one of those big fellas ever approached me about it again.
