CINCINNATI — Ohio’s Tree Climbing Championship took place this Friday and Saturday at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. Competitors came from across Ohio and the rest of the world.

What You Need To Know

  • The competition ran Friday and Saturday in Spring Grove Cemetery

  • They have separate divisions for men and women climbers

  • One climber came from as far away as Sweden to compete 

“I come to learn, to meet people, have a good time, refill my energy and to hang out with awesome people,” said Boel Hammarstrand, an arborist from Sweden. She wouldn’t miss this competition for the world.

“I love the people, I love the trees. The cemetery here is absolutely beautiful and the trees are absolutely amazing,” she said.

Wherever she climbs trees, she always takes at least one unicorn with her.

“I’m the unicorn queen,” she said. “I just embrace the craziness of unicorns”

Hammarstrand also has some crazy skills. One of the events she excels in involves ascending up a tree on a rope without actually touching the tree. 

“It’s the way we normally used to access trees. It’s part of what we do for work,” she said.

Competition organizer and fellow arborist Jay Butcher will tell you that competing makes the arborists better at their jobs.

“Most people leave here significantly safer than they came here because they’re put through a much greater level of scrutiny on what they’re using, how they’re using it the way they communicate,” Butcher said. 

“And just the learning curve, being able to do many of our work practices and learn new techniques and even just being able to practice a rescue,” said competitor Cody Schwartz, who traveled to Ohio from Michigan.

“I can’t technically win Ohio but I come here to train to try to win Michigan and the goal is to make it to an international competition,” he said.

Schwartz has a following on YouTube with his climbing videos and he lives to compete.

“I loved sports in high school and being able to bring my work environment into a sport again is what drives me to keep doing this and I travel all over,” he said.

Regardless of who wins, Schwartz and his fellow climbers say it’s just great being a part of it:

“We’re just a big family,” Schwartz said. “I stay in touch with people from all over Ohio and it’s just seeing the friends from around the world.”

“It’s a great family to be part of and it’s a family for everyone regardless of gender or nationality or anything like that and everyone is welcomed,” said Hammarstrand.

Butcher says it’s more about sharing the love than competing.

“Tree people love tree people,” he said. “We support each other and when we get together, there’s a comradery and a synergy that I’ve just not been around in other places.”

Winners in Ohio will get to compete on the international level later this year.