Mid-Atlantic Tree Climbing Championship: organiser, place, schedule, climber numbers and spectator terms
The tree climbing championship of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (MAC-ISA), covering the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia: the April 2026 place and schedule, the 45 climbers, the Masters' Challenge cut-off, and the free spectator admission and fundraiser dinner price.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what MAC-ISA says on its championship page, its 2026 public program and its public registration page. The national and regional events are in the table of championships. The chapter posts its overall scoresheet as a PDF, and this page names no climber or firm from it.
Where and when
The 2026 Mid-Atlantic Tree Climbing Championship (TCC) was held on April 18 and 19, 2026, on the grounds of James Madison's Montpelier. The registration page gives the address as 11350 Constitution Hwy, Montpelier Station, Virginia, and the championship page says Orange, Virginia. The program puts the competition behind the visitor center. The registration page says the competition begins each day at 8:30 AM.
Schedule as listed
| Day | What the 2026 program lists |
|---|---|
| Saturday, April 18, 2026 | Preliminary rounds from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Exhibitors, vendors and a food truck from 8:30 AM to 4 PM, and a tree giveaway from 9 AM to 4 PM. A recreational tree climb and kids' activities from 10 AM to 2 PM. Two guided walking tours of the grounds' trees, at 11 AM and 1 PM, with limited space. An awards ceremony at 5 PM. The fundraiser dinner from 6 PM to 9 PM. |
| Sunday, April 19, 2026 | The Masters' Challenge at 9 AM and a basket raffle drawing at noon. |
Climbers and how the final is reached
The chapter says 45 climbers from the region compete, men and women, and rotate through five timed stations judged by volunteers. The five events are the Work Climb, Belayed Speed Climb, Ascent, Throwline and Aerial Rescue. The Work Climb is described as a pruning operation with four workstations, and the Belayed Speed Climb as a climb of a set route to a bell the page puts at 60 feet, or 18 meters. Medals go to the top three competitors in each opening event. The top four male finishers and up to two female finishers go on to the Masters' Challenge, which the page says decides the overall winner. The overall men and women champions represent MAC-ISA at the International Tree Climbing Championship, which the 2026 program places in St. Louis, Missouri, in October. The chapter's pages give no climber entry fee or entry rules.
Spectators, dinner and extras
The program says the event is free and open to the public, that picnics, coolers and lawn chairs are allowed and that friendly pets on leashes are welcome. It says admission to the historic house is a separate fee. The registration page says spectator attendance is free and advance registration is encouraged for planning. The recreational climb is open to ages 5 and up.
The Saturday evening dinner, silent auction and live music raise money to send the champions to the world final. The registration page lists tickets at US$30 per person, free for children aged 12 and under, with one non-alcoholic drink included and a cash bar. It says advance registration closed on April 9, 2026, and that no tickets were sold at the door. The music and auction stayed free to attend.
Results
The chapter posts a 2026 results PDF, a photo album and a recap video of the 2025 championship. See the MAC-ISA championship page for them.