Texas Tree Climbing Championship: organiser, place, schedule, workshop and entry route
The Texas state championship run by the Texas Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture: the May 2026 schedule in San Antonio, the route to the International championship, and the May 13 to 15, 2027 dates on the ISA calendar.
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 the Texas Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) says on its championship page and what the ISA events calendar lists. The national and regional events are in the table of championships.
Where and when
The chapter's championship page gives climber registration for May 28 to 30, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas, and puts the competition in Brackenridge Park. The page says all preliminary events are set for Friday, May 29, weather permitting, and the Master's Challenge for Saturday, May 30. It says all events are open to the public.
The ISA events calendar lists the Texas Tree Climbing Championship for May 13 to 15, 2027, with the location listed as TBD, and names the Texas Chapter as organiser. Its description says Thursday, May 13 opens with a workshop on tree climbing applications and safety, that Friday, May 14 is the preliminary climbing competition, and that the top climbers move into the Master's Challenge on Saturday, May 15. The calendar marks continuing education units as available.
The 2026 schedule as the chapter prints it
| Day | What the page lists |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, May 26 | Set-up day, 12 pm to 6 pm. |
| Wednesday, May 27 | Set-up day, 8 am to 6 pm, and the CTC exam, which the page says requires pre-registration with ISA. |
| Thursday, May 28 | Set-up day, 8 am to 8 pm. The chapter's workshop runs 9:30 am to 3:00 pm and gear check starts at 5:00 pm. Lunch is provided for volunteers at set-up and during the workshop. |
| Friday, May 29 | Preliminary climbing events, 8 am to 8 pm, with the Master's Challenge climbers announced. Lunch is provided for volunteers. |
| Saturday, May 30 | Master's Challenge and an Arbor Fair, 8 am to 6 pm. Lunch is provided for volunteers. |
How the contest is described and how climbers move on
The chapter says the competition aims to simulate the working conditions of arborists in the field, that male and female competitors perform five different events in the preliminary rounds, and that each event tests the ability to perform tree climbing tasks professionally, safely and in good time. It adds that tree climbing competitions are held under ISA rules in countries around the world.
The chapter says the winners of the 2026 Master's Challenge in both the men's and the women's divisions qualify to represent the Texas Chapter at the ISA 2026 International Tree Climbing Championship. The ISA calendar lists that championship in St. Louis, Missouri, from October 9 to 11, 2026. The International event is covered on the page about the International Tree Climbing Championship, and the rules the contests follow are on the page about competition rules.
The chapter's page prints no fee list for climbers. The ISA calendar entry for the 2027 event prints no fee.
Sources
- Texas Chapter ISA, 2026 Texas Tree Climbing Championship page, read October 9, 2026
- International Society of Arboriculture, events calendar entry for the Texas Tree Climbing Championship 2027, read October 9, 2026
- International Society of Arboriculture, events calendar entry for the 2026 International Tree Climbing Championship, read October 9, 2026