By JEN MURPHY Ann Koenig is an urban forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation. In her downtime, she's up in the trees -- as a competitive tree climber. Ann Koening, 38, can often be spotted on her lunch break climbing her favorite white oak tree outside her office building. Ms. Koening is an urban forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation in Jefferson. She is also a competitive tree climber. She saw her first competition nine years ago while attending the International Society of Arboriculture's annual conference. "I never knew climbing trees required that level of skill," she says. "I immediately wanted to try it." When she returned home she started climbing the mature hardwoods in her yard. "I must have looked pretty peculiar with my helmet and rope. My neighbors would look and I'd just wave hi," she says. Ms. Koening competes in local as well as international competitions. She was the only woman among 34 people who competed in June in the Midwest Tree Climbing Championships in Olathe, Kan. Once at the top of a tree, she says she feels rewarded by the work it took to get there. "Being up in a tree is such a beautiful, peaceful place to be and you get such a unique perspective. It's like you're flying," she says. The Workout
"Competitive tree climbers aren't husky folks," says Ms. Koening, who is 5 feet 2 inches and 115 pounds. "You don't want to have to carry extra baggage up a 70-foot tree." View Full Image Steve Hebert for The Wall Street Journal Ann Koenig secures her ropes one of the techniques she is judged on in competition. She says the best way to train is to get up right up in a tree. Ms. Koenig usually climbs three days a week, but as competitions approach she tries to climb two to three times a day, in the morning, during her lunch break and in the evenings. She works on different techniques that are scored in competitions.
Climbing to the top of a large tree and tying her own rope, which is one technique, takes her an hour. It exercises the back, glutes and core body. If she is short on time, she practices the secured footlock technique, which requires the climber hold a rope between their feet and then pull themselves up with their arms and inch upward with the feet. Ms. Koening says the footlock event is extreme. "It's like doing chin-ups," she says. "You wear out quickly because it's a lot of exercise in an intense period of time." In addition to climbing, Ms. Koening focuses on workouts that strengthen her core, or on plyometrics that help her agility and speed. "I can't practice when it's dark out, and with two kids I have to fit things in when I can." She and her husband work out together to a different DVD five to six nights a week. The Diet Ms. Koening tries to eat food grown locally, including fruits and vegetables from her garden. Eggs come from her own chickens and meat from neighboring farmers. Her husband hunts game, near their home in Columbia, Mo. Pre-competition she fuels herself with Clif bars and Gatorade. Post-competition she treats herself to ribs and a beer. Costs & Gear View Full Image Steve Hebert for The Wall Street Journal Some of her gear, including helmet and saddle.
Ms. Koening pays $130 a year in membership dues to ISA and a local chapter of ISA, and estimates that most climbing competitions cost about $75 to enter. Her rope cost about $100, and a saddle can cost anywhere between $100 and $300. There are two types of saddles: Leg-strap saddles have two straps that wrap around the upper thigh. Buttstrap saddles use a strap that goes across the climber's bottom. A throw weight, a beanbag-type weight attached to a 150-foot nylon line that is used to help propel the rope over high branches, costs around $10. A helmet costs about $100. Ms. Koening says it's important to buy boots that have flat soles. "Most boots have a cut out in front of the heal. The cut out makes footlocking more difficult," she says. She wears Merrell Chameleons or La Sportivas which range between $115 and $170. Fitness Tip "It's nice to do something physical that allows you to gain a skill. I suggest anyone interested in tree climbing buy a book called 'The Tree Climber's Companion' because it is a good resource for equipment and techniques." Least Favorite Exercise "Push-ups and chin-ups are hard, but boy, is that stuff good for climbing."
5 Ways to Branch Out Tree-climbing competitions are made up of five individual events. Winning depends on how many points competitors earn in each event, based on speed and technique. Secured Footlock: This is a technique used to climb a tree as quickly as possible. A rope is thrown over a branch so the climber holds two ends of a half-inch-thick rope. "You're locking the rope between your feet, standing and inch-worming your way up." says Ms. Koening. Women must climb 40 feet; men 50 feet. Throwline: The climber has six minutes to ascend into a tree and then hit targets in the tree using a throwline, which is a small line coated with wax and weighted at one end with a ball that ranges from eight to 20 ounces. View Full Image Steve Hebert for The Wall Street Journal Ms. Koenig climbs a tree using the secured footlock technique.
Aerial rescue: A dummy weighing up to 150 pounds is hoisted 30 feet up in a tree to simulate an injured climber. Women have seven minutes to get the dummy down, while men have five minutes. They are judged on technique and how they assess the situation, calling out questions like "Can you feel your legs?" Speed Climb: "This is what you did as a kid climbing a tree," says Ms. Koening. "You get up as fast as you can." Climbers need to reach a bell that is 50 to 60 feet up in a tree as quickly as possible. Work Climb: Climbers can earn the most points in this event, which measures physical agility. A bucket truck lifts climbers into the tree. Climbers must complete tasks in various stations, including one task that involves jumping out of a tree and landing on a bull's eye target on the ground. Corrections & Amplifications: Ann Koenig attended a conference of the International Center of Arboriculture. An earlier version of this article incorrectly called it the International Center of Arbor Culture.