Battle of the sexes speed tree climbing championship at the New Zealand Rural Games

A new competition is set to launch at next year’s Ford Ranger Rural Games, the first ever Battle of the Sexes New Zealand Tree Climbing Championship – brought to you by Guardian Tree Services, Husqvarna and NZARB.

The competition, which is taking the place of the Trans-Tasman Championship, was introduced as a way for competition to continue considering the COVID-19 border closures.

David James from the NZ Arboricultural Association says that tree climbing competitions have been around for decades and is an impressive way to showcase the skills required that we use in our day to day work.

The competition, which will feature four men and four women, will include a footlock (a timed 12 metre speed event) and work climbing event.

David says “We can’t wait to see the events unfold. There’s some strong competition on both sides this year.”

Even with a weighting being added to the females scores, David says the women will definitely give the men a run for their money come competition day.

“These women are quick. Two are world champion tree climbers, and one is a leader in the national sport. Among them, we have Nicky-Ward Allen who holds the record for the 12m and 15m Footlock and Chrissy Spence who is a six-time world champion in the sport!”

Alongside the championship, the Games will also feature the Powerco Kids Tree Climb and a secondary-school student climb.

Mr James says on Friday 12 March, during the Allflex Clash of the Colleges, we’ll also be giving secondary school kids the chance to have a crack at tree-climbing.

“We’ll harness them up and teach them the ropes so to speak. It’s a great opportunity to reach out and engage the next generation of climbers and foster the sport that’s had such a strong history with the New Zealand Rural Games.”

The Teams

Womens

Mens

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Battle of the sexes speed tree climbing championship at the New Zealand Rural Games

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