Spring climbing courses are filling — three seats remain on the April aerial rescue block.

Training → Courses

Six courses

Every course below runs outdoors on live stems. Group sizes are capped so that an instructor can watch each candidate on every ascent, which is the only reason any of this transfers.

Basic Tree Climbing

  • Length5 days
  • Contact hours40 hours
  • PrerequisiteNo prerequisite

Rope and saddle from the ground up: anchor selection, throwline placement, work positioning, and the two ascent systems every crew is expected to know.

What the block covers

  • Throwline and cambium saver placement
  • Doubled rope and stationary rope technique
  • Work positioning and secondary attachment
  • Descent control and controlled landings
  • Daily gear inspection and retirement criteria

Aerial Rescue

  • Length2 days
  • Contact hours16 hours
  • PrerequisiteBasic climbing or equivalent

The drill every crew hopes never to run. Casualty assessment aloft, rope access to a suspended climber, and four descent methods scored against the clock.

What the block covers

  • Scene assessment and incident command from the ground
  • Access to a suspended casualty
  • Pick-off and lowering with a rescue system
  • Chainsaw shutdown and casualty stabilization
  • Timed scenarios on the assessment stems

Advanced Rigging

  • Length4 days
  • Contact hours32 hours
  • PrerequisiteTwo seasons climbing

Load estimation, friction devices, negative and floating blocks, and the arithmetic that keeps a rigging point inside its working load limit.

What the block covers

  • Estimating piece weight in the field
  • Shock load and dynamic factor
  • Friction management with a lowering device
  • Speed lines and floating anchors
  • Rigging plan documentation for complex removals

Chainsaw Operations Aloft

  • Length3 days
  • Contact hours24 hours
  • PrerequisiteBasic climbing

Cutting from a rope with one hand on the saw is the highest-risk task in the industry. This block slows it down and rebuilds it as a sequence.

What the block covers

  • Saw handling and one-handed use criteria
  • Cut sequencing for hinge control aloft
  • Reaction wood and compression cuts
  • Kickback zone awareness in a suspended position
  • Field maintenance and chain sharpening

Pruning & Crown Reduction

  • Length3 days
  • Contact hours24 hours
  • PrerequisiteBasic climbing

Where the cut goes and why. Branch collars, reduction cuts to a suitable lateral, and the structural reasoning behind a specification.

What the block covers

  • Branch attachment and collar identification
  • Reduction, thinning and cleaning specifications
  • Reading response growth from previous work
  • Writing a defensible pruning specification
  • Species-specific tolerance in southern Appalachian trees

Instructor Development

  • Length5 days
  • Contact hours40 hours
  • PrerequisiteFive seasons and an assessment

For experienced climbers moving into training roles: lesson structure, hands-on coaching under load, and how to fail a candidate fairly.

What the block covers

  • Structuring a practical session outdoors
  • Coaching a climber mid-ascent without taking over
  • Assessment criteria and evidence recording
  • Managing a group on a live training stem
  • Feedback, remediation and fair failure

Not sure which block you need? Tell us what your crew does and we will say.

Ask an instructor