INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - Tree-climbers from all over the world came to Indianapolis this weekend to see who could take home the title of top arborist. The event is called Jambo 2018 and they play for prizes, as well as bragging rights.
All the trees at Holliday Park provided the perfect place for the event.
"I consider myself one of the most fortunate people in the industry, because I get to do stuff like this," said arborist Kristian Schultz. "I get to spend time in some of the most fabulous trees across the United States."
This is the largest tree-climbing competition in the world. Each year, teams push themselves to new heights. They take safety seriously, but they're also here to have fun.
"It's a lot different than every other competition," said Canadian competitor Joel Dreise. "It's a lot more fun, a lot more challenging and it's just a good time."
There were a couple unique obstacles this time around, but the climbers didn't back down.
"The rigging challenges, you have to make a plan and if one thing goes wrong, it needs to be rethought," said Canadian competitor Ciara Condon. "Things happen. Whereas the climbing, it's what we do every day."
The men and women competing are arborists by trade, so they're used to working in all kinds of different conditions. On Sunday, they tried to hurry up a bit because of the rain that was heading our way.
"Obviously we can't go as fast as we do when it's dry," said Swedish competitor Boal Hammarstrand. "Everything Is slippery and we have to make sure we're safe in what we're doing."
The event was free to watch all weekend and plenty of people stopped to see the show. Some were impressed at how high they climbed and others admired their quickness.