wander outside
94 denverlifemagazine.com | APRIL 2019
TREECLIMBINGCOLORADOon joining them,
Teitelbaum flew
to the Deep South
and immersed
himself in training
programs with
Tree Climbers In-
ternational (TCI),
founded in Atlanta
in 1983 by Peter
“Treeman” Jenkins.
Teitelbaum learned
how to climb trees
the right way—
safely, without
harm to man or
plant—and started
teaching others
back in Colorado.
Since then, “I’ve
probably taken
about 10,000
people up into the
trees,” he says. “I’ve
been involved in
writing guidelines
for training and
conducting climbs.
In 2007, we
formed an inter-
national nonprofit
called the Global
Organization of
Tree Climbers. We
now publish a cur-
riculum for facilitators and instructors
all over the world.”
And he really does mean all over the
world. “We trained the first genera-
tion of leaders, a few dozen of them,”
says Patty Jenkins, Peter’s wife, who
is heavily involved with TCI. “Those
people have gone on to form their own
schools and train the second, third,
fourth generation of leaders. Anyone
who falls into this group, we say they
were taught in the TCI tradition.” TCI
has trained leaders that went on to
start their own groves as far away as
Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Korea, and
France.
They are, by all accounts, a serious
but inclusive bunch. Patty is quick to
point out that TCI and its derivativeorganizations are “schools,” not “clubs.”
Teitelbaum estimates that between 50
and 75 exist around the world, though
an exact number is hard to pinpoint,
as many are small and keep a relatively
low profile. The TCI website is openly
enthusiastic about the formation of
new schools, offering to the general
public full guidelines for getting a
grove off the ground. “It only takes
two people to get started!” the website
reads.
As for gear, Teitelbaum says, the
sport is fairly straightforward. Rock
climbing helmets and arborists’ gear—
harnesses and ropes—are frequently
used, with an auto-locking, triple-
action carabiner as climbers’ main
clip-in point. Tree Climbing Colorado
offers a basic beginner course for as few
as two people; it teaches proper use of
the gear and gets people moving right
away. “Our students are wide-ranging,”
says Teitelbaum. “We have tree-care
people who want to learn safe rope
techniques. We have photographers.
We also have people who just want
something new and different in their
lives.”
This last group will probably get the
most out of the sport. “All trees are dif-
ferent, and each tree is different every
time you climb it,” Teitelbaum says.
“One of the best climbs I ever did was
up Independence Pass. I bushwhacked
out to the middle of this beautiful
grove and found a nice aspen with a
fork in the branching on top. It was a
gorgeous day—brilliant blue skies and
that Alpine elevation.” It was an expe-
rience, he says, that he probably could
not recreate. “The total experience
depends on the day, the route you take,
the season. Sometimes, it’s not just the
tree.” DLMTREE CLIMBING COLORADO
303.877.1870
treeclimbingcolorado.comSAFE ARBOR THE ORGANIZATION TREE CLIMBING COLORA-
DO OFFERS A BEGINNER COURSE FOR AS FEW
AS TWO PEOPLE.