Portions reprinted from October, 2009 Arborist News

The championship of this year's men's Masters' Challenge came down to a tie-breaking time difference. With a tied 251.33 judging score, Abrojena completed his climb in 22:53.3 less than two-minutes below the time of second place finisher Mark Chisholm. When asked about his championship climb, Abrojena stated, "I went through my climbing routine at least 10 times before the actual event with a tremendous amount of nervousness, anxiety, and of course excitement!"

Abrojena who also dominated the head-to-head footlock with a first place time of 13.97 seconds started the Masters' climb with a visual tree inspection followed by a throwline toss using a bigshot which awed the crowd. Abrojena landed his first throw in the highest tie-in point in a large spreading oak (Quercus sp.), setting his line and footlock at the top to begin his climb. Once Abrojena arrived at his tie-in point in the canopy, he established a rescue line to ensure safety in case an aerial rescue was needed. In the canopy, Abrojena set safety redirects and worked from a basic static system to complete all of the work stations with precise rope angles and speed, leading him to his first place victory.

Abrojena from Oakley, California, represented the Western Chapter in the ITCC. He serves as a supervisor and ISA Certified Arborist for his family-owned and operated tree care company, Evergreen Tree Care. He began recreational climbing at the age of eight, and competed in his first Chapter climbing event at the age of 15, placing seventh overall. Now, at the age of 28, Abrojena has made a name for himself in the industry. He has participated in the ISA Western Chapter climbing competitions for the last 10 years and has competed internationally for the last five. In his spare time, Abrojena enjoys spending time with his family, competing in triathlons, camping, and boating. His passion for climbing is still running strong. During an interview after the award ceremony, Abrojena said, "I enjoy climbing for the difference of each day's experience, as well as the great feeling."

Portions reprinted from October, 2009 Arborist News

During the competition, Anja Erni moved through the event rotations concentrating on doing her best and staying focused. Upon completion of her Masters' Challenge climb, she felt relieved and thought, "I've done it; it's over; there's nothing left to do." Speaking of the tree she so artfully climbed, "It was a beautiful tree with such great spirit."

Erni credits others for supporting her throughout her climbing challenges. She has always felt a sense of belonging and helpfulness among her climbing peers; men and women alike. Speaking highly of competitors for putting rivalry aside and sharing their climbing knowledge, she says, "They're excellent climbers." Erni is also thrilled with the growing number of women competing, mentioning that they are, "great women" and urges other women to work in trees to increase the number of women who compete and to not be afraid to rely on others for support, including men.

Erni's road to the championships was not unlike many of the other competitors. Representing Switzerland, she earned her place at the ITCC as the 2009 European Tree Cimbing Champion. Erni and her partner Markus own a tree company, Astwerk, where she works three to four days a week climbing and caring for trees. She has been climbing for over seven years and considers her work her main source of training for competitive tree climbing. However, her job and her climbing are not the center of her life. She and Markus also have a one and a half year old daughter, Meret. When asked if she hopes to see her daughter climb in the future, she laughed and said, "She should do what she wants; whatever makes her happy....but I would like it if she wants to..." Erni also enjoys gardening, Pilates, and biking in her limited spare time.