Dan Kraus, with 20 years of climbing experience, returns for his seventh year of international competition. He has worked for eight years as a climber foreman at Seattle Tree Preservation. Kraus has a bachelor of science degree from the University of Hilo, Hawaii. He started working for his dad at Tree Works at age 15. He also owns his own "cat in a tree" rescue business. He has been married to Justina for four years and is the proud owner of a dog, Bark. He also enjoys woodworking.

Mark Bridge returns again this year as the 2005 European Champion. This is his fifth year to compete at the ITCC, and he has more than 15 years of climbing experience. Bridge and a friend from Ireland started working for a local tree care company in 1990, right after finishing high school. After spending 10 years working with his Irish friend, Bridge co-founded Baumpartner, a tree care cooperative based in Basel, Switzerland, which operates in France, northwestern Switzerland, and southern Germany. Apart from tree work, Bridge is involved with Baumklettern Schweiz, a company that offers a whole range of climbing courses from the basics through specialized, advanced modules. The most recent project, Treemagineers, with Bernd Strasser and Chris Cowell, involves the development of arborist techniques and equipment. He enjoys spending time with his wife of eight years, Steffi, and their three children, Solvey, 11 years old; Shona, 7 years old; and Nevena, 5 years old.

Trevor Burton joins the international competition for the sixth time. A climber of 7-1/2 years and a chapter competitor for six years, he has worked for 1-1/2 years as an arborist for Atlantic Arborists, Ltd. He also has worked for Asplundh and as a freelancer for other tree companies. He is an evaluator for the ISA Tree Worker certification program and has served on the ISA board of directors, representing the Atlantic Chapter. Burton has been married to Heather for six years, and they have a 2-year-old daughter, Cara. He enjoys hunting, fishing, landscaping at home, and spending time with his family.

Thomas Greenwood has more than 24 years of climbing experience. He has competed eight years at the chapter level and three years at the international level. He is director of The Tree Works, where he has worked for 21 years. He enjoys searching for, climbing, and measuring "very tall trees." He jokes that he enjoys running, but he may have to change to cycling due to occasional weakened knees. Greenwood has been married for 15 years to Wendy Jensen, and they have two children, Caitlin, 13 years old; and James, 11 years old.

Anders Rommerdahl returns for his third year of international competition. Rommerdahl is a student from Charlottenlund, Denmark, and is employed by Henrik Ravn Traepleje ApS. He has been a climber for ten years.

Chris Meitner is a third-year international competitor. He has been a climber for seven years and is employed by Scotts Tree Service, Inc., as their top climber and crew leader in Fort Pierce, Florida. Meitner and his wife, Tiffany, have four children: Stephen, Austin, Nathaniel, and Julia. He enjoys the outdoors, fishing, and attending church.

Laurent Pierron has competed twice at the European Tree Climbing Championship, but joins us for the first time this year at the international championship. He has been climbing for nine years and is currently self-employed after creating his own firm two years ago. He is married with two children, Lohan, 3 years old; and Mahé, 7 years old. He enjoys outdoor sports, climbing, and canoeing.

2004 World Champion Bernd Strasser, known as "Beddes" to friends, has been climbing for 15 years. Since 1994, he has been competing at the chapter and international levels. Strasser has finished with two second-place and five first-place rankings in the last seven years of ITCC Masters' Challenge competitions. He owns the tree climbing team Baumkletterteam, which specializes in seed collecting, research facilitation, and pruning. Strasser gives worldwide workshops on advanced climbing techniques, aerial rescue, and rigging. He is a certified European tree worker, a certified instructor for chain-saw use in trees, and an instructor for several German seed institutions. Together with Treemagineers, he is a consultant for Stihl and Yale Cordage. Strasser has a 13-year-old son, Silas, and enjoys every minute he can spend with him. In his spare time, Strasser enjoys "pretty much every summer and winter outdoor activity." You'll often find him paragliding, snowboarding, cross-country touring, hiking, canoeing, running, and especially climbing trees.

Returning this year with seven years of climbing experience, Ronny Epple is a three-time international competitor and four-time European competitor. Epple has been a self-employed arborist for seven years and a five-year member of the Baumkletterteam, a tree climbing team in Gomadingen, Germany. Epple and his friend, Paloma, enjoy many activities outdoors, including motorbike riding (Enduro), woodworking, and skiing.

Appearing for his second year of international competition, Nathan Hadley has 11 years of climbing experience. He is employed as a foreman-arborist at Davey Tree. He has been married to his wife, Lynn, for four years, and they have one daughter, Stephanie, who is 11 years old. He enjoys fishing as one of his hobbies.

Gary Brough, from Brownsburg, Indiana, returns for his third year of international competition. He has been employed at Bartlett Tree Experts as an ISA Certified Arborist for five years and has nine years of climbing experience. He has been married for ten years to Christina and they have one son, Garrison, who is three years old. They are expecting their second child the end of August. Brough's favorite activities include hunting and fishing.

Francesco Minelli has competed twice at the chapter level and now makes his first appearance as an international competitor. Minelli has been self-employed as an arborist for three years. He went to professional school as a gardener and nursery specialist.

Jelte Buddingh returns for his sixth year of international competition. He has also competed at the chapter level for six years. He has 11 years of climbing experience and has volunteered as the ISA Dutch Chapter chairman. His work history includes working in New Zealand for one year and for five years in Holland. He has now been self-employed for six years as a practicing arborist in Utrecht, Netherlands. He has been partnered for three years to Jooske. He enjoys traveling and listening to music.

Rookie Jesse Hesley joins the international competition this year for the first time. He has competed at the chapter level for three years. He has been employed as an arborist at Dave Leonard Consulting Arborists in Lexington for three years. Hesley is a graduate of the University of Kentucky, where he earned his B.S. in natural resources conservation. He and his wife, Sara, have been married for one year. He enjoys traveling, camping, hiking, and rock climbing.

Roger Tanner, who has competed at the chapter level for three years, returns to the international competition for his third year as well. He as worked as an arborist at Woodtli Ost AG for 4-1/2 years. In his spare time, Tanner enjoys swimming and biking.

A climber for 20 years, Vincent Kowalski returns to the international competition for the fourth time. He and his wife, Andrea, own their own company, A Christian Tree Service (ACTS), where he specializes as a climber and estimator. He is also employed by local union No. 17 as a journeymen tree trimmer. He and his wife have five children ranging in age from 10 to 17 years old. He enjoys attending church, climbing, and spending time with his family. Kowalski worked as an ISA volunteer at the Montreal ITCC in 2003.

David Booth returns for his third year of international competition. He lives in Boyce, Virginia, with his wife, Tracy, and their two children, Kaylin, 6 years old; and Taryn, 3 years old. Booth has competed at the chapter level for six years. He is employed with The Care of Trees as a climber and regional trainer. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and four-wheeling.

Brian Eshleman competes for the first time at the international level. From Stillwater, Oklahoma, he has been climbing for 14 years and has competed at the chapter level for six years. He has been employed for 13 years at Professional Tree Care, LLC and became an ISA Certified Arborist seven years ago. He has been married to Tracy for 10 years and has two children-a daughter, Jamie, who is 14 years old; and a son, Bobby, who is 7 years old. Eshleman enjoys rock climbing and camping.

Pierce Wasmund is competing this year for the first time at the international level. A climber for six years, Wasmund has competed at the chapter level for four years. He earned his bachelor of science in urban forestry from the University of Minnesota, working tree care during the summers while in college. He has worked as an ISA Certified Arborist at Northern Arborists for five years. He is engaged to be married to Sarah in October. He enjoys running, martial arts, hiking, and camping.

Representing the New England Chapter from Connecticut, Daniel Weise is competing for the first time this year at the international level. He has four years of climbing experience and has worked for one year at Monroe Tree Company, Inc. as a climber. He started his career in tree work in 1999 working for various tree service companies. His hobbies include fly fishing, hiking, snowboarding, paintball, recreational tree climbing, cross-country skiing, camping, and kayaking.

Mark Chisholm has 15 years experience in international competition and 22 overall years of climbing expertise. He is the co-owner of his family business, Aspen Tree Expert Co., Inc. He is also a consultant and spokesperson for Stihl, Inc. and New England Ropes. Chisholm is a New Jersey Tree Expert and an ISA Certified Arborist. He has been married to Annie for 8 years and has three children-Ricky, 16 years old; Lexi, 6 years old; and Libby, 4 years old. He enjoys watching the New Jersey Devils hockey team and plays three nights a week in a men's hockey league.

Mark Moeske has 16 years of climbing experience and returns to ITCC for the third time, having last competed in the event in 2002. He has competed at the chapter level for eight years. Moeske has owned his own company, Allmark Tree and Crane Service, for 11 years. He graduated from Paul Smith's College in 1989. He enjoys hiking, kayaking, and photography.

Ten-year climber Paul Kenny has competed at the chapter level for five years, and this is his first year at the international level. He began his arboriculture career in Scotland ten years ago but returned to New Zealand and has been a self-employed contract climber and consultant for 2-1/2years. Kenny enjoys surfing, rugby, and traveling with his friend, Susan.

With eight years of climbing experience, Aadne Haugen returns to the international scene. He has been the Norway Chapter winner for the past three years and placed fifth in this year's European Tree Climbing Championship. He works as a foreman in the Trepleie Division for Park og Landskapspleie and ISS Vaktmesterkomponiet. He has experience as a landscape gardener and has worked in all areas of the tree care industry. He enjoys mountain climbing.

With nine years of climbing experience, John Ransom has competed eight years at the chapter competition, and this is his fifth year of international competition. He is an arborist for Maple Hill Tree Service and is an instructor for ArborMaster, Canada. He has been an ISA volunteer in the past on the Test Committee. He and his wife, Yvonne, live in St. Catherines, Ontario.

Five-time Penn-Del champion James Roach arrives in Nashville this year for his fifth year of international competition. With more than 18 years of climbing experience, Roach learned how to climb by watching his boss climb where he worked as a teenager. He continued in the tree industry until he found his current job, where he has been for nine years, at John B. Ward and Co. He works there as an ISA Certified Arborist in the job as foreman and climber. He is married to Debbie, and they have 3 sons: Jimmy, 11 years old; Patrick, 8 years old; and Christopher, 2 years old. Roach enjoys computers, marine aquariums, and spending time with his family.

Frank Chipps is representing the Prairie Chapter for the second time. Chipps has been a climber for eight years and has owned his own company, Chipps TreeCare in Alberta, Canada, for four years. He states that his education includes being a "certified husband." He and his wife, Cynthia, have two children;-a son, Wyatt who is 4-1/2 years old; and a daughter, Georgia, who is 1 year old. His interests include fishing and hunting (in particular, mushroom hunting). He also serves as a volunteer firefighter.

A climber of 27 years, Charles Moreau returns this year to the international competition. Moreau has competed at the chapter level for six years. He began his career on a utility line-clearing crew and then worked with residential trees. Moreau owns his own business, Émondage C.L.M. He and his partner, Shirley, live in St-Marc-sur-Richelieu, Québec.

A seven-time chapter competitor and a two-time international competitor, Charley Wagner joins the competition from Boulder, Colorado. Wagner is a self-employed Certified Arborist and trainer who travels "all over the place enjoying trees and the people involved in their well being." He attended business school for two years at Metro State in Minneapolis and is currently studying tree work at the "School of Hard Knocks." He enjoys any activity involving water when he is not in a tree.

Ben Poteet returns for his second year of international competition. A climber for four years, Poteet works with his father and brothers in the family business, Poteet Tree Service. He has been married for one year to his wife, Kristin. He enjoys biking, canoeing, and camping.

Douglas Wells travels to Nashville from Åkersberga, Sweden, with seven years of climbing experience. He is a four-time competitor at the chapter level. Wells has been working since 1998 in the tree industry in England, Norway, and Sweden but now lives in Stockholm, where he works full time as an arborist. He enjoys skiing, fishing, knitting, and folk dance.

A four-time Texas Chapter champion, including 2005, Nicolas Martinez returns this year to the international scene. Martinez has 20 years of climbing experience and has worked as a crew foreman and assistant production manager at Arborilogical Services, Inc. in Wylie, Texas, for 13 years. Martinez was educated through the ninth grade in Mexico and then moved to the United States at age 16. He has been married to Carlota for 24 years, and they have six children and two grandchildren. He enjoys playing dominoes, attending his son's soccer games, watching another son's boxing matches, and relaxing at home watching television or reading.

First-time international competitor Stuart Witt is a climber and chapter competitor of four years. Witt has worked as an arborist for seven years with his own company, Witt Tree Services. He worked throughout his youth for his father's business. He has been partnered with Ashley Thomas for three years. He enjoys photography, walking, mountaineering, and socializing.

Two-time international competitor Mike Minardi joins the scene with five years of climbing experience. He has competed four times at the chapter level. Minardi started tree climbing in Wisconsin, where he experienced a "near tragic" fall. He later moved to Utah but would return to Wisconsin every winter to help with oak and elm pruning. He made the final move back to Wisconsin in November to start his own company, Progressive Tree Care, LLC. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and has received ArborMaster training. He enjoys kite-boarding, sailboat racing, rock climbing, and traveling.

Jared Abrojena has competed in six Western Chapter competitions. He placed seventh in his very first chapter competition at the age of 15. In 2002, at the age of 20, Abrojena took the Western Chapter championship against tough opposition, including his dad, Gary, and went to Seattle to represent the chapter at the ITCC. Abrojena took third place in that year's international competition. An ISA Certified Tree Worker, Abrojena is a climber and supervisor for the family business, Evergreen Tree Care, in the east San Francisco Bay area. He has volunteered his time, experience, and climbing skills for the Western Chapter, for the California Arborists Association, and for the Arizona Tree Community Tree Council. He and his wife, Kati, have been married almost a year and live in Oakley, California.

Sean Gere returns for his fifth year of international competition. A climber of 14 years, Gere is the 1999 ArborMaster North American Skills Champion. Gere began his career in Chicago, then moved to northern Virginia and finally settled in Wisconsin, where he has owned his own business, Green Tree Care, for six years. Gere is also an instructor for ArborMaster Training, Inc. He has been married for six months to wife, Diane. His hobbies include mycology, computers, cooking, biking, and rope splicing. in bats.