Scott Forrest is coming to the ITCC for the fourth time, representing New Zealand. He has been climbing for 14 years, and his fastest footlock time is 15.94 seconds. Forrest has 14 years experience in the arboricultural industry of which he has spent working in New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. He is presently spending time traveling around Australia. His interests include traveling, outdoor activities, walking, hiking, climbing, swimming, horizon jumping, and waterfalls.

ITCC veteran and ISA Certified Arborist Mark Chisholm of Freehold, New Jersey, returns for his 21st international competition. Chisholm is an ISA Certified Tree Worker who has been climbing for 28 years with his fastest 50’ footlock time being 13.8 seconds. Chisholm is a partner for Aspen Tree Expert Company and volunteers as a NJAISA trustee. Currently he also holds the position of President- Elect. His hobbies include spending time with family, playing hockey, and working on new ideas for the industry. Chisholm and his wife, Annie, have been married 15 years and have three children: Ricky, 22, Lexi, 12, and Libby, 10.

This year’s Asia Pacific Champion returning for his second time to the ITCC. James Kilpatrick has been climbing for 7 years, and his fastest 50’ footlock time is 13.65 seconds. Kilpatrick is from Tauranga, New Zealand, and he holds a Wintec Diploma in Arboriculture, is a Certified European Treeworker, and is an ISA Certified Arborist. For the past 7 years, he has been a self-employed freelance contract climber and is currently working between New Zealand and Australia. His other interests include motocross, snowboarding, and wake boarding.

Representing Italy for the fifth time at the ITCC is Giovanni Ugo. He is also the 2011 European Champion. Ugo has been climbing for the past 16 years and his fastest 50’ footlock time is 17.2 seconds. He is a Certified European Treeworker and a supervisor for EAC certification. He has worked as an arborist for 16 years, and is an ISA Certified Arborist. Ugo does tree climbing, consulting, and big tree transplants for Dendrotec srl. Since 2004, he has been a tree climbing instructor at Scuola Agraria del Parco di Monza (Mb)-Italy. Ugo and his wife, Carla, have three children, Greta, 5, Melissa, 4, and Sante, 2. In August, they are expecting another child to bless their family. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, rock climbing, skiing, traveling for holidays and being a beekeeper.

Jared Abrojena from Antioch, California will be competing in his seventh ITCC. He has been climbing for 20 years and competing for 14 with his fastest footlock being 13.9 seconds. Abrojena is an ISA Certified Arborist and he has worked for his family’s business, Evergreen Tree Care, for the past 13 years, where he is currently a supervisor. He also volunteers with the Western Chapter of ISA. Abrojena is married to Kati, and they have two children, Austin, 4, and Kiley, 2. When he’s not spending time with his family, he enjoys camping, boating, biking and tree climbing.

Joey Peters of Kingston, Nova Scotia, will be competing in an ITCC for the second time. For the past 12 years, Peters has been employed at the Atlantic Arborists Ltd. He has been climbing for 12 years and competing for 9 with a fastest footlock time of 23 seconds. Peters is an ISA Certified Arborist and a Tree Climber Specialist. He also volunteers his time as an ATCC Sponsorship Committee Member. He and his wife, Marianna Peters, have been married for 2 years and he enjoys spending his free time kayaking, hiking, or camping.

Coming from Burwood, Australia, Joe Harris will be making his first appearance at the ITCC. He has been climbing for five years and competing for three with his fasted footlock time being 14.64 seconds. Harris has been actively involved with volunteering for his local ISA chapter through the positions of Vice-President, Victorian Tree Industry Organization Member, and ITCC technical advisory committee member.

Returning for his second ITCC is Karl Kramler of Gramastetten, Austria. Kramler received his education from the School for Forester and became a Certified Arborist in 2000. For the past 11 years, he has been working as a tree climber. He has been climbing for 12 years and his fastest 50’ footlock time is 20 seconds. In his free time he enjoys wood turning.

Competing in his second international competition, Peter Vergote represents Belgium this year. Hailing from Temse, Vergote is an arborist and tree worker with 8 years climbing experience and a fastest footlock time of 18.23 seconds. He has a Bachelors of Green Management, is a Certified European Treeworker. Vergote started out working for Gardeners but afterward he went on to start his own company, Peter Vergote Boomverzorging, and has been self-employed for the past 7 years. He and wife Tine De Keyser have three children, Jens, 6, Joren, 3 ½, and Woud, 3 ½. He enjoys spending time with his band, Tree Magic Beers, which is composed of him and three other arborists.

David Stejskal of Waitakere, New Zealand, will be making his ITCC debut this year. He has been climbing for10 years and competing for three with his fastest footlock time being 20 seconds. For the past 5 years, Stejskal has been working for Tree Scape, LTD. as an arborist. He has been partnered with Lenka for 15 years and enjoys trail running and yoga in his free time.

Appearing for the second time at the ITCC is Kaare Meyer Nielsen of Roskilde, Denmark. Nielsen has been climbing for 5 years, and his fastest footlock time is 21.5 seconds. For the past 5 years, he has been working as an arborist for Henrik Ravn Traepleje. Nielsen is partnered with Alexandra, and his hobbies include family, hunting, and friends.

Making his ITCC debut is Eli Villagran of Orlando, Florida. For the past 2 years, Villagran has been the General Foreman Assistant at Lewis Tree Service supervising the foremen, climbing crew, and bucket operators instructing them on proper safety procedures. He has been climbing for 11 years and has been competing for 9 years with his fastest footlock time being 19 seconds. He and his wife, Raquel, have been married for 10 years and have 3 children, Esmeralda, 9, Uriel, 6, and Ezbai, 2. In his spare time he enjoys playing soccer and playing with his children at the park.

Laurent Pierron of Saint Just de Claix, France, will be competing in an ITCC for the first time. Pierron has been employed as a tree worker for 16 years, worked for the city of Grenoble for six years, and is currently an arborist for Hevea. He has been climbing for 16 years and competing for 10 with a fastest footlock time of 22 seconds. He and his wife, Annick, have been married for 15 years and have two children, Mahe, 13, and Lohan, nine. In his free time he enjoys climbing and working with wood.

Making his ITCC debut is Moritz Theuerkauf of Munich, Bavaria. For the past 10 years, Theuerkauf has been climbing and working at his own company as a tree climber and tree care professional. Competing for 6 years, his fastest footlock time is 15.08. He and his partner, Kristina, have been together for 2 years and in his free time he enjoys rock climbing, ski touring, and ice climbing in the mountains.

Competing for the first time at an ITCC is Kai Wang Lee of Hong Kong. For the past 4 years, Lee has been a climber for Climbing Brother Arboricultural LTD. He has been climbing for 5 years and was named the APTCC Secured Footlock Champion in 2008. In 2010, he was also named the 1st Hong Kong Tree Climbing Competition Champion. His fasted footlock time is 16.71 seconds. In his free time he enjoys volunteering for his local ISA Chapter helping organize the Certified Tree Worker Exam and also enjoys hiking.

Todd Kramer of West Chicago, Illinois, has been climbing for 23 years. He works at Kramer Tree Specialist, a family owned and operated business, as the Director of Field Operations and Education. When not spending time with his family, Kramer enjoys Freestyle Mountain biking, camping and rock climbing.

Coming from La Porte, Indiana, is Brian Mann, an ITCC veteran returning for his third international competition. Mann has been climbing for 18 years and competing for 7 with his fastest footlock time being 27 seconds. Mann has owned The Tree Mann, Inc. for 21 years and works there as a climber, salesperson, and bucket operator. He earned his Applied Science degree in Conservation Law Enforcement and is also an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist. He and his partner Brook have been together for 11 years and together they enjoy spending time hunting white tailed deer, traveling, camping, rock climbing, and snow skiing, along with other outdoor activities.

Kazuhiko Kubota from Sagamihara, Kanagawa, will be making his ITCC debut this year. For the past 22 years, he has been a landscape architect with Hibiya Amenis. He has been climbing for 6 years and competing for 2 with his fastest footlock time being 35 seconds. He and his wife, Kuniki, have been married for 21 years and together they have two children, Aya, 19, and Ryo, 16. In his free time Kubota enjoys watching movies, spending time with his family, recreational climbing, and as of recently, learning English so that he can communicate with other climbers at the competition.

Appearing for the fourth time at the ITCC is Richard Denbeau from Louisville, Kentucky. He has been climbing for 8 years, and his fastest footlock time is 20 seconds. Denbeau earned a Bachelor of Arts in United States History from the University of Pittsburgh and went on to spend ten years in the arboriculture industry, working in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Louisville. He is an ISA Certified Arborist. Denbeau has worked as a production arborist for Limbwalker Tree Service for the past 3 years, and he volunteers as a judge and a tech with the Kentucky Chapter of ISA. In his free time, he enjoys bicycling and playing soccer.

Walter Hak of Noordeloos is here for his third ITCC. Hak has been climbing for 14 years, and his fastest footlock time is 16 seconds. He has been a self-employed as a tree climber with his company, Dendro Cura, for the past 13 years. When he isn’t climbing, he enjoys fly fishing for pike.

Lucas Drews of Rockford, Michigan, has been climbing for 12 years and will be competing in his second ITCC. His fastest footlocke is 18 seconds. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and received his Associates Degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Ferris State University. For the past 3 years, Drews has been employed with Woodland Tree Services, Inc as an arborist. In his free time he enjoys hiking, climbing, and water sports.

Coming from Bluemont, Virginia, for his first ITCC is Flint Anderson. He has been climbing for 11 years and competing for 10 with his fastest footlock time being 16 seconds. Earlier this year, Anderson started his own company, Treelife, where he works as an arborist. He and his partner, Jennifer, have been together for 2 years and he has 3 children, Wesley, 17, Quinton, 16, and Shiki, 11. He is expecting a new baby this December. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, rock climbing, canoeing, yoyo-ing, garden, and cooking.

Making his ITCC debut is Edmund Turner of House Springs, Missouri. Turner is a 3rd generation arborist who is a line clearance foreman for Wright Tree Service and volunteers his time giving tree climbing demonstrations at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Turner is an ISA Certified Arborist and has been climbing for 7 years. His fastest footlock time is 21.8 seconds. Turner has a 19 month old son, Evan, and enjoys playing his guitar, which he has been playing since age 11, camping, swimming, traveling, floating, and spending time with his family.

Nicholas Grebe of Minneapolis, Minnesota, will be making his ITCC debut this year. He has been climbing for 5 years and competing for 4 with his fasted footlock time being 19.67 seconds. Grebe earned his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota and has spent the past 3 and half years as a Technical Arborist for Rainbow Treecare Company . During his free time he enjoys brewing beer, deer hunting, gardening, and fishing.

Daniel Weise from Middlebury, Connecticut, has been climbing for 13 years and competing for 7 with his fasted footlock time being 19.5 seconds. This year he will be returning for his third ITCC. Weise is the owner of Weise Choice Tree Services, LLC. He enjoys spending his time fishing and recreational climbing with his wife and son, Charles.

Making his ITCC debut this year is Sam Cooper of Oxford, New Jersey. Cooper has been working for the past 3 years as an arborist and foreman for Davey Tree Experts. He has been climbing for 9 years and competing for 8 with his fastest footlock time being 20 seconds. He and his wife, Randi, have been married for 6 years and he has 2 children Evin, 13, and Samuel, 1 ½ years. In his free time he enjoys volunteering for his local chapter as an arborist, making furniture and shelves, bowling, camping, spending time with his family, and relaxing.

Jorge Obando is returning for his second time to the ITCC. He has been climbing for 10 years, and his fastest footlock time is 16.5 seconds. Obando lives in Webster, New York, where he has worked as a crew leader, arborist, and climber at Birchcrest Tree and Landscape for the past 8 years. Having grown up in Peru, Obando moved to the States during college and received his urban forestry training through ACRT/Job Corps. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and Tree worker, and he most enjoys swinging around and trimming large residential trees. Obando has been with his partner, Dusty, for 8 years, and he enjoys rock climbing, mountain climbing, tree climbing, paragliding, hiking, and biking. He also likes traveling the world with Dusty and enjoys her delicious homemade food.

Coming from Tyreso, Sweden, Per Stjernberg will be making his ITCC debut this year. For the past 4 years, Stjernberg has been employed with Jackson’s Tradvard as an arborist. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and Certified Tree Worker. He has been climbing for 6 years and his fastest footlock time is 23 seconds. He and his wife Anki have been married for a year and he spends part of his time working with the Swedish Chapter journal Tradbladet and helping out with ETW-certifications in Sweden and Norway.

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John Ransom will be returning for his eighth ITCC. Ransom is from St. Catharines, Ontario, and has been employed with the City of Ottawa for the past 3 months. He has been a climber for 14 years and competing for 13. His fastest footlock is 17.3 seconds. Ransom is married to Yuonne and together they have two children Peyton, 5, and Ethan, 3.

Dan Kraus is a past ITCC champion from Everett, Washington, who is coming back for his ninth international competition this year. He has been climbing for 27 years, and his fastest footlock time is 15.5 seconds. Kraus has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and he learned to climb working for his father’s tree care company in Hawaii. An ISA Certified Arborist, he works for Seattle Tree Preservation. His degree in psychology might come in handy while he’s coaxing scared felines out of trees with his own company, Cat in a Tree Emergency Rescue. He also volunteers with climbing classes for the Pacific Northwest Chapter of ISA. Kraus is married to Justina, and they have two daughters, Jasmine, 3, and Violet, 1.

Rob Thigpen of Riegelsville, Pennsylvania, will be returning for his second ITCC this year. He has been climbing for 22 years and competing for 18 with his fasted footlock time being 16.6 seconds. Thigpen owned his own tree care company for 16 years and has been the Chief Safety Officer/Climber for Shechtman Tree Care for the past year and half. He spends time volunteering for his local chapter helping with competition set-ups and filling in as a Technician and Judge for local competitions. He has also helped with Arbor Day events for the past 20 years. In his free time he enjoys being a volunteer fireman, doing anything that involves ropes and rescue, and being outside as much as possible. Thigpen is married to Andrea and they have two children Robby, 14, and Tori, 9.

Appearing for the first time at ITCC is Jesse Antonation of Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has been an arborist for 12 years and is currently employed at Trilogy Tree Services. Antonation has been climbing for 11 years.

Coming to the ITCC for the second time is Leilak Anderson of La Pêche, Quebec. He has been climbing for 8 years and his fastest footlock climb is 18 seconds. Anderson has a degree in business administration and is an ISA Certified Arborist involved in running a family business, Man with the Axe. In his free time he enjoys hockey and raft building.

Returning for a sixth ITCC is Charley Wagner of Lafayette, Colorado. Wagner has been climbing for 13 years with a fastest footlock time of 14.8 seconds. He and his wife, Kit, own Cutting Edge Tree Care, where Wagner is an arborist. Wagner also volunteers his time as a teacher training other climbers and has served on the education board. In his free time Charley enjoys playing music with friends, windsurfing, and snowboarding.

Entering his first ITCC is Chaibut Kathawut of Singapore. Kathawut has been climbing for 18 years and competing for 5. His fastest footlock time is 32 seconds and he has won 3 regional events. He and his wife, Wasang, have been married for 19 years and have two children, Khantharus, 18, and Napaporn,14.

Odis Sisk of Gainesville, Georgia, will be returning for his third ITCC. Sisk currently owns his own company entitled Global Tree Preservation. He has also spent his time as an instructor at North American Training Solutions for the past 6 years. Sisk is an ISA Certified Arborist, Utility Specialist and Tree Worker. He has been climbing for 12 years and competing for 6. His fastest footlock time is 19 seconds. In his free time he enjoys rock climbing, hiking, biking, traveling, working abroad, long walks on the beach, and getting lost in the rain.

Johan Gustavsson comes from Jörlanda, Sweden, to compete in his fifth ITCC this year. Gustavsson has been climbing for 6 years, and his fastest footlock time is 14.2 seconds. He is an ISA Certified Arborist and Certified Tree Worker who got his start as a climbing arborculturist 6 years ago. Gustavsson has earned a Foundation Degree in Arboriculture and holds a NPTC certificate. He has been with partner Lisa for 8 years, and in his free time, he enjoys motocross, windsurfing, snowboarding, hanging out with his girlfriend and friends, and enjoys a calm day out at sea with his boat.

Gregor Hansch is a first-timer to the ITCC. Hailing from Basel, Switzerland, he has been climbing for 9 years. His fastest footlock time is 16 seconds. After various apprenticeships, Hansch has been an Arborist for Baumpartner for the past 9 years. He is married to Tanja and enjoys fishing, rock climbing, hiking, and camping in his spare time.

Abram Zies is returning for his second time to the ITCC. Hailing from Weatherford, Texas, he has been climbing for 10 years. His fastest footlock time is 16 seconds. After various apprenticeships, Zies has been the owner and operator of Arbor Care for 10 years. He is married to Lindsey, and they have a 9 year old son, Ethan. Zies enjoys riding sport bikes and dirt bikes, and wakeboarding.

Jonathan Trumbull of Perth, Scotland is competing in his fifth ITCC. He has been climbing for 9 years, and his fastest 50’ footlock time is 13.98 seconds. After qualifying with his national diploma in arboriculture, he moved to Sweden for a year before returning to the UK and working for a local tree care business for another 2 years. From 2006 until 2011, he traveled around Europe contracting for different companies in such places as France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Ireland. In 2011, he started setting up Turnbull Tree Care in Scotland and continued contracting in Europe. He and his wife, Katy, have been married for a year. Besides spending time with her, Turnbull enjoys skiing, mountaineering, ice-climbing, rock climbing, kayaking, and ski touring.

Appearing for the first time at ITCC is John Dallinga of Ogden, Utah. Dallinga has been climbing for 6 years and competing for 1 with his fastest footlock time being 25 seconds. For the past year and half he has been working for Trees Inc. and also owns Just Trees. He and his wife, Katharine, have been married for 5 years and together they raise two children; their daughter Sage, 5, and their niece, Nayah, 10. In his free time, he enjoys snowboarding, fishing, riding motorcycles, and doing martial arts.

Daniel Stevens of Mesa, Arizona, is competing in his second ITCC this year. He has been climbing for 10 years, and has a fastest footlock time of 15.5seconds. Stevens became an ISA Certified Arborist in 2003 and is also a Certified Tree Worker. After working for 7 years with Tree Doctors North, Inc. in Arizona, Stevens and his wife, Heather, decided to start their own company, Living Tree Service, Inc. He continues to work daily in the field with his teams and to serve the community with Heather, promoting education on proper tree care, safety, and ISA standards. Stevens is also a board member of the Arizona Community Tree Council and volunteers teaching tree seminars. He also volunteers with the Western Chapter of ISA. He and Heather have three children, Ashlyn, 12, Tristan, 8, and Koraya, 6. Stevens also enjoys hiking, cycling, camping, and rock climbing with his family.

Joe House has been climbing for 17 years, and this is his fourth ITCC. His fastest footlock time is 15 seconds. House is an ISA Certified Arborist living in Madison, Wisconsin, where he has worked for 10 years as a production arborist at Stephensen Tree Care. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and has been a practicing arborist for 20 years, spending some time working in Denver and New York. House also volunteers as an Illinois Climbing Competition judge. He and wife, Lori, have three children, Alice, 9, Jackie, 8, and Charlie, 6. House enjoys sailing, fishing, snorkeling, birding, and parenting in his free time.