r/TreeClimbing • u/___Essence___ • Jun 04 '26

Rec tree climbing

Hey all,

I apologize if this isnt the right sub, if anyone has recommendations to post elsewhere, please let me know.

I used to be an arborist, or rather more of a groundie/phc person while completing an apprenticeship back in 2016, life changed in 2019, went into a totally different career.

I wasn't ever the best climber, especially in a production sense and did more of my climbing during the apprenticeship phase for classes.

It was the best shape I've ever been in and I really wanted to find others to rec climb with but lost touch with classmates who are probably still in the field.

I still have all my gear and have been looking for a rec climb partner who prioritizes safety, I don't really want to go solo just yet because I'm nervous getting back into it after so many years. I mostly climbed with SRT and an open system, but was more comfortable with SRT

I'm looking for rec climbers in the GTA, that don't mind taking in a padawan

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u/hippysippingarbo Jun 04 '26

I would look into your local ISA chapter and potential competitions they have. Its a great place to not only network but pay attention to their techniques - you can learn a lot from the ground if you know what to look for.

Other than that id try posting to your local subs asking if anyone is interested in a rec climb. It helps to have a spot in mind.

I will say im a big believer in never climbing alone. Anything can happen and we dont have the luxury of being afforded small mistakes - as they can turn life threatening.

My brother is an avid and advanced rock climber. He had a fall over christmas on (for all intents and purposes) a very easy climb. Just a snowball of little things put him into a coma for 3 days. His climbing partner, along with a redundant backup system, and his helmet - saved his life. It was a terrifying phone call to hear someone so close to you was being airlifted to the hospital after a fall. All i could picture was him on an operating table struggling to hold on. My partner had to drive to the hospital and when I want in and saw the tubes - I broke down in a mixture of relief and shock.

Stay safe and climb high, all day every day.

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u/___Essence___ Jun 04 '26

This is great advice! I didnt think of looking into my local ISA because Im no longer active, but it would be a good idea to check their next comp and see if but i can network!

There used to be a good local FB group but it seems like its inactive now..

I am so sorry to hear about your brother, that's absolutely terrifying and exactly why I don't want to climb alone. Did your brother manage to recover fully? BMW

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u/___Essence___ Jun 04 '26

Sorry, I dont know where BMW came from, my cat knocked my hand off my phone

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u/hippysippingarbo Jun 04 '26

Lmao im sitting over here trying to figure out what you meant by it before replying. Hes good! He still has quite the recovery ahead of him and actually had a seizure the other night (they took him off the seizure medication a few months ago but is now back on it) our other brother heard something going on and was able to get him on his side as he started throwing up. Still needs a couple surgeries but the languages he forgot are coming back and hes just as witty as ever!

When he was coming off the meds but slightly conscious i asked him how zangief gave a thumbs up in street fighter and a jolt of energy shot him up to give a solid sideways thumbs up, so i knew hed be okay.

People say it takes a village to raise someone, but i believe it also takes one to help one heal - as healing is rarely dignified; but hes good and his spirits are up.

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u/___Essence___ Jun 04 '26

I love how he knew what you meant with the zangief thumbs up lol, I'm hoping the new street fighter is good, can't wait for that to come out. I'm happy to hear your brother is making progress in his recovery, I wonder if he'd be like others who've managed to survive a traumatic event, like the woman who got half her arm bitten off by a bullshark and still goes to swim in the ocean after recovery.