With a passion for climbing and a thirst for adventure, the Canopy Climbing Collective is showcasing a different and daring side of arb to the world.
FOR many tree surgeons, the amount of climbing they get to undertake in an average working week is more than enough to keep them satisfied. For others, there’s the Canopy Climbing Collective.
A social tree-climbing group founded in 2020, the CCC brings together professional and amateur climbers for recreational events in woodlands across the UK and around the world, undertaking stunts, experimenting with new equipment and generally having as much fun as they can, away from the punishing graft of day-to-day treecare.
Its philosophy is purely about the enjoyment of climbing trees away from the pressures of work, the expectations of bosses and customers or the limitations of professional guidelines.
Starting with a small group of young climbers who all knew each other from the same Milton Keynes arb company, CCC has quickly grown in size, reach and ambition, capturing the attention of numerous brands and entertaining an ever-expanding audience across social media with its occasionally daring exploits.
In November, essentialARB was invited to join the team at Brocket Hall Estate to find out at first-hand what the group is all about and how its members hope it can have a positive impact on the world of arb and the broader perception of tree climbing.
This was the first get-together the team had held after the APF Show, at which it organised the reeve competition and held the premiere of its hour-long documentary film Chasing Adventure: The Arborist.
As well as an opportunity to climb some trees and gather some more content for its social channels, the day was a chance for members to catch up and plan what they would be getting up to in the coming year.
Encompassing 200 hectares of beautiful parkland, impressive neoclassical buildings, two golf courses and an interesting history dating as far back as the 13th century, the Hertfordshire estate at which they’d gathered features diverse woodlands with some remarkable specimen trees.
Ground Up Training, which makes use of the woodlands in its tree surgery and forestry training courses, invited the team along for a day of climbing and filming.
After a bit of exploring in the morning, attention settled on an impressive 40 m London plane in need of some maintenance and a check-up for Massaria. The next few hours were spent in and out of the canopy, performing big jumps, ascent races, swinging through the branches, tackling dead wood and capturing a wealth of exciting footage for the vlog.
And while most of team are professional arborists who spend the majority of their days climbing trees, none of this felt like work.
Joe Hottinger, one of the founders of the group (which also includes his brothers Leon and Ethan), explained how the COVID pandemic and lockdown was behind its formation.
He said: “The first CCC members were all friends who’d known each other through working for one company in Milton Keynes. We’d always stayed friends, despite all going off to different companies, some working abroad or going into business for themselves.
“When lockdown happened, suddenly no one was able to socialise. The only way we were allowed to go outside and see each other was by doing our job. So we arranged meet-ups to climb trees and that became our social outlet.
“After a while we started filming some of the things we were doing, which led to us becoming more ambitious, doing zip lines, traverses between trees, swings and other stunts. When we put it online we started getting a bit of attention. That has opened up opportunities for us to be able to work with manufacturers and get sponsorships, which has allowed us to do even more ambitious stuff.”
The group’s biggest adventure to date, documented in Chasing Adventure: The Arborist, saw them travelling to California to climb Hyperion, a coast redwood considered the world’s tallest living tree, measuring just under 116 m. In the process, they may have become the last people to climb it.
Their ‘secret mission’ was controversial not only because the climb was unauthorised, but because tourists have been warned off visiting the tree because a flood of foot traffic has damaged the surrounding undergrowth. The National Park Service has now closed off access to Hyperion, and anyone who gets too close can face up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine (though the group says no restrictions were in place at the time of their visit).
The trip was supported by Treekit, Honey Brothers and others, with representatives appearing in the film, which has been watched over 40,000 times since being published on YouTube.
But it’s not all about stunts. Content has broadened to include educational videos on different climbing techniques and reviews of new gear and equipment. While the list of sponsors has grown – with backers of recent vlogs including Stein, Rock Exotica, Arb Fiction, Gustharts, Notch and Sorbus International – the CCC has remained steadfastly independent so its members can give their honest opinions of the kit they’re trying out.
The group got a hint of the kind of impact it was having at last year’s APF, when it ran the reeve competition. Sponsored by Harkie, this have-a-go aerial rigging contest saw teams moving different loads horizontally and vertically four ways, all in an effort to win free beer and some Harkie prizes.
Over the course of the three days, team members were approached by numerous fans who recognised them from their videos and could testify to how they had helped them learn about different techniques and equipment and reinvigorated their love of climbing.
The man behind the camera for most of the activities – and managing the social media accounts – is Simeon Balsam. The filming and editing approach he has pioneered within the group – backed by some very high quality equipment and dazzling techniques – has succeeded in bringing the world of arb to a new, young audience hitherto completely unaware of how spectacular a life in the trees can look.
“I wanted to start creating content for the industry because there was nothing cool online,” he said. “We are a cool industry with cool techniques and cool ideas, but I couldn’t see anything online that showed that. My motivation is to create content for our industry to inspire and to educate.
“There are always ideas popping into my head for new content because the industry’s constantly changing. We are still innovating so there’s always new things for us to look into and play about with.
“I hope it doesn’t just look like a group of rowdy lads having fun. Yeah, we are a gregarious group and quite lively when we get together, but hopefully we can inspire and educate to help keep people interested in their industry.”
With a significant following on social media and the backing of some major brands, it’s clear the CCC has already made a big impression. However, not everyone is so enamoured with the group’s exploits.
It’s not hard to find voices within the arb world who disapprove of the risky stunts and ‘have fun’ ethos, which they feel paint arboriculture in a bad light. With professional tree climbers constantly scrutinised over health and safety and facing ever-tighter regulation, there are those who would argue the attention-grabbing videos and ‘rock-star’ aesthetic of the CCC are ‘unhelpful’ at best.
Joe has heard the criticisms, but disagrees.
“We are mostly professional tree climbers and all still following industry best practice in our day-to-day work,” he said. “I think it boils down to what you see as fun. We learn these skills and apply them every day in our work, so what’s wrong with using them to go out and enjoy ourselves?
“The whole reason a lot of us got into this job in the first place is because we love climbing trees. Saying the work and the fun have to be separate doesn’t make sense to me.
“How many people do you know who do tree work for the money? It’s not that kind of industry. I don’t see how recreational climbing can be wrong, because that’s the fun aspect that got us all into it in the first place. I feel like when you start separating the two, that’s the minute you start hating your job.”
Simeon likewise sees the CCC as a force for good and would encourage more professional tree climbers to undertake some recreational activities when they can, for their own enjoyment and to help improve their work.
“I think it’s important to take time outside of work to explore those ideas and strategies that you put in place on the job,” he said. “Take them to the recreational side and see what you can do with them. Have fun. Don’t always be working seven days a week. Enjoy trees for what they’re meant to be. They’re not just there to be cut down.”
For more, search for ‘Canopy Climbing Collective’ on Instagram and YouTube.
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