Climbing a 700-year-old giant tree

Meet Chris Sharma, a 34-year-old from California who took tree climbing to the next level. Renowned mountain climber (he set up a number of 5.15 climbing routes in the entire world, and climbed ropeless the sea cliffs of Mallorca), he took on that project and connected with his roots as a child tree climber.

But what does that gigantic 253 foot (77 meters) high sequoia have to do with the modest trees we all climbed as children? Well, it’s all about the method. Always make sure to pick a sturdy tree, “hardened and strong”. You don’t want to put your weight on a crumbly bark!

When aiming to respect to biological structure of the tree, it is preferable to avoid lead climbing. Firing an anchor at the top of the tree with a crossbow and pulling a rope through it will prevent you from harming the trunk. And, most important of all: always memorize your route. Not so easy when you’re used to rock climbing! According to Sharma, marking the spots with chalk will help you on the way down.

Climbing that giant tree was part of a scientific project of the MIT aimed at studying the health of the huge sequoia forests of California.

(source Outside Online)

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