Te Puke arborist Steph Dryfhout wins 2024 ITCC World Championship in Georgia

Te Puke's Steph Dryfhout has won the International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) World Championships in Georgia, the United States. Photo / Joe Astell

Te Puke arborist Steph Dryfhout has achieved a 2024 tree-peat in climbing events.

The competitive tree climber has returned from Georgia in the United States where, at her fourth attempt, she won the International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) World Championship.

Steph is a multiple and reigning New Zealand champion, winning the title last month, and also won this year’s Asia-Pacific competition in Malaysia.

She has come close to climbing to the top at the worlds before, placing second in 2019 in Knoxville, US, and third in 2022 in Denmark, but this is her first title. She was also fifth last year in Albuquerque.

Her preparation changed for her latest championship tilt.

“I added in midweek training sessions and made an effort to climb new trees and climb in as many competitions as possible in the lead-up.”

She says she knew before the championships began she could put in a good performance.

“The confidence came from the work I had put in to get to this point, and I felt like I was at the fun part finally.”

The preliminary rounds feature a range of climbs designed to test climbers’ skills including aerial rescue, speed climb, throw line and head-to-head ascent.

“The best event in the prelims was the work climb,” she says. “Funnily enough, it was also a bit of a hurdle because I had to go first of the day.”

But it is the Masters Challenge where the title is determined.

The challenge involves climbing to and ringing four bells hung in a tree. Planning the route is part of the contest and competitors are not allowed to watch others before they climb.

Last year, Steph described the challenge: “Basically, what you are showing is a display of your climbing skills and ability. You start at the bottom, install your rope with a throw line and climb around the tree safely, with good anchor points. Everybody’s got a different way of doing things and a different plan, so basically, it’s about the different skills and techniques you display.”

She won the preliminary rounds and won the Masters Challenge.

“I felt pretty good after my masters climb, but I wasn’t sure I had won until I heard them read out the woman who came second.”

Steph works for Paul Kenny Contracting and says what she enjoys most about being an arborist is “working outside, the variety of work, and the epic arborist community”.

She began competing in 2017.

“When I started my studies at Wintec, there was a keen group of climbers who were all studying with me at the same time. They were all keen on the competitions, so basically, I was encouraged by my peers and the tutors at Wintec – they usually push the competitions as well, just for general development and networking and meeting people, so it just went from there really.”

As to the future, she says more world titles would be cool.

“But I will have to see where life takes me over the next few years.”