Professional tree climbers across Latin America made a return for the second International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Latin American Tree Climbing Championship (LATCC).  

Asumi Komatsu Chavez of Asociación Mexicana de Arboricultura and Mario Vagner Quispe of Sociedade Brasileira de Arborização Urbana won the ISA 2025 LATCC, held from 5-6 December in Mexico City, Mexico. The two-day event featured 17 competitors showcasing their skills to be declared the region's top climbers.

“I feel very happy to be able to compete with these other competitors that year after year we are seeing each other and we are growing together,” Chavez said after her win. “I love to see how every year, we're all getting better.”

With this win, Chavez said she still feels she has some more training to do, but for now, she’s excited to go out for a celebration with the other climbers and volunteers. 

“I want to thank you because ISA changed my life,” Chavez said. “It helped plant a little seed in me, and now I want to plant seeds in someone else.”

Quispe said he has trained every day leading up to this competition, and this win has been so rewarding for him and those in his corner. 

“I feel happy, I feel fulfilled, and above all, I feel grateful,” he said. “Grateful to my family, to my wife, to my son, to the entire community, to the trees, to Mother Earth. This victory wasn't just mine; it belonged to all the people who are here in my heart.” 

Quispe said he is thankful to ISA for making this possible and giving him the opportunity. 

“They not only work on the technique and safety, but also on the connection with the trees,” Quispe said of the ISA climbing community. 

For many professional climbers, the 2026 TCC season is still in the early stages, as this is the first regional event of the series.  

Looking ahead, the ISA regional events continue with the 2026 Asia Pacific Tree Climbing Competition (APTCC) in Bangkok, Thailand, from 6-8 February, the 2026 North American Tree Climbing Championship (NATCC) in Kent, Ohio, U.S., from 15-17 May, the 2026 European Tree Climbing Competition in Gijón, Spain, from 3-5 July and the 2026 International Tree Climbing Competition in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., from 9-11 October. 

Click here for a complete list of the competition results. If you are interested in volunteering for an upcoming TCC, visit the ITCC website.