The fourth annual Bainbridge Island Open Masters Tree Climbing Competition saw both recreational and expert climbers as well as professional arborists and excited onlookers gather at a private residence on Agate Point Road NE Saturday, April 25 to catch up, converse and, of course, climb.

“The climbers who show up to this event are mostly working arborists from Portland, Seattle, Kitsap and [British Columbia],” said Katy Bigelow, the event’s organizer. “They all love trees enough that many of them spend extra time away from their day job climbing and competing in trees as hobbies.

“All the climbers climb this event spurless and often use up-to-date and specialized climbing equipment,” she added.

Indeed, conservation is a major focus point of the event and, in addition to the ban on spurs and spikes, climbers in the competition go so far as to use protective sleeves so as to keep their ropes from rubbing hard against the tree’s bark and causing damage.

The Review’s Luciano Marano was on the scene to capture all the treetop action and high-flying hijinks. His best photos are collected here.