Campus & Beyond Tree Climbing Program Takes Participants to New Heights Stories You May Like What’s the Weather Going to Be? Check the Signal Pole! Why Our Attempts to Avoid Emotional Discomfort Often Backfire ‘Wine Is Not Fungible’: How an Alum’s Firm Made Global Headlines Run by Cornell Outdoor Education, it comprises PE classes, local training sessions, expeditions, research support, and more By Melissa Newcomb Emma Regnier ’19 spent part of her time on the Hill a hundred feet above the ground—navigating the thin, bendy branches of conifer trees, where crows build their nests. She’d reach in, gently lift out a nestling, secure it in a carrier, and descend to the forest floor; then Lab of Ornithology staff would quickly measure the young bird, collect samples, and attach an ID band before Regnier returned it to its nest. While Regnier’s efforts informed a study of crows (and another of tree swallows), her ability to access their homes came thanks to a physical education course, PE 1657: Tree Climbing. Regnier at a golden eagle nest in Oregon. She’d taken it as a freshman to fulfill a graduation requirement, then went on to become an instructor. And what she learned would carry her—literally and figuratively—through the parks and forests in Ithaca to a career in wildlife research across the country. Now at Idaho’s Boise State University, Regnier uses her climbing experience to rappel down cliffs to study golden eagle nests, monitor the health of nestlings, and help stop population decline. “I can give people a view into a world that they can’t often otherwise see or experience,” says Regnier, who double-majored in environmental sustainability and fine arts, and also has a career as an artist and graphic designer. “Researchers wouldn’t be able to do this work without somebody who has the knowledge and rope skills to access these places safely.” COE director Mark Holton, PhD ’99 (right), exploring redwoods with arborist Lindsay Watkins ’05. Regnier is just one of the many Cornellians who’ve participated in the Cornell Tree Climbing program. Launched in 2005 as a PE class and overseen by Cornell Outdoor Education, it’s one of the largest collegiate programs of its kind in the country. Beyond for-credit courses, the program introduces people to recreational climbing, offers expeditions into the canopies of California’s giant sequoias and the forests of Costa Rica and Madagascar, trains academics to safely access ecosystems high above the forest floor, and inspires careers that depend on technical climbing. Launched in 2004 as a PE class and overseen by COE, Cornell Tree Climbing is one of the largest collegiate programs of its kind in the country. The staff of around 25, including several student instructors, also gives lessons to the public—from researchers and arborists to children in youth classes to homeowners hoping to peek into a backyard bird’s nest. “It’s a bit mind-bending if you have never done something like this before—to look down from above and see a bird fly by underneath you, or to have a monkey sitting on a branch next to you, not even a foot away,” says COE director Mark Holton, PhD ’99, who also leads the Tree Climbing program. Climbing a baobab in Madagascar. “There’s a lot to be discovered up there. It is an absolute delight to see our participants’ faces when they experience this perspective for the first time.” Regardless of where climbing may take them, every student begins the same way: learning the fundamentals. Take, for example, one intro class session held in Ithaca’s Stewart Park in spring 2026. Stories You May Like What’s the Weather Going to Be? Check the Signal Pole! Why Our Attempts to Avoid Emotional Discomfort Often Backfire There’s a lot to be discovered up there. It is an absolute delight to see our participants’ faces when they experience this perspective for the first time. Mark Holton, PhD ’99, director of COE and the Tree Climbing program Learning about ziplines, the students worked in unison to pull ropes strung high in the branches of a large tree. After hoisting each harnessed classmate farther and farther up, they’d release the rope on the count of three—sending their fellow Cornellian careening down the line with an excited shriek. Melissa Newcomb / Cornell UniversityTightening ropes during a PE class in Ithaca's Stewart Park. The students also took turns inspecting helmets and harnesses; launching throw lines over high branches via a giant slingshot; building secure anchors with two different rope systems for safety; and checking one another’s equipment before leaving the ground. “I was definitely scared in the first class, but they teach us how to use so much equipment, and the instructors are really reassuring,” says Adin Choung ’26, a policy analysis and management major in Human Ecology. “I feel very secure in the harness and the ropes.” Melissa Newcomb / Cornell UniversityLiang takes her turn on the zipline. In other sessions that semester, they learned such skills as using rope systems to move both vertically and horizontally, techniques for ascending and descending, and rescue procedures in case a climber needs assistance. “I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I signed up for tree climbing," says Cindy Liang ’26, a computer science major in the Duffield College. “I thought we’d just be climbing up smaller trees with our hands and feet, but there’s actually a lot more that goes into it. We learned how to tie ropes—and most of the time we’re climbing up the ropes instead of the trees themselves.” Each year, Holton leads an expedition to Northern California, where participants spend 10 days in the High Sierras scaling 300-foot giant sequoias and redwoods. They even sleep up among them, suspended in hammocks. I was definitely scared in the first class, but they teach us how to use so much equipment, and the instructors are really reassuring. Adin Choung ’26 “We climb giant redwoods, which takes the entire day,” says instructor Sylvan Martin ’25, a current master’s student in computer science who went on the expedition in summer 2025. “There’s no guarantee of even getting to the top in that amount of time, because they take so long to climb.” The first few days are spent teaching the basics—attendees are not required to have any prior experience—before progressing to the towering old-growth trees. Instructors also assist researchers at UC Berkeley, which owns the forest, on studies of the canopy. Climbers happily perched, high above ground. Over the years, other Tree Climbing expeditions have gone to Costa Rica, the Republic of Georgia, Madagascar, and Borneo. “Some of the stuff we do can be pretty dangerous, so our top priority is for people to have a safe experience,” Holton says. “Beyond that, it’s the pure enjoyment of being up in the canopy, experiencing the breeze and the view. A lot of people think it’s a relaxing and serene place to be—and when we can combine it with science, that’s even better." Top: Holton climbing a redwood in California in 2010. (Photo by David Katz; all other images provided, unless otherwise indicated.) Published August 11, 2026 Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Alumni Celebrating Big Red Pride—in June, and All Year Long Cornelliana Novels Set at ‘Cornell’ Bring You Home to the Hill In the President’s Words ‘Advocate for Cornell, and for Higher Education’