The Smooth Saw

Most climbers chase hard skills — but what if the secret to peak performance is silent, subtle, and deeply rooted in mindset? Meet Anna Sonnenfeld, our 2026 North American tree climbing champion, who proves that with intentional focus and calm presence, you can climb to the top of the sport.  Anna’s story is a demonstration of slow, deliberate growth, mental clarity, and harnessing flow state to p...

Most of us never imagined how deeply the world of tree climbing, rope access, and industrial rigging would evolve—and the stories behind that transformation are mind-blowing. In this captivating episode, Jeff and Evan sit down with legendary innovator Rich Hattier, a true pioneer whose impact reverberates across multiple disciplines. From the high-tech rescue missions in wind turbines to the cutti...

Most climbers learn the hard way that pushing their limits requires more than just effort — it demands reflection, humility, and smart training. In this episode, Jeff, Evan, and Jimmy share unforgettable stories from the international scene, diving into the lessons learned from near-disasters, extreme competitions, and the importance of growth over perfection. Jimmy Prichard, a seasoned climber an...

A candid debrief of the ISA North American Tree Climbing Championship held in Kent, Ohio, exploring the event's unique setup, challenges, and opportunities for industry improvement. In this episode, Jeff Inman and Evan Beck analyze the North American Tree Climbing Championship 2026, discussing competition strategies, rule interpretations, and ways to improve the event. They share insights on c...

Most tree climbers and adventure enthusiasts overlook the powerful lessons hiding in everyday moments—and in this episode, you'll learn how a simple road trip, a park ranger encounter, and a backyard climb can shape your mindset and skills for the future. When Evan, Dave and Jeff gather in Ohio before a major competition, they dive into more than just the trees. From epic drives through foggy...

In this episode, the boys chat through the concept of mastery. A great book by Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers) highlights the concept of mastery and how it takes a person, on average, around ten thousand hours to master something. The episode starts by having a bit of a jumping in feel. Some technical difficulties lost the first part of the conversation, and the audio is still a bit choppy at times af...

Exciting news and welcome back to the latest episode of The Smooth Saw Podcast! This episode we debut Evan Beck as the new co-host of the podcast and get into a bit of catch up from the last several months of what these two boys have been up to. Fun times ahead everyone!

Description In this episode, Jack and Jeff reflect on Jack's experiences in tree care, climbing competitions and training discussing the importance of motivation, community support, and personal growth. The conversation takes them from Jack's origin story in tree care, through his schooling and credentialing and how he got into tree climbing competitions. They discuss training routines, the love a...

Keywords tree climbing, competition, motivation, personal growth, community, training, aerial rescue, mental health, events, tree care Summary In this episode, Jeff Inman reflects on his experiences in tree climbing competitions, discussing the importance of motivation, community support, and personal growth. He shares insights from recent events, the challenges faced during competitions, and the...

This episode we welcome the smoothest operator I know, Mr. Bryan Brock! Known by a few names, (Brockoli, Dr. Brock, BryBro, BJ) his style is copied by many, but repeated by none. If you've not had the opportunity to watch him climb, try to find him at an event and you won't be disappointed. We chat through life on the farm and in the kitchen, his journey through trees and how we landed on the styl...

Solo episode for Ep 25! A few technical difficulties around the latest interview, but hey, that's what ya get with this one man band! This episode Jeff gets into the gear inspection process and some particulars around what the experience is like and what to expect when showing up for a gear inspection at an ISA TCC. This episode could (and probably should) be hours longer, but it was last minute t...

What a special treat this episode is! We get to chat with the current Female World Champion, representing New Zeland winning the 2024 ISA ITCC in Savanna, GA...Stephanie Dryfhout!!  We chat about comp, work, mentors, covid times and some lessons to pass on. Thanks so much Stephanie for the time and coordination with being on different parts of the globe. She is a true professional and it was great...

And the climbers who advance to the Masters are... Some of my favorite words and also ones that make my heart rate rise faster than most. Well, here we are with the breakdown of the event. The rules, the scoring, the sheets and the vibes. We get a little philosophical at times, but it has been completed. We have now covered all of the ISA rule book and thank you for following along.  This episode...

The last episode of 2024 and we're going out with a bang! Welcome to the Pod, Crazy Jimmy himself...Mr. James Prichard!  One of my dear buds in this industry and comp circuit. He's one heck of a human being and breaks my brain with how he's fit as a gladiator and still crushing at his ripe young self! I had a ton of fun hanging out with Jimmy and I hope that it shines through. We caught up on a ra...

Alright Now! In this episode, Jeff sits down with the Petrymagineer, the Skip, the inventor of the Petrochan...Mr. Cory Petry himself.  The two bounce back and forth between climbing competitions and ways to look at life, but share in some fun memories and laughs over the years they've known one another. They also get into the origin story of Double Rope December and why it's an important skill se...

This episode, I sit down with the legend Jamie Boston. Jamie is a rockstar in our community and has been influential in many ways. He's brother to Terry, a legend in his own right, husband, father, son and all around amazing person. From the first time I met Jamie, we clicked and I instantly was drawn to his detail with our sport. From why someone should rock a left foot ascender on the right foot...

This episode Jeff sits down with his good buddy Evan Beck, aka Mr. Ohio.  We get a great introduction into who Evan is and a bit of his backstory. Coming from the Fire Department and entering into the world of tree climbing, he discovered competition. Evan talks about why it's been so impactful in his life and career, but also how it ties him to his father who competed in the Fire Department Compe...

Extra extra read all about it!!!! New rules for the 2024-25 Competition season inside the ISA! This episode goes through the changes, with some punk drunk humor after a long day of dad duty and squeaking in some training where I could! Not a crazy amount of changes to the rule book, most notably in throwline and potentially something with the harnesses required for the ascent event, but it'll lead...

This episode we discuss the prelim event which seems to be most people's least favorite, but probably because they're not that good at it hahahaha.  This is one of the two speed based events in our tree climbing world, but this is a bit easier for folks to understand as it's arguably the most fundamental way to climb. A way for us to tap back into how we climbed trees when in our youth. Anyway, if...

Jeff virtually pulls a chair up to have a nice long chat about the North American Open Masters or otherwise known as NAOM with the founder and visionary 'Professor Throwline' Chris Coates. Joining in on the call are Shawn 'The Wire' Welch and Bryan aka 'BJ' aka 'Brockoli' aka 'Captain Triangle' aka 'Swivel Me Timber' Brock.  The four of us dive into the origin of the comp, why it's unique as well...

Wow. That was fun. Today's episode I have the unique pleasure and honor to sit down for a bit and have a chat with one of our currnent World Champions...Jo Hedger. Buckle up and hold on tight as Jo drops a lot of wisdom, knowledge and insight in the hour and a half we chatted. I had a ton of fun and am greatly apprciative of our time hanging out. Enjoy the episode and be sure to like, subscribe, f...

Aaaaaaannnnnnndddddd here we go! A readthrough of Section 3 in the ISA Rulebook covering the much loved Work Climb Event! We dive into each sentence and Jeff explains some of the nuance that goes along with the event as well as sharing some tips and tricks learned over the years on how to improve your scoring in this event. Order is everything, remember your audibles, go fast and be smooth, but mo...

This week we have a chat witht the Female Mid-Atlantic Champion Steph Littenberg. Steph is an awesome person with a super fun personality and we're stoked that she shared a bit of her story with us. She works for TreeLife based out of Northern Virginia, but has won the MAC 2021 to present. Her progression has been super cool to witness and were honored she hopped on the mics to be a part of the po...

If you haven't heard of Krista Strating before, I encourage you to look her up and give her a proper follow. She is one of a kind. Full of smiles, knowledge and a truly awesome human being. She's been in the game for a minute or two and traveled the world for our craft. She was gracious enough to sit down with me for a bit to chat through life, bells rung and give some perspective on how the game...

Here ye here ye! We doth want to dive into the complexities and rule book of the more complicated of the ISA Prelimenary events known to many as none other than....The Ascent Event. Do you smell the familiar smell of rope set on fire? The clanking and sparks flying from ascenders? Well, in this episode we dive into the rule book, how to score well, and some pro tips on how to do well in the event...