Tree Climbing at Silver Falls

from Our Town North: July 1, 2022

Something Fun

New heights Business offers tree climbing at Silver Falls State Park

By James Day At Silver Falls State Park you can spend a lot of time looking down. Down the trail, down the canyon, down the creek and definitely, down at the waterfall. But what happens if you look up and keep looking up. There is a whole new world in the tree canopy, and now there is a way to explore it. Tree Climbing at Silver Falls, which operated a short pilot season at the park in the summer of 2021, is open for business and booking tours. The four-hour tour starts and ends near the Howard Creek horse camp. You can climb in the morning, you can climb in the afternoon or you can climb at sunset. You can even climb in the rain and snow, said owner Leo Rosen-Fischer, who adds that high winds are usually the only outside factor that can lead to a tour cancellation. You have to be eight or older to climb and Rosen-Fischer says he has booked tours with folks in their 70s. The operation has special battery-operated ascenders that help those with lower fitness levels.

“We are the only professional climbing organization in Oregon that offers this experience,” Rosen-Fischer told Our Town. “Participants learn about trees, old-growth ecology, the importance of protecting old-growth forest, preserving forests so they can grow into old-growth forest and experience the unforgettable adventure and fun of climbing giant trees in beautiful Silver Falls Park.” Rosen-Fischer has been climbing for 20 years and has been operating his business for 10 after a law school experiment didn’t take. “My grandfather and parents were all mountaineers,” he said. “Actually my grandfather knew one of the inventors of the Jumar ascender, a piece of popular climbing equipment that we use in our tree-climbing program. My grandfather told me he was able to help test out the Jumar in the Swiss Alps when they were still inventing and developing it. “My father would teach me climbing on trees for practice before rock climbing and mountain climbing. Basically 25 years later I am now full circle. After having taught climbing in college, and doing various tree service work, I wanted to share my passion for recreational tree climbing and started a business in 2012.”