Blue Spruce / Picea pungens

The blue spruce is an evergreen that can grow over 100' tall. The needles are 4 sided and stiff, making these trees a real bugger to climb. Often sold as Christmas trees and planted as ornamental yard trees. If you bite into the needles you'll get a sharp acidy taste. So don't so that. Unless you're into that kind of thing.

The only reason I went up this one was to remove a rather large limb that was growing out and was acting like a codominant stem. The owner wanted it off, and I knew it would improve the appearance of the tree without hurting it. I had to set my climbing line with my pole clip, and then do a double chicken strap technique to go up to my uppermost TIP.

I like the smell of these trees, but refuse to let one in my house come December. Too messy. Thankfully my wife agrees withe me on this.

Never had a chance to climb a Blue Spruce.

Most examples in my area are around 50-60' high max and are very dense. Most that I have seen look almost too dense to climb for fun.

We did climb and take down 4 pine trees in PA last spring in the 40-50' high range but they were not Blue Spruce......but that was a working climb......

Blue spruce is not a tree one goes up for fun. Although I think maybe everyone should climb one at least once or twice, just for the experience. Especially on a hot sunny day.

I've climbed a couple for the "fun" of it. In general spruce and fir are tough climbers, small branches and very tight to get around the upper crown.
-Andrew