About Riverside Camps and Climbing
A Tree Climbing Outdoor Adventure Camp was founded in 2006 by Scott Turner of True Timber Arborists and Scott Ross of Riverside Outfitters. It began with about 15 kids split between a morning camp and an afternoon camp at the Riverside Meadows. Since then, camp has continued to grow both in the activities offered, and the number of campers served.
Scott Ross began climbing trees professionally over 20 years ago working at Truetimber Arborists. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management, concentrated in Outdoor Experiential Education from Appalachian State University and is an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Climber (MA-5192T). After college, he returned to Richmond to take over the development and operation of the Riverside Outfitters tree climbing program. He worked as camp director from 2006 to 2020, when he took a brief hiatus from camp to take over running the operations of all of Riverside Outfitters. The experience was invaluable, but his true passion was in working with youth. In 2024, he turned his focus back to youth programming and professional climbing instruction.
Jocelyn started her climbing career working at Riverside Outfitters Camps in 2010. For a number of years, she worked as a climber for Truetimber, always returning to camp during the summer. In 2020, she took over as Camp Director, and led camp for the next four years. When Scott returned to camp in 2024, they split the duties of Camp Director, with Jocelyn taking on a more administrative role, and Scott handling more of the operations.
Jocelyn is an International Society of Arboriculture certified Tree Climber and Arborist (MA-5375AT), and has competed in the ISA climbing competitions on the international level. She has also been a raft, kayak, and paddleboard guide on the James River for over 14 years.
In October of 2025, the camp program split off from Riverside Outfitters to form Riverside Camps and Climbing, LLC, owned and operated by Scott Ross and Jocelyn Lohse. They are excited to take the lead in the next stage of camp, and look forward to continuing to offer the best outdoor programming possible!
Camp’s main goals are to encourage appreciation for and stewardship of the outdoors through adventure programming, foster creativity, build confidence, and help establish positive relationships among campers.
