Caber Toss

No Scottish games competition is complete without a caber toss. This special event is practiced by strong men and involves throwing a long wooden pole in a specific manner. In current times, power poles and telephone poles are the main type of wooden poles that are used, with an average of approximately 19 feet in length and with an average weight of about 175 pounds. Contrary to popular belief, the aim of the game is not to toss the caber a long distance, but rather to throw it in a way where the top rotates to land at the thrower’s feet in a perfect vertical line. This would constitute a perfect score while other throws are graded like the hands on a clock, meaning that an 11:00 throw would be much better than a 7:00 throw. The worst toss that a thrower can make is when the pole falls back towards the man instead of falling away.