Caber Toss
The caber toss is a traditional Antigonish Highland Games Heavy Event. Competitors toss a large tapered pole called a “caber”, usually a Larch (juniper) tree approximately 19 feet 6 inches (5.94 m) tall and weighs 175 pounds (79 kg). “Caber” derives from the Gaelic caber, referring to a wooden beam.
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The competitor who tosses the caber closest to 12 o’clock is the victor. The caber goes end over end, straight ahead or “12 o’clock” the tosser. Distance thrown is unimportant.
The origin of this sport is said to have come from the need to ford a stream where a log was tossed across the water.
Many times, an invading army or scurrying marauders found the need to proceed or escape over a waterway. The Marquis of Montrose wished he could have had a few good caber tossers in his last battle. It quite possibly would not have been his last battle.
