Basque Supermen
- Thread starter chris_girard
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bowleggedgoat
TreeHouser
HELL YEAH! I saw one of these competitions when I was living there in 2008. Totally incredible.
I've seen David Foster over here in Tasmania, he's huge (and fat)! I'm pretty sure he's retired from competitive chopping though. He comes to MC the woodchopping competition at the Ross Rodeo (my village) which is one of the richest chops in the state, like $5,000 or something.
Willard, does your friend Hartill have any sons that went to the UK? I knew a Hartill, he was UK tree climbing champion for a while.
Willard, does your friend Hartill have any sons that went to the UK? I knew a Hartill, he was UK tree climbing champion for a while.
biggun
Monkey for Hire
John Hartill?
Mick!
TreeHouser
HolmenTree
Banned
Fiona and Rich, Ron Hartill had one son named Dale, he was in the timbersport circuits for years ,don't know what happened to him.
Mick , the saw in that 1971 Paul Newman movie was a McCulloch CP125. introduced in '69 and replaced by the SP 125 in '71-'72.
Here's one more little write up about Ron.
Last pics is a Basque farmer scythe cutting competition and plans to introduce timbersports to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
The more I learn about the Basque country the more interest I have about these people with such a strong work ethic.
A nation built on ship building and steel then onto aeronautics, energy and machine tool making, making their GDP per capita 40% higher then that of the European Union.
Mick , the saw in that 1971 Paul Newman movie was a McCulloch CP125. introduced in '69 and replaced by the SP 125 in '71-'72.
Here's one more little write up about Ron.
Last pics is a Basque farmer scythe cutting competition and plans to introduce timbersports to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
The more I learn about the Basque country the more interest I have about these people with such a strong work ethic.
A nation built on ship building and steel then onto aeronautics, energy and machine tool making, making their GDP per capita 40% higher then that of the European Union.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
Cutting grass or some type of grain crop. With a scythe.
HolmenTree
Banned
maybe its a modified racing scythe.Holy frig that was a great scene, I forgot how funny it was. Never seen a logger dressed in white like that though
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
He was coming into town, so he gussed up a bit.
Thanks Mick.
After I watched that clip, I googled "chainsaw used in Sometimes a Great Notion" and it seems others have had the same question I did.
chris_girard
Treehouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #40
Thanks Willard for posting more info about the Basques and Ron Hartill. Great stuff!
I totally agree with you that the more I learn about the Basque country the more interest I have about these people with such a strong work ethic. Very encouraging to see in this day and age.
Here's an article about how the Basques perform the ancient form of pollarding on some of their trees. Check out the picture of the arborist with the chopping axe in his belt.
http://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/newsitefiles/eAweb2009/Iss27Basque.pdf
I totally agree with you that the more I learn about the Basque country the more interest I have about these people with such a strong work ethic. Very encouraging to see in this day and age.
Here's an article about how the Basques perform the ancient form of pollarding on some of their trees. Check out the picture of the arborist with the chopping axe in his belt.
http://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/newsitefiles/eAweb2009/Iss27Basque.pdf
HolmenTree
Banned
That's an interesting read Chris. Thanks.
Here's a couple of vids that will give some inspiration to the young bucks who worry about getting old staying in the tree biz.
A 56 year old Basque superman named Joxe Mari Olasagasti. Who loves to still be able to compete with an axe beating competitors half his age. [many 75 yr old plus Basques still compete]
First vid shows he can fill a football stadium with over 50,000 fans who come to watch him chop a brand new car in half and then go on to chop multiple logs in a row.
Last vid shows him chopping 12 logs in half and finishing 12 minutes faster then the younger chopper.
https://youtu.be/IS7z3dJNgz8
https://youtu.be/UL_zooEj_iM
Here's a couple of vids that will give some inspiration to the young bucks who worry about getting old staying in the tree biz.
A 56 year old Basque superman named Joxe Mari Olasagasti. Who loves to still be able to compete with an axe beating competitors half his age. [many 75 yr old plus Basques still compete]
First vid shows he can fill a football stadium with over 50,000 fans who come to watch him chop a brand new car in half and then go on to chop multiple logs in a row.
Last vid shows him chopping 12 logs in half and finishing 12 minutes faster then the younger chopper.
https://youtu.be/IS7z3dJNgz8
https://youtu.be/UL_zooEj_iM
chris_girard
Treehouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #42
That was awesome Willard! Thanks so much for posting that. You and I are on a quest, I think to bring the info of the Basque Supermen to others here in The House, and I will keep the research going, as I have a ton of articles on the Basque Stone Lifters and these guys are animals. I just need my wife to help me scan them in.
The Basque people like to say that their blood lines go back to their descendants from the stone age and that that is where their great strength and endurance comes from. Pretty interesting stuff.
The Basque people like to say that their blood lines go back to their descendants from the stone age and that that is where their great strength and endurance comes from. Pretty interesting stuff.
chris_girard
Treehouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #43
Here's a famous Basque stone lifter, Perurena lifting 238 kg (approx524 lbs) with one hand to his shoulder.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cMUd-3_0jIs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cMUd-3_0jIs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
chris_girard
Treehouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #45
LOL, I didn't notice that Bermy, but(t) you're right, that's a heck of a set of glutes 
HolmenTree
Banned
There were a few very strong Englishmen too.
Here's one of my favorites, Thomas Inch a strongman from the 1800's and early 1900's. In 1906 he had a 172 lb 9 oz dumbell with 2.4 inch diameter handle manufactured. Here's a very early movie clip when he was in his 60's lifting it overhead along with another dumbell totaling 276 lbs. He did this feat until he was 72 years old.....drug free.
https://youtu.be/3pY9TgDB_E0
Last video is of 400 lb. Mark Henry who in 2002 decades later is the first man to lift it since Thomas Inch.
Notice Henry's poor form, and not pressing a second dumbell.
https://youtu.be/H0lvfvxckxU
Here's one of my favorites, Thomas Inch a strongman from the 1800's and early 1900's. In 1906 he had a 172 lb 9 oz dumbell with 2.4 inch diameter handle manufactured. Here's a very early movie clip when he was in his 60's lifting it overhead along with another dumbell totaling 276 lbs. He did this feat until he was 72 years old.....drug free.
https://youtu.be/3pY9TgDB_E0
Last video is of 400 lb. Mark Henry who in 2002 decades later is the first man to lift it since Thomas Inch.
Notice Henry's poor form, and not pressing a second dumbell.
https://youtu.be/H0lvfvxckxU
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Strong old man!
