Aizkolaritza

Aizkolaritza [ais̻koˈlaɾits̻a] is the Basque name for a type of wood-chopping competition. They are a popular form of herri kirol (rural sport) in the Basque Country. Competitions are commonly held at most festivals, especially town festivals and usually involve at least two individuals or teams competing against each other.

The sport is called aizkolaritza in Basque, from aizkolari "wood-chopper" plus the noun-forming suffix -tza. The word aizkora "axe" itself is derived from Latin asciola. It is also known as aizkol jokoa the "axe game". Spanish uses a loanword from Basque, aizcolari and in French the sport is called coupeurs de bûches.

The sections of trunk are usually beech without visible knots from the forests of Navarre. For competitions, the trunk sections closest to the roots or branches are used as they are of less value to the wood industry. The trunks are categorised according to their circumference using Basque inches (ontza), equivalent to 0.0254m. They commonly are used in the following sizes:

The oinbetekoa, 80 ontza, kanakoa and bigger ones are often used in wagers; the kanaerdikoa, 60 ontza and oinbikoa most commonly in bigger competitions and arranged in a row, each nailed to planks for stability.

The axes are between 2.4 and 2.8 kg heavy with a rounded blade and each aizkolari uses a number of them in a competition. The logs are between 0.5-0.8m long for competitions where one aizkolari stands on the log and between 0.8-1.2m long for competitions where two stand on it.

The competitions are usually a race for the finish by however many individual competitors there are but occasionally they are done txandetan, in relays, where two aizkolaris form a team and relieve the other once a trunk has been chopped through. The focus is more on stamina than speed compared to other wood-chopping events outside the Basque Country and most competitions last half an hour at the very least but normally more than an hour.

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Wikipedia