France’s 73rd lumberjack championship tests axe skills in Chamrousse

France’s oldest lumberjack competition, the 73rd edition of the country’s national bûcheronnage championship, returned to the Alpine resort of Chamrousse over the weekend, where 60 competitors raced axes through logs before a crowd of roughly 2,000 spectators, according to Africanews.

The contest, a longstanding fixture on the French forestry calendar, gathers woodcutters from across the country. Competitors are judged on speed and precision as they tackle timed chopping and axe-handling events, all using traditional hand tools rather than mechanical saws.

A tradition rooted in Alpine forestry

Chamrousse, a mountain resort in the Belledonne range above Grenoble, has long been associated with the forests of the southeastern French Alps. The championship is held there as much to celebrate that heritage as to crown a winner.

Organisers frame the event as part of a broader effort to keep Alpine forestry skills alive at a time when mechanical harvesting has displaced much of the traditional craft. Spectators — a mix of locals and holiday-makers — fill the slopeside arena to watch athletes whose movements draw directly on techniques passed down through generations.

Beyond the competition

The championship weekend doubles as a showcase of mountain village life, with regional food producers and craftspeople setting up around the competition grounds. While France’s forestry sector is increasingly mechanised, the annual event continues to draw a loyal following, confirming its place among the country’s more unusual sporting traditions.

Sources

This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.

• Africanews — France’s oldest lumberjack contest puts axe skills to the test