Extreme summer school - Adirondack style - 2010-03-29

New Adirondack Woodsmen's School teaches modern lumberjacks and -jills the technique, history of lumberjack sports

CONTACT: Kenneth Aaron, Director of Communications, (518) 327-6297

PAUL SMITHS, N.Y. - When a college in the Adirondacks puts on a summer camp, our campers throw axes.

You want archery? Try someplace else.

The new Adirondack Woodsmen’s School at Paul Smith’s College (www.paulsmiths.edu/woodsmenschool ) takes typical summertime fare such as campfires and sleeping under the stars, and mixes them with a thorough grounding in lumberjack sports.

The camp, hosted by Paul Smith’s College and sponsored by outdoor power equipment manufacturer Stihl Inc. and work-clothing maker Carhartt, is aimed at high school and college students looking to train with some of the best woodsmen in the business and learn about the rugged traditions at the heart of the sport.

“This summer school takes lumberjack sports off TV and puts the axe in your hand,” said Brett McLeod, director of the Adirondack Woodsmen’s School and head coach of the Paul Smith’s College woodsmen’s team. “If you’re interested in the sport, you’ll get hands-on experience from your first day. And if you’re already a collegiate competitor, you’ll sharpen your skills with some of the best in the business.”

Participants can actually earn four college credits in two weeks, as they learn skills such as log rolling, speed chopping, crosscut sawing, canoe building and axe sharpening. They’ll train at a student-built cabin on Paul Smith’s lakeside campus in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park, a region larger than Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Parks combined.

Campers will learn from professionals, working with instructors from the Paul Smith’s woodsmen’s team and the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® professional ranks as they master the skills of the competitive lumberjack, and the lifestyle of the traditional one. Campers will experience authentic camp life, learning the history of Adirondack woodsmen, orienteering, and even how to skid logs using a team of draft horses. (When they’re not sleeping in residence halls, they’ll hit the hay under the stars.)

Camp will be held in two sessions. The first, from July 11-17, is aimed at beginners and intermediates; the next session, from July 18-24, is for more advanced lumberjacks and –jills. A single session costs $1,095, while two weeks cost $1,995.

Paul Smith’s is a perennial contender among the nation’s best collegiate woodsmen’s teams. It has fielded a team since 1948 and holds the record for most consecutive victories (10) in the annual Spring Meet, the biggest college event in the sport. This year, it will host the northeast regional competition of the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Collegiate Series in April, to be broadcast at a later date on ESPNU.

EDITORS’ NOTE: Photos available at http://bit.ly/dk4ez2

ABOUT PAUL SMITH'S COLLEGE

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. The college, whose campus is on the shores of Lower St. Regis Lake, is the only four-year institution of higher education in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park of New York State. Our programs, in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship, the sciences, and many others, draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere.

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