Man of the Cliff

Strongman competitions boil down to two factors: whoever's fingers most resemble sausages and, thanks to the juice, whoever's sausage most resembles a finger. This weekend, journey to a strongman competition built for men not named Magnus: Man of the Cliff

Man of the Cliff was dreamed when a guy, his girlfriend, and a few friends were sitting around a firepit brainstorming ways to entice people to visit their small, just-outside-Vail town of Red Cliff, coming to the staggering conclusion that "it's fun to do manly things in the backyard" -- surprisingly, not a euphemism for anything. The for-charity three-day gathering features classic strongman events like the tug of war, the caber toss (hurling & flipping a fat wooden pole), and the keg toss, where the empty barrel must be heaved cleanly over an 8' high bar (fail, and it won't be the first time a bar is ruined by an empty keg). More outdoorsman-style challenges involve crosscut saws, speed chopping, archery, and ax throwing, a sport that fits snugly in the Venn diagram of Dangerously Awesome and Awesomely Dangerous

Beyond getting lumber-jacked, there'll also be weekend-long food/drink specials at Mango's Mountain Grill and sponsor-beer kegs, plus tons of prizes, like a Sierra Designs Vapor Light 2 Tent and a Husqvarna chainsaw, so you can look forward to not having fingers at all.