Let the Games Begin!

🏅 Featured Events

This year’s Yosemite Summer Highland Games will feature a thrilling lineup of traditional Scottish events that showcase raw strength, skill, and heritage.

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🪨 Stone Put
This classic event is similar to the Olympic shot put but uses heavy, irregular stones instead of a steel shot. Competitors either throw from a standing position in the Braemar style or use dynamic techniques like the glide or spin in the Open Stone event. Strength, precision, and technique all come into play.

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🔨 Hammer Throw
Unlike its Olympic cousin, the Highland hammer throw keeps competitors' feet planted as they spin a long-shafted hammer around their heads and release it over their shoulders. Balance and strength are essential, and specialized footwear helps athletes dig in and resist the pull of the hammer.

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⛓️ Weight for Distance
In this explosive event, athletes hurl metal weights attached to chains as far as possible using one hand. There are light and heavy divisions, and most competitors use a spinning technique to gain momentum and maximize distance.

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📏 Weight Over Bar
This vertical power challenge involves tossing a 56-pound weight (28 pounds for women) over a high bar using only one hand. Each athlete gets three tries per height, with the bar rising after each successful round. It’s a thrilling combination of strength and finesse.

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🌾 Sheaf Toss
A favorite with the crowd, the sheaf toss involves using a pitchfork to throw a 20-pound (10-pound for women) burlap-wrapped straw bundle over a raised bar. Though its origins may be rooted more in county fairs than Highland history, its entertainment value is undisputed.

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🌲 Caber Toss
Perhaps the most iconic of all Highland events, the caber toss requires athletes to lift and flip a massive, tapered log so that it lands end-over-end in a straight line. It’s not about distance but precision—with a perfect toss judged by how closely it lands to the 12 o’clock position.

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