Jordan Camber is a professional lumberjack who spent this past summer living in his Soaring Eagle truck camper in Alaska. Looking for a fun article to read? Chop-chop!
For those of us who are not steeped in lumberjack shows and timbersport competitions, we have prepared a short dissertation that cuts, chops, chainsaws, and throw axes to the chase.
Back in the days of manual tools, woodmen held competitions to see who could execute the work with the most speed and efficiency. These events became less relevant as wood-cutting technology was employed, but the woodsmen culture and skills have persevered through collegiate and professional lumberjack and timbersport competitions around the world.
The competitions revolve around six primary wood-cutting events; the Underhand Chop, Standing Block Chop, Springboard, Stock Saw, Single Buck, and Hot Saw. You may have seen some of these lumberjack competitions on ESPN. Believe it or not, the Stihl Timbersports Series is one of the longest-running shows on that channel and is watched by 20M people annually. Hold that thought.
About seven months ago, we got a calendar photo entry (pictured above) from Jordan Camber with his Soaring Eagle Adlar 6.5XLS truck camper. Jordan was one of the first Soaring Eagle owners who contacted us, so we wrote back asking about his truck camping lifestyle. Jordan told us that he was on his way from Maine to Alaska to work as a professional lumberjack.
Faster than a woodchuck cutting wood, we asked Jordan for his story. After all, what could be more fun—and ironic—than a professional lumberjack living in an all-aluminum and composite truck camper?
Over the following months, Jordan worked at the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan, Alaska, and gathered photos for his article. What follows is a tale of adventure and employment that takes us up a tree on an island thousands of miles from Jordan’s home.
Above: Jordan Camber during the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
What does it mean to be a timbersports athlete?
Timbersports involves wood chopping. It’s like rodeo is the sport of cowboying. In Maine, where I live, a lot of kids get started in timbersports in college. Many colleges here have timbersports clubs or teams that can get into professional competitions.
I mostly work in timbersport shows, fairs, and events where I do log rolling, underhand and standing block chopping, springboard, a 40 foot speed climb, and axe throwing.
We’re essentially showing the ways people cut wood in the early days. It was made into a sport to keep the tradition alive.
Above: Speed Climbing at the Maine Lumberjack Show
How did you get into timbersports?
I am a rarity in that I started later in life. I would cut wood with my uncle, so I spent time cutting commercially. Seven summers ago, I drove by The Great Maine Lumberjack Show. I pulled in and met the organizer, Tina Scheer, who goes by Timber Tina.
She passed me a gaff, ropes, and a lineman’s belt. She put a rope around a tree. One side had two U-bolts on a wire. There was a steel cord and a manilla flip line that goes on one side with two U-bolts. The other side had a loop that was attached to a logging carabiner. I made it 15 feet up the pole and she said, “That’s enough to teach you”.
The next week a friend taught me how to speed climb. In three to four weeks, l learned how to do different skills in the show.
Tina taught me how to log roll and interact with the crowd. She worked with me and taught me discipline. She gave me my entrance and path into the sport.
I’m not a competitor—just a show lumberjack. I am a good showman. If you want to see amazing timbersports, look up the STIHL series. They are the top lumberjacks and they make me look like a beginner. The STIHL Series is the World Series for Timbersports.
After working at the Great Maine Lumberjack Show for about five years, the opportunity to be a lumberjack at The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan, Alaska presented itself, and I jumped on it!
Above: Climbing at The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
How did that opportunity come about?
A good friend named Turbo Tom Lancaster, worked up there and convinced me to go to Alaska. Until that point, I hadn’t been in a place to drop everything and go across the country. The opportunity with The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show is what led me to get my Soaring Eagle truck camper.
“The opportunity with The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show is what led me to get my Soaring Eagle truck camper.”
I wanted to try something different and improve myself in the show world. Tina does one show a night. In Alaska, they do five or six shows, seven days a week. It’s a bigger-scale show, so I knew I’d learn more. I trained for it all last winter.
I had worked with Tom in shows. It was through Tina in the Alaska State Fair in Palmer, Alaska that’s owned by Scheer Lumberjack Shows. Tina worked with her brothers on what lumberjack shows are now. One of her brothers is in Wisconsin and the other is in Ketchikan, Alaska. Even though they’re owned by siblings, the shows are not connected.
Above: Log Rolling at the Great Maine Lumberjack Show
What’s a typical timbersport show like for you?
I’m proficient in all events. One morning I may be log rolling and in the afternoon I climb. The next morning I may be doing a chopping event and something different in the afternoon. Going to Alaska was an opportunity for more experience and improvement. The show has two teams that are competing in the events.
There are different disciplines of chopping. It’s common to chop with an axe during Springboard, Underhand Chop, and Standing Block Chop. Our sawing events are Single Buck and Double Buck.
Above: Single Buck at the Great Maine Lumberjack Show
The shows and competitions are different. The shows are more of a performance. We may do the same thing four times a day. It’s more like a theater performance where the lumberjacks communicate with the crowd. There’s a lot of interaction with the audience during the show. It’s fun and I highly recommend seeing one if you haven’t already.
Above: Obstacle Pole Relay at the Great Maine Lumberjack Show
Did you live in your camper as you worked the shows in Alaska?
Yes. I worked six days a week and was living in my Soaring Eagle truck camper throughout that time. I’d do my morning routine in the camper, and then perform in two to four shows a day. The company has six to seven shows a day, but we aren’t allowed to do more than four to prevent overworking. After five shows, you get pretty tired and accidents tend to happen. The rule is never less than two, never more than four.
When I’m working shows, I enjoy having my own space. A friend of mine called it my turtle shell that I like to tuck inside.
“When I’m working shows, I enjoy having my own space.”
When I had time off, I’d take the camper to the beach or the campground. I’d explore and try to find outdoor activities.
Ketchikan is on an island, which I didn’t know when I took the job. It’s the southernmost city in Alaska. You have to take a ferry to get there. To go from Bellingham, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska takes thirty-six hours. Since I was working six days a week, I couldn’t go far.
There are only thirty-five miles of drivable road on Revilla Gigedo, which is the name of the island Ketchikan is on. The only time I left was when I went to the island to the west. That’s where the Ketchikan airport is located.
Where were you able to camp in your camper?
There are no privately owned campgrounds in Ketchikan; only state parks and forest service campgrounds. The forest service campgrounds have a ten day maximum and the state parks have a five day maximum, which made it challenging.
I spent a couple of nights at Walmart. Then, I found a guy who had a camper hook-up at his house and rented from him. I demounted my camper and explored the backroads in my truck.
Do you think you’ll go back to the Alaska show again?
I probably won’t go back to the Alaska show because of the limitations of being on a small island. I grew up on an island and spent a lot of time wanting to get off that island. Going back to an island is backtracking for me.
I’ve also worked for another lumberjack company in Akron, Ohio. I will definitely continue to do lumberjack shows and use my camper.
After having trailers, how was it to be in a much smaller space for a couple of months straight?
Coming from a bigger tow behind, there are pros and cons. With my truck camper, I can get into booondocking areas easier. We stayed in one the most beautiful spots in Utah. I never would have gotten into that spot with my trailer.
My Soaring Eagle doesn’t have a bathroom, so that was difficult at first. We now have a solar shower and a compositing bag toilet. It was difficult to not have a bathroom space.
My wife and I took trips around New England with our trailer and we liked having the comforts. That would only be the only downside to the more minimalist camper.
“My Soaring Eagle is in the perfect weight range for my half-ton and the ride is nice.”
Not having to change my truck to get a truck camper was wonderful. I have a 2021 Chevy 1500 for work and I didn’t want to buy a new truck. With a half-ton, you are limited to the campers you can choose.
My Soaring Eagle is in the perfect weight range for my half-ton and the ride is nice. I did add a set of airbags on the truck because of squat and sway, which made a difference. Suspension upgrades were necessary.
Why did you choose a Soaring Eagle truck camper?
I loved the price point. My Adlar 6.5XLS was $22,000. I looked at other campers in the same weight range that were way more expensive.
Once I saw it, I liked the minimalist design. I don’t like to carry a lot with me. The more I bring with me, the more I feel weighed down. There’s not a lot of storage in the 6.5XLS, so I’ve made my own with totes and stackable units.
Having up to a king-size bed was a selling point for me. I was able to modify my camper to my needs. It’s a semi-blank slate.
Above: The crowd at the Maine Timbersports Fair
We have lots of readers in Maine, and we travel through the state now and then. Will you be working at the Maine show again?
I will continue to do timbersports shows, but probably not in Maine. I would like to get my own set of shows together. Having a company in the future could be a possibility.
I have made more long-lasting friends in this community, more than anywhere else. It’s an interesting community to be involved in. I’ve been to competitions where fellow lumberjacks give me tips on sawing or chopping. Everyone is supportive of each other and inclusive. It’s an amazing group of people.
It’s hard to explain timbersports until you’ve seen it. You can go online and watch videos to learn more about it.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
On the way west to the show, my wife and I took a month road trip out to Washington. She flew back when we got there and then I went on. That month was the most magnificent time. It was my first taste of cross-country travel.
Sometimes it’s really hard to put a finger on the emotion of being on the road like that. It was excitement, sheer wonder, and awe. I have done some traveling on the East Coast, but driving I-70 west out and then I-90 east when I came back, I got to see so much beauty.
Jordan Camber’s Rig
Truck: 2021 Chevy 1500, 4×4, crew cab, gas truck, short bed, single rear wheel
Camper: 2023 Soaring Eagle Adlar 6.5XLS
Tie-Downs and Turnbuckles: Ratchet straps
Suspension: Airbags
