Pipe Smoking Competitions - Please enlighten me.

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Smokey-smokey

Smokey-smokey

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Ok, so, I have heard of some people engaging in "pipe smoking competitions" where they light up some tobacco and whoever can get it burning the longest wins. Got it, so far so good.

As I don't really know very many people and spend most of my non-working hours at home (I love peace, quiet and isolation a little too much) I have never participated. I thought the whole "competition" was just an "excuse" for guys to get together, have a nice smoke and maybe some drinks. So, I thought it would be a good idea and get on google to find out more about these so called competitions.

I find that the whole thing is actually serious... So I keep reading and come across an article about a girl who skipped her college graduation ceremony (no big deal, really, she graduated) to go on a pipe smoking competition and all proud about how she is now a "world champion."

OK, I'm confused.

I get that for some people pipe smoking is a hobby. I get some people are passionate about it. I get that some people take pride in superior craftmanship when making pipes or blending tobaccos, and I get some people even make a living out of it.

I don't get the "world championship of pipe smoking" think. Reminds me of an episode of the Chapelle Show when he had a skit about the World Tour of Dice.

Are these things like sponsored events where people wear a race car driver like uniform? Is this like the American League of Pipe Smokers of America (ALPSA)?

Can someone explain this to me?
 
As far as an "explanation" there really is none if you think about it! As with ANY endeavor, there are Anal/OCD folks who take things concerning the endeavor ( pipe smoking) to an extreme. I participated in a few of these at a B&M I shopped at back in the '70s and had a lot of fun and comraderie, but it was just that and I had never heard of the levels this has reached till a couples of decades later. There will always be foks who will take ANYTHING to an extreme and that's what these "world champion" competitions are, just the EXTREME. If you have a local B&M that has one of these, try it out as it can be fun.  :twisted: 
 
Mon explained it well.

As for people taking things to the extreme, some people like to smoke 1-3 times a day. Others shoot for six bowls of RY.  :twisted: 
 
Thank you for the explanation, that does make sense now.
As a guy who just likes to sit down with a pipe to do whatever it is I happen to be in the mood for, I thought the ALPSA World Championships (I made this up) was an extreme. Now I know I wasn't crazy.
 
gravel":1k2mcf1a said:
Mon explained it well.

As for people taking things to the extreme, some people like to smoke 1-3 times a day. Others shoot for six bowls of RY.  :twisted: 
Click to expand...
At least I don't smoke the 10 or more bowls of RY a day as George Simenon did ! Besides I'm addicted to tobacco like our bro Jim is  :twisted: :twisted: 
 
I've never been to a pipe smoking contest ... BUT, I HAVE been to a "long-ash" cigar smoking contest, though not as a participant ... my observation was that none of those who participated were actually taking it seriously, but were just having fun with the idea and the overwhelming majority of my fellow observers were hoping to see losing participants get blanketed by collapsing ashes ...
 
"The record for smoking a pipe for the longest time without relighting belongs to Dr Lubomir Cinka (Czech Republic) who smoked his pipe continuously for 3 hr 4 min 35 sec at the 2001 World Cup in Pipesmoking Championship which was held at Ascot racecourse, Berkshire, UK, on 14 October 2001.
Each contestant started with a championship briar pipe handed out by the organisers, two matches, 3g tobacco and a wooden tamper. They were sat at tables of ten with a steward at each table."
guinnessworldrecords.com

I do not know how or why they do that but if I could do that with Scottish Cake in my Polinski Oom Paul I'd save hell of a lot of money  :) .
 
I have taken part in some of these contests and it's the most boring time I ever had. Besides, I need a box of matches to keep my briar going any longer than a half hour.
At one event a contestant actually puffed hard enough and long enough to incinerate his pipe, it was totally engulfed in flames. DISQUALIFIED!!  And another incident was when a friend was disqualified for tamping his pipe while not in his mouth. Get a life will ya.  :lol!:
 
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