Not only will it help beat the winter blues away, but it is a ridiculously good workout for your entire body, especially your core and lower body. It’s a sport that requires a ton of balance and overall body strength to stay upright and prevent injury during steep drops and sharp turns.

The skiing itself is a great workout, but it’s only available for a few months of the year and therefore requires some off-season training to stay in shape for most of us. 

Learn what kinds of cardio and strength training will suit you best so that when the time comes to hit the slopes, you’re fully prepared to take on what the mountain throws at you. 

Cardio

Cardiovascular exercise is vital for your health generally – it keeps your heart healthy, lowers risks of almost every type of disease, and keeps your fitness levels reasonably high. 

Skiing requires quite a bit of cardiovascular energy, so you should be performing medium-high intensity cardiovascular activity throughout the off-season to stay in shape. 

Perform one or a combination of these cardio exercises 2-3 times per week to reap the benefits you’ll need come ski season. As your cardio improves and you grow ever nearer to ski season, amp up the cardio sessions to 3-5 times per week.

Running

Running is one of the most intense cardio forms and requires no extra equipment to perform, besides a decent pair of running shoes. 

Your best bet for great results is to stick with interval training, which means cycling between your maximum effort and a more manageable recovery period at approximately a 1:2 ratio. The time can vary, but this means that for every 1 minute of maximum action, you recover for 2 minutes at a pace that is relatively easy to sustain.

Studies on interval training show that it is better at increasing “stroke volume” (blood pumping), increasing the mitochondria levels in muscle, and can have the same results of steady-state cardio in shorter periods. 

You’ll only need to run for 20-30 minutes in each session if you’re using interval training wisely to reap its benefits.

Stair-climbing

The stair-climber is a star when it comes to ski training. Why? It combines lower body strengthening with cardiovascular exercise. If you don’t have access to a stairmaster for skiing training, get outside and find a big set of steps you can use instead.

The stair-climber impact helps keep your bone density at a healthy, high level, and improves the climber’s V02 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise. It is also a good way to strengthen your thigh muscles which are key to long days on the slopes.  These will all go along way when it comes time to dust off your skis.

Elliptical Training

We’ve already discussed how to do some interval training, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore steady-state cardio altogether. It’s still an essential part of training, specifically for recovery.

You don’t want to go hard all of the time and risk over-training and injury. On a day when you want to get in some cardio and get your blood pumping, but your body is sore and tired, do some steady-state exercise on the elliptical for 30-60 minutes. 

This low-impact exercise will aid recovery, keep you moving, and get the blood flowing until you’re ready to push hard on your next workout.

Weight Training

Now that you have a cardio plan let’s talk about weight training.

Skiing requires a lot of balance. The best ways to improve balance are practising and building an overall healthier body composition, focusing on the core. 

For this, you will want to get into resistance training. Instead of traditional weight-lifting using dumbbells and barbells, use resistance bands (like these https://victoremgear.com/products/booty-bands). 

Resistance bands are not only a smaller, more inexpensive option, but they build core strength no matter what exercise you do. Unlike weights, the band creates even tension on your muscles throughout the exercise and works your core to provide stability while you perform the move.

Perform a combination of these resistance band exercises 2-3 times a week with at least 48 hours of rest in between. 

Best Upper Body Moves 

• shoulder presses
• bicep curls
• tricep kickbacks
• resisted push-ups
• assisted pull-ups

Best Core Moves

• planks
• bicycle crunches
• v-sits
• side planks
• oblique crunches

Best Lower-Body Moves

• squats
• one-legged deadlifts
• lunges
• monster walks
• clamshells
• donkey kicks

Final Word

By adding the right combination of full-body strength training using resistance bands and interval/steady-state cardio into your off-season training routine, you will see significant gains by the time ski season rolls around again. 

5 affordable luxury ski deals

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Paintball is a sport that combines strategy, teamwork and skill into an exciting action packed day. It is usually played outside in woodland areas or fields.

Players are supplied with a special marking paintball gun that fires biodegradable paintballs. The paintballs are propelled by compressed air making them very accurate up to a range of 60 metres. And yes, you get to shoot them at the other team!

You do not have to be super fit to play paintball; all you need is the ability to have fun and a sense of humour. Paintball is an exciting outdoor leisure activity, suitable for both sexes from the age of 12 upwards. It is ideal for birthday parties and groups from youth clubs or a bunch of school or college friends.

Paintballing Tips

On arrival at a paintball site you will be given full instructions and tuition, including a full safety briefing. At all times you will be totally supervised by experienced marshals who will accompany you throughout the day explaining everything you need to know about the paintball games and keeping you safe.

You will need to be quick thinking and resourceful as you attempt, with the rest of your team, to outwit the opposing team. During the day you will be set an exciting variety of objectives and missions, all designed to test your abilities in a friendly atmosphere.

Playing in a range of purpose built game zones, with names like The Alamo or Chemical Alley, combining man made structures with natural cover. You might be tasked with attacking then defending a fort or bridge, protecting a convoy of vehicles, ambushing your opponents or capturing and recovering a flag.

If you manage to hit a member of the opposition with a paintball they are eliminated from that round of the game, and the same goes for you. So you need to have your wits about you and work out the best time to make a move, or dive for cover and keep your head down!

After each game you hand in your paintball guns for checking and cleaning and return to your base for the day in the ‘Safe Zone’ where you can wipe of the paint (unless you’ve cunningly avoided being hit), re-load, grab some refreshment or stay for lunch and discuss your team tactics for the afternoon missions – having learnt from your mistakes in the morning!

Paintball is one of the fastest growing sports in Europe with over a million players last year. It can be an addictive adrenalin rush, so you might find yourself becoming a regular player and joining in competitive tournaments around the country.

Does Paintball Hurt?

Yes it does. A lot! It usually hurts as much as if someone flicks you hard on bare skin with their fingers. The rules are that you should not shoot close up, but in the heat of the battle you will usually get some vicious opponent who will get you. One game I went to, quite a few people left with large blood blisters and welts where the paintballs had damaged the skin.

However, if you find play strategically and work well with your team, you can usually come out with just a few slight bruises or none at all.

If you want to get some some protection from bruises, then there is a great selection of padded compression tops and trousers available in black or camo.

You can buy 500 rounds of paintball rounds for under $20 on Amazon.

What to Wear for Paintballing?

Wear old clothes. You should be given full overalls to wear when going paintballing, with a neck protector, head cover and full face mask. If you don’t like the idea of getting hit by a high velocity ball of paint, you might want to wear some thick clothing underneath for padding, but be aware that once you move about, you get quite hot. You are usually not allowed to run about (trip hazards), but the adrenalin usually makes you feel hotter.

Places to go Paintballing

There are paintball venues all over the country. Whichever one you choose, check whether they provide all the safety gear, such as full face masks, neck protectors, and overalls. Paintball is a real adrenalin sport that gets the blood and paint pumping.

Paintball Gear

One of the easiest places to buy paintball gear is from Amazon.com. Here are the recommended paintball essentials on Amazon.

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You may be thinking “Wouldn’t it be good if I could run a reasonable distance without being completely out of breath.” Well, thinking about it is the first stage. To actually get outdoors and go running needs a bit more effort.

Walking or running is a great benefit for your health. It helps your heart, lungs, muscles, and also ensures that your bones grow strong and healthy. The impact on your bones whilst running when you are a teenager has a lifelong benefit (so long as you don’t over do it). Just going for a walk for half an hour each day will keep your body ticking over to some extent.

Enough of the boring stuff, how should you get outdoors and improve your running skills? Before you go out and buy the best running shoes, you should begin by building up a bit of fitness first.

Courtesy of the British Orienteering Association

Running Outdoors

For those of you who go running on a treadmill in a gym, running outdoors is quite different. For one thing, it is much more stimulating in that the scenery changes. You also get outdoors into the fresh air. If you are fortunate enough to live in the countryside, you should appreciate the nature around you. Many people find that running outdoors is tougher than running on a running machine. Just stick with it and take it slowly. You will find that over time your stamina and pace will improve. Your body will get used to running up and down hills. Another advantage of running outdoors is that you can run away from the crowds. You don’t have to worry about how others think you look at the gym. If you are out running, you will soon pass by anyone who you think may be looking at you. At least you are doing something about caring for yourself.

Planning Your Running Route

To start running, you will probably want to work out a route. This should be fairly short to begin with, but have plenty of scope for getting longer. Your running route may start from your home or work. You may prefer to start your route from your local leisure centre where you can use the changing rooms and showers.

You can work out your route either on a map by distance, or by walking the route you want to take and see how long it takes you. I would start off with a route that will take you about 20 minutes. A very useful online running tool is the Online Pedometer. This allows you to draw a route on a map and it tells you the distance. You can work out different routes until you find one that is of a suitable distance.

Start Slowly

For those who are enthusiastic about getting your running shoes on and going running outdoors, start off slowly and build up. Too many people start running at a good pace and soon find their bodies rebelling against the sudden exercise. Cool Running have a running guide to going from doing nothing to running 5k in a gentle manner. It starts off with walking your route, and building up through jogging to running in about two months.

Keep Track of Your Running Progress

Be patient and don’t rush. You will soon find a nice gentle pace. Once you have begun, you will need to monitor your progress to see how you are improving. Work out the distance your route is, and time how long it takes you to complete your route each time. Keep a record of your running times. You can then start aiming to beat your times bit by bit. I find that it helps if you know how long it takes you to get to certain points on your running route. You can then increase your pace evenly over the whole route instead of getting in a panic to make up time towards the end because you have been going slowly at the start.

After your initial 20 minute running session, you can build up to three running sessions a week. Space these out evenly so that your body has time to recover. From there, you can work on improving your running times.

There are now lots of running apps for your phone such as Map My Run or the Under Armour app called Record has a fantastic app providing a 24/7 connected health and fitness system.

Avoiding Getting Stitches

One of the memorable things about school cross country events was getting a really painful stitch. These are usually caused by eating too close to going running, or by gulping down too much water at once. Try to leave about an hour between eating and going for a run.

Breathe Through Your Nose

Our bodies are designed for us to breathe through our noses. The nose keeps out all of the nasty stuff that floats around in the air such as germs, pollen and pollution. By breathing in and out through your nose when you go running will not only stop that nasty stuff getting in, but the effort of doing so will improve your lung strength. Some people buy a device to stick in their mouths whilst running that restricts the amount of air they can breathe in so that their lungs get stronger. Breathe through your nose and you will soon feel the benefits.

You may find that your nose runs more than you do! This is good for clearing out any lingering colds that you may have. Take water to drink when running to keep your fluids topped up, as your nose will need this to keep the lining of your nose moist.

If you suffer from hayfever, try going running in the morning or just after it has rained. There is much less pollen around

Further Information on Running

Running Magazines

• Runners World
• Running Fitness

Running tips

• Runners World training tips for beginners and racing
• 50 Best Beginner tips for running
• 100 beginner Running Tips
• Couch to 5k Running Plan

Choosing a Running Shoe

To dramatically improve your fitness and help with weight loss, try combining running with cycling. This exercises your muscles in different ways and will improve your all round fitness.

If you find that going running is having a positive effect on you, then you may decide you want to buy yourself some running shoes or trail running shoes. Don’t rush out and buy any old pair of running shoes or ones that look nice. Do some research and find a pair of running shoes that look cool and are also comfortable. There are different types of running shoes for different types of terrain, so read about How to choose the best trail running shoes

The post How to Start Running appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Outdoor Team Building Activities Ideas

This is just a brief introduction to outdoor team building.  For a complete guide, I have set up a website dedicated to team building. You can find over 100 ideas for outdoor team building activities and free guides for team building activities for kids, teens and adults.

The most popular team building activities tend to focus around team coordination, trust, leadership, communication and team bonding.

Use the resource list below for more specific ideas for outdoor team building activities:

• Ice Breaker Games
• Quick Team Building Activities
• Team Building Activities for Kids
• Team Building Activities for Teens
• Team Building Activities for Adults
• Leadership Skills
• Problem Solving Activities
• Physical Team Building Activities
• Team Bonding Activities
• 40 Popular Outdoor Team Building Activities
• Corporate Events
• Corporate Retreats
• Team Building for Sports Teams
• Military Team Building

What are Outdoor Team Building Activities?

Outdoor team building activities and games are designed to create a challenge that enables you to show how you work in a team. You can discover whether you are more comfortable as a team leader or as a team player.  Doing team building activities outdoor enables everyone t get away from the normal work or educational environment and discover more aobut themselves on neutral ground.

Taking part in outdoor team building activities and working as part of a team helps you to develop personal skills, leadership skills, team skills, communication skills and problem solving skills.

Part of the team building challenge is to actually get on and work out how to solve the problem given to you. In the early stages, it helps to encourage all members of your team to come up with ideas on how to solve the task given to you. If you pay attention and listen to what they say, you will be able to work out what strengths each member of the team has.

Why Bother With Team Building Activities?

Life is full of challenges, and one the biggest challenges is to work with others in society. To get the best from your working life, you will need to work out how to work in a team. So, when those team building activities are thrown at you, rise to the challenge and show them what you’ve got.

How to Run Successful Team Building Activities and Games

Define the Purpose of the Team Building Activities

The team building challenge should have a clearly defined goal to strive for. To be worth doing, the goal should be challenging but achievable. If the goal seems too impossible, it stops being challenging and becomes demoralising.

Team building activities should be relevant to the team.

Motivation

There needs to be some motivation for undertaking the challenge. Give the teams a reward, prize, the thrill of doing it (fun stuff and adventure), or the satisfaction from achievement and winning.

Fun

Fun should be a primary factor in all team building activities for teens and adults. These free fun team building ideas are proven to develop teamwork. Some team building courses focus on taking people out of their comfort zone to see how they perform under stress. They end up alienating people who then disengage from the team building process.

A lot of people need an incentive or motivation to participate in a team building game. Some are shy, or just not outdoors people. Not everyone enjoys physical exercise, especially if it exposes your weaknesses.

Work to Your Strengths

These team building activities for teens will help teens to identify their strengths and also how they can improve. If there are problems in the team, then the team should be mentored to demonstrate how things could be done. Rather than point out mistakes and weaknesses, advice and guidance should be given. This should be done positively, and help to show how things should be done and how it is achievable by working as a team.

Outdoor Team Building Activities Ideas

Team Building Ice Breakers

The aim of ice breakers is to enable team members to get to know each other better. Sometimes you may go away on team building days or team building weekends where you have never met anyone in your team before. This can be a bit daunting. Fear not, there is a simple way to do it.

As you talk, you may pick up on skills that they have that will help in your team building activities. Can they tie knots? Are they good at swimming? Can they do first aid? Are they fit? Are they clever?

Read the full list of Ice Breaker Games.

Team Building Activities Ideas

• Human pyramids – How high can you build a human pyramid or tower?
• Egg Toss – How far can you throw a raw egg to a partner who successfully catches it?
• Obstacle courses – Create an assault course or obstacle course and get the teams to race over it. Get them to carry a bucket of water adds to the fun.
• Toxic Area Canister Retrieval – This is one of the most popular team building activities. With equipment provided, rescue a container from a taped off area. Rather than moving toxic waste, I prefer to fill the container with a reward such as sweets, or even dinner that has to be cooked over an open fire.
• Bucket Swimming relay – Get the team to do a swimming relay collecting things from the other end of the pool wearing a bucket on their head, which is actually a real challenge to swim with as it fills up and slows you down.
• Blanket Volleyball – Set up a volleyball court using blankets or large tarps for the net. The teams on either side cannot tell where the ball is coming from, so have to work together to win.
• Crate Stacking – You need proper climbing gear for this one. Rig a safety line and pulley high above the place where you will be stacking your crates. The stacker has to stack the crates into a tower as tall as they can, whilst balancing on the top.
• Bucket on a rope water obstacle course – Get a very long piece of rope or string and weave it across a series of obstacles. Up trees, through bushes, across mud, over walls. Then, feed one end of the string through the handle of a bucket that is full of water. The team then has to get the bucket of water to the other end of the piece of string without spilling any water.
• Firemans relays – Each team has to form a relay chain to get all of the water from one big barrel across an obstacle course and into another barrel at the other end. The race is timed of course.
• Target Practice – Use any projectile to hit a target. Water, paint or flour bombs are the best. The team has to build their contraption for launching their ammo. See which team can fire it the furthest, or get closest to a target.
• Chariot racing – The team builds a chariot and then races across a course.
• Sedan Chair Racing – Sedan chair racing is the same principle as the chariot race, but the team have to carry the sedan chair off the ground with their rider sitting on it.
• Orienteering – The team has to work together to navigate a course finding markers along the way. They have to keep together. The fastest team wins.
• Go Karting – The team can make go karts, or just go somewhere and race proper go karts. They work as a team to see who is fastest.  For a bit more of a rush, try grass karting.
• Geocaching – Using a GPS, you can find hidden caches all over the world using the geocaching.com website. A hitech treasure hunt.
• Scavenger Hunts and Treasure Hunts – Give your teams a list of scavenger hunt items or tasks they have to complete in the time given. To make your teens think, make the description of the items cryptic. A picture of Thomas Jefferson ($5 bill), or a portrait of the Queen (a stamp or money). If completing tasks such as visiting places, they can take a picture to prove they were there.
• Sailing – One way to get the team to work together is to send them on a sailing day. The skipper will teach them how to work as a crew, and they will not only learn how to work together, but also learn a new skill.
• Drops – Drops are where you drop off the team of teenagers somewhere. They then have to work out how to get to a given location in a time limit.  There are plenty of other games you can play using OS Maps.
  You can make it easier by getting them to travel to a tall building that they can see from the start point. Or you could make it harder by blindfolding them when taking them to the start, so that they don’t know where they are.
• Soap Box Cart Gravity Racing – Use a wooden soap box crate, stick some pram wheels on and race them down hills.
• Now Get Out Of That Challenges – Now Get Out of That was a UK TV programme where teams had to navigate to a given location. There they would be given a puzzle or challenge to solve. Successful completion would give the teams the clue to the next location. The outdoor team building activities included river crossings and working out how to boil some water using only a sheet of paper and a candle.
• Swamp Crossing – Create a swamp, and then the teams have to cross it without touching the ground. They can be provided with a variety of useful and unhelpful equipment. Planks and bricks are commonly used. You can also get the teams to make a bridge.
• The Great Egg Race – Invention to solve a problem such as build a device to carry an egg the furthest over a course, or a rocket/parachute that can bring an egg back safely to earth.
• Monopoly Runs – Monopoly Runs are a race around a virtual Monopoly board. This is easy if you are in London. The team has to visit all of the places named on the Monopoly board as quickly as possible. If you aren’t in London, you can create your own board with place names of where you are.
• Balance on a brick – How many people can balance on a brick at once? You can use any surface to hand, such as a milk crate. Or how many can you get in a phone box or in a car.
• Blindfold tent pitching – This is straightforward, but is prone to lots of cheating and peeking.
• Blindfold instructions – This trust building game involves a member of the team being blindfolded and guided by voice around an obstacle course. If more than one team goes at once, this adds lots of confusion as the people who are blindfolded are not sure if the instructions are for them or not.
• Construction – Get the team to build something. Anything.
• Lego structure copy – Make a Lego structure out of different coloured bricks and place it in the next room. Each team is given a set of bricks to build an exact copy of the Lego structure.
• Follow the plans – Give each team a set of plans that tell them how to do or build something. What you don’t tell them is that you have not given them a full set of instructions. Take one page from each set of instructions and put it into the instruction for another team.
• Be dramatic – If you live in NYC or San Francisco, there are some great theatre improvisation sessions that you can go to. The team building sessions get everyone working together, having fun, and even performing some comedy.
• Human Marble Run – Give each member of the team a length of gutter or drainpipe. The team has to convey a tennis ball or golf ball from one place to another by rolling the ball from one piece of gutter to the next.
• Learn a new sport – Sharing the learning experience is a great way to get a team to bond.
• Chocolate making  or cooking– Make a giant bar of chocolate
• The Search Party – Practice carrying out a search party. You could even get the real emergency services involved for the practice and education.
• Raft Building – Give them lots of poles, ropes and large barrels to lash together to form a raft. Then have a race or get them to cross a river.
• Egg Tower Construction – Yes it’s the “build a tower using drinking straws and tape to support an egg.” No need to say any more.
• The levitating Stick or Helium Stick – This team building activity involves the team getting into two rows facing each other. Everyone holds out their index finger and you place a lightweight cane or stick so that it rests on everyone’s fingers. The team then have to lower the stick to the ground whilst keeping their fingers in contact with the stick. What happens is that someone will usually apply more pressure on the stick and it will go up a bit. Someone else realises that their finger is not longer touching the stick so they raise their finger. The stick then ends up magically levitating up into the air as everyone lifts their fingers.
  It takes coordination to get the stick to the ground.
• Bridge Building and other river crossings – Create a virtual river using two long pieces of rope. Give the teams equipment to make a bridge. If you are feeling adventurous, do it over a real stream or river.
• The Wall – Find an assault course that has a ten foot wall in it. The team has to get everyone over the wall.
• Water Barrel Swap – Tie a pulley to a tree branch and pass a rope through it. Tie a barrel to each end of the rope. Fill one barrel with water. Then fence off an area around the barrels. The challenge is to swap positions of the barrels without anyone touching the floor inside the fenced off area, or touch the barrels.
• Human Knot – Everyone crowds together and randomly holds someone else’s hands. They then have to unravel themselves without letting go.
• Circle Lap Sit – Get everyone into a circle. Everyone then turns to face the person to their left. They all then sit on the lap of the person behind. If done at the same time, everyone ends up sitting on a lap self supporting. If not, people fall on the floor.
• Parachute Games – Take one large parachute and play team building games with it.  A brilliant bit of kit for teamwork is the Artoflifer Hole Tarp.  This is a tarp with colored holes of different sizes that the team has to hold to direct different sized balls down the correct holes.  Really challenging but excellent for team building outdoors and indoors.
• Location Hunt from Photo – Give the teams a set of photos of places in the area. They then have to go to those places and prove they were there.
• Dragon Boat Racing – Get the team working together to paddle a dragon boat in a race. Rowing is another idea.
• Canoe catamaran trust – Using two canoes, balance beams between them and the team leader sits on the beam. Teams then canoe a course around the lake
• Canal Lock Navigation – Guide a canal boat through a lock
• Technology Transmissions – Get the teams to use technology to solve a puzzle or challenge.
• Group plank skiing – You need two planks with loops of rope attached to them. The team stands with a foot on each plank holding the rope. They then have to walk the plank skis to the end of the room or field.
• White water Rafting – Send your teens white water rafting. They need to listen to the instructor and work together to paddle in the right direction.
• Paintball – Paintball can be a great way to get teams to work together. They will need to formulate plans, adapt them during the game, and work together to win.
• Water Fights – Using water fights as a team building activity gives you plenty of scope to adapt to your environment. You can use rivers, lakes, boats, or just two large barrels of water at each end of a field for them to refill from.
• Wide Games – Games played over a wide area, usually at night. The most popular is capture the flag.
• Balance Board – Balance a ball on a large sheet of hardboard. As a team carry it around a course without the ball falling off. A bit like egg and spoon races.

This outdoor team building activities list is an ever growing free resource, so bookmark this page for when you need ideas for more team building.

Read my Team Building Activities page for a complete guide to team building for all ages, business, education and military.

The post Outdoor Team Building Activities appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Unlike hockey, Ice hockey is a contact team sport. It can be rough, fast paced and a thrill to experience. Not surprisingly, ice hockey is played on ice. Two teams of ice skaters use their ice hockey sticks to shoot a rubber puck into their opponent’s net to score.

Ice hockey teams consist of six players, one of which is the goaltender. Due to the high velocity that the players can hit the ice hockey puck, the goaltender wears a huge amount of heavily padded protection including a face mask.

Ice hockey is most popular in the countries that reliably have snowy winters, namely Canada, central and eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the United States.

Ice Hockey Rules

Between the six players on the ice, they are typically divided into three forwards, two defencemen, and a goaltender.

In addition to using their ice hockey sticks to hit the puck, within certain restrictions, players may redirect the puck with any part of their body. Players aren’t allowed to hold the puck in their hand and cannot use their hands to pass the it to their teammates unless they are in the defensive zone. Players are also prohibited from kicking the puck into the opponent’s goal, though intentional redirections off the skate are permitted. Players may not intentionally bat the puck into the net with their hands.

The boards surrounding the ice help keep the puck in play and they can also be used as tools to play the puck. Players are permitted to “bodycheck” opponents into the boards as a means of stopping progress. The referees, linesmen and the outsides of the goal are “in play” and do not cause a stoppage of the game when the puck or players are influenced (by either bouncing or colliding) into them.

Play can be stopped if the goal is knocked out of position. Play often proceeds for minutes without interruption. When play is stopped, it is restarted with a “faceoff”. Two players “face” each other and an official drops the puck to the ice, where the two players attempt to gain control of the puck. Markings on the ice indicate the locations for the faceoff and guide the positioning of players.

There are three major rules of play in ice hockey that limit the movement of the puck: “offside”, “icing”, and the puck going out of play. A player is “offside” if he enters his opponent’s zone before the puck itself. Under many situations, a player may not “ice the puck”, shoot the puck all the way across both the centre line and the opponent’s goal line. The puck goes “out of play” whenever it goes past the perimeter of the ice rink (onto the player benches, over the “glass,” or onto the protective netting above the glass) and a stoppage of play is called by the officials using whistles. It also does not matter if the puck comes back onto the ice surface from those areas as the puck is considered dead once it leaves the perimeter of the rink.

Ice Hockey Periods and Overtime

Professional ice hockey games consists of three “periods” of twenty minutes, the clock running only when the puck is in play. The teams change ends after each period of play, including overtime.

Recreational leagues and children’s leagues often play shorter games, generally with three shorter periods of play.

Various procedures are used if a tie occurs. In tournament play, as well as in the NHL playoffs, North Americans favour sudden death overtime, in which the teams continue to play twenty-minute periods until a goal is scored. Up until the 1999–2000 season regular season NHL games were settled with a single five-minute sudden death period with five players (plus a goalie) per side, with both teams awarded one point in the standings in the event of a tie. With a goal, the winning team would be awarded two points and the losing team none (just as if they had lost in regulation).

If the score remains tied after an extra overtime period, the subsequent shootout consists of three players from each team taking penalty shots. After these six total shots, the team with the most goals is awarded the victory. If the score is still tied, the shootout then proceeds to a sudden death format. Regardless of the number of goals scored during the shootout by either team, the final score recorded will award the winning team one more goal than the score at the end of regulation time. In the NHL if a game is decided in overtime or by a shootout the winning team is awarded two points in the standings and the losing team is awarded one point. Ties no longer occur in the NHL.
The overtime mode for the NHL playoffs differ from the regular season. In the playoffs there are no shootouts nor ties. If a game is tied after regulation an additional 20 minutes of 5 on 5 sudden death overtime will be added. In case of a tied game after the overtime, multiple 20-minute overtimes will be played until a team scores, which wins them the match.

Penalties

Altercations often occur near the goal after a stoppage of play, since defensive players are highly concerned with protecting their goaltender.

In ice hockey, infractions of the rules lead to play stoppages whereby the play is restarted at a face off. Some infractions result in the imposition of a penalty to a player or team. In the simplest case, the offending player is sent to the “penalty box” and their team has to play with one less player on the ice for a designated amount of time. Minor penalties last for two minutes, major penalties last for five minutes, and a double minor penalty is two consecutive penalties of two minutes duration. A single minor penalty may be extended by a further two minutes for causing visible injury to the victimized player. This is usually when blood is drawn during high sticking. Players may be also assessed personal extended penalties or game expulsions for misconduct in addition to the penalty or penalties their team must serve. The team that has been given a penalty is said to be playing “short-handed” while the opposing team is on a “power play.”
A two-minute minor penalty is often charged for lesser infractions such as “tripping”, “elbowing”, “roughing”, “high-sticking”, “delay of the game”, “too many players on the ice”, “boarding”, illegal equipment, “charging” (leaping into an opponent or body-checking him after taking more than two strides), “holding”, holding the stick (grabbing an opponent’s stick), “interference”, “hooking”, “slashing”, “kneeing”, “unsportsmanlike conduct” (arguing a penalty call with referee, extremely vulgar or inappropriate verbal comments), “butt-ending” (striking an opponent with the knob of the stick—a very rare penalty), “spearing”, or “cross-checking”. As of the 2005–2006 season, a minor penalty is also assessed for “diving”, where a player embellishes or simulates an offence. More egregious fouls may be penalized by a four-minute double-minor penalty, particularly those that injure the victimized player. These penalties end either when the time runs out or when the other team scores during the power play. In the case of a goal scored during the first two minutes of a double-minor, the penalty clock is set down to two minutes upon a score, effectively expiring the first minor penalty. Five-minute major penalties are called for especially violent instances of most minor infractions that result in intentional injury to an opponent, or when a “minor” penalty results in visible injury (such as bleeding), as well as for fighting. Major penalties are always served in full; they do not terminate on a goal scored by the other team. Major penalties assessed for fighting are typically offsetting, meaning neither team is short-handed and the players exit the penalty box upon a stoppage of play following the expiration of their respective penalties. The foul of “boarding” (defined as “check[ing] an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards”) is penalized either by a minor or major penalty at the discretion of the referee, based on the violent state of the hit. A minor or major penalty for boarding is often assessed when a player checks an opponent from behind and into the boards.

A “penalty shot” is awarded to a player when the illegal actions of another player stop a clear scoring opportunity, most commonly when the player is on a “breakaway”. A penalty shot allows the obstructed player to pick up the puck on the centre red-line and attempt to score on the goalie with no other players on the ice, to compensate for the earlier missed scoring opportunity. A penalty shot is also awarded for a defender other than the goaltender covering the puck in the goal crease, a goaltender intentionally displacing his own goal posts during a breakaway to avoid a goal, a defender intentionally displacing his own goal posts when there is less than two minutes to play in regulation time or at any point during overtime, or a player or coach intentionally throwing a stick or other object at the puck or the puck carrier and the throwing action disrupts a shot or pass play.

An ice hockey referee is responsible for assessing most penalties during a game.

Officials also stop play for puck movement violations, such as using one’s hands to pass the puck in the offensive end, but no players are penalized for these offences. The sole exceptions are deliberately falling on or gathering the puck to the body, carrying the puck in the hand, and shooting the puck out of play in one’s defensive zone (all penalized two minutes for delay of game).

In men’s hockey, but not in women’s, a player may use his hip or shoulder to hit another player if the player has the puck or is the last to have touched it. This use of the hip and shoulder is called “body checking.” Not all physical contact is legal—in particular, hits from behind, hits to the head and most types of forceful stick-on-body contact are illegal.

Ice Hockey Equipment

Ice Hockey Protective Equipment

Since men’s ice hockey is a full contact sport, body checks are allowed so injuries are a common occurrence. Protective equipment is mandatory and is enforced in all competitive situations. This includes a helmet (cage worn if certain age or clear plastic visor can be worn), shoulder pads, elbow pads, mouth guard, protective gloves, heavily padded shorts (also known as hockey pants) or a girdle, athletic cup (also known as a jock, for males; and jill, for females), shin pads, skates, and (optionally) a neck protector.

Goaltenders use more protective ice hockey equipment than other players, and use different equipment. With hockey pucks approaching them at speeds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) they must wear equipment with more protection. Goaltenders wear specialized goalie skates (these skates are built more for movement side to side rather than forwards and backwards), a jock or jill, large leg pads (there are size restrictions in certain leagues), blocking glove, catching glove, a chest protector, a goalie mask, and a large jersey. Goaltenders’ equipment has continually become larger and larger, leading to fewer goals in each game and many official rule changes.

Ice Hockey Skates

Ice hockey skates are optimized for physical acceleration, speed and manoeuvrability. This includes rapid starts, stops, turns, and changes in skating direction. In addition, they must be rigid and tough to protect the skater’s feet from contact with other skaters, sticks, pucks, the boards, and the ice itself. Rigidity also improves the overall manoeuvrability of the ice hockey skate. Blade length, thickness (width), and curvature (rocker/radius (front to back) and radius of hollow (across the blade width) are quite different from speed or figure skates. Hockey players usually adjust these parameters based on their skill level, position, and body type. The blade width of most skates are about 1⁄8 inch (3.2 mm) thick.

Ice Hockey Sticks

The ice hockey stick consists of a long, relatively wide, and slightly curved flat blade, attached to a shaft. The curve itself has a big impact on its performance. A deep curve allows for lifting the puck easier while a shallow curve allows for easier backhand shots. The flex of the stick also impacts the performance. Typically, a less flexible stick is meant for a stronger player since the player is looking for the right balanced flex that allows the stick to flex easily while still having a strong “whip-back” which sends the puck flying at high speeds. It is quite distinct from sticks in other sports games and most suited to hitting and controlling the flat puck. Its unique shape contributed to the early development of the game.

Where can I Play Ice Hockey

In the UK, ice hockey is played at indoor ice skating rinks. Due to the cold icy winters in Canada and Scandinavia, informal ice hockey games are sometimes held on frozen ponds and lakes.
If you like the idea of playing ice hockey, you should try skating at one of the Christmas ice rinks first to see whether you can skate or not.

The post Playing Buble and Bieber’s Favourite Sport – Ice Hockey appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Live Action Role Play came into being many years ago now, when a selection of people decided that Tolkien’s good works were just too good to stay in the books! The first, or at least most widely recognised, incarnations of this desire to further immerse themselves in the world of fantasy were in the ever famous Dungeons and Dragons games, back in the misty depths of time that was 1974. However, this was simply not enough! During the first years of the 1980s, LARP began to really kick off around the world. The UK”s official starting point is right there at the beginning in 1982 with Treasure Trap. Most clubs in the UK now can trace their origins back to Treasure Trap, and Three Kingdoms is no exception! The Cambridge Treasure Trap Medieval Fantasy Larp has regular games throughout the year.

What is Live Action Role Playing?

But what is Live Action Role Playing? Many of us will have engaged in LARP style games in our youth, from the first time you pretended to be a film character and fought the imaginary aliens in the playground to pointing fingers and going “bang, you’re dead!”. Fantasy LARP puts rules to these games.

You have hits, you have skills, you do damage with your weapons and spells. You can live and die, laugh and cry. Everything happens in ”real” time. If you decide your character is going to hit the bad guy, you don’t role the dice or ask the dungeon master, you get your weapon, walk up and hit the bad guy. You immerse yourself into a fantasy world, and into a fictional character. You are no longer Jo Normal from down the road, you are a mighty Hero, or dastardly villain, wielding the power of destiny, life and death, with the ability to shape the world and perform great feats of magic.

We use ‘realistic’ foam weapons and shields, real armour, and fight for real (with pulled blows and a few other safety rules!). Day adventures usually last for 5 – 6 hours and involve travelling from encounter to encounter in a large area of woodland, dealing with each instance as you wish in a party of 10 to 16 people. The adventures take place as you role play your character, set in a massive world with many different stories and civilisations to interact with and make a name for your character (or characters).

The hobby is extremely active physically, though can be more or less demanding depending on your choice of character (a wizard will usually be less active than a warrior) and very active socially, with a very active community of welcoming and interesting people, and social events happening all the time.

You can buy a huge range of LARP medieval costumes, props, armour and weapons from various LARP stores such as Andracor, Medieval Merchant, Dark Blade or Primal Forge.

So, visit LARP Finder to find a group of like minded individuals near you.

You could always improve your marksmanship skills by practising archery, paintball, or airsoft.

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The Scuola Gladiatori is a society similar to the battle re-enactment groups you find in the UK. The gladiator school puts on historical displays to portray the life of a gladiator.

Gladiator training has been used for films such as Russell Crowe in Gladiator, or for the TV series Spartacus.

You then get to progress onto steel swords. The additional weight of a sword being swung at you means that you have to not only block the attack but also to move out of the way. It is more than just swinging a sword about. There is definitely an art to it. You have to get your feet in the right place or you can easily lose your balance. Not good when there is a screaming gladiator charging you.

Moving on to fighting with the net and trident is even more of a challenge. Armed with a sword and shield, you have to use the shield to block the attacks from the net and trident. It is quite easy for your opponent to hook the net over the helmet on your head and pull you over. But while you block with your shield, don’t forget to parry the oncoming trident with your sword.

Find out more about gladiator training and battle reenactments

You can find out more about Gladiator Training from Viators.

If you like the idea of battles, why not find out about Battle Reenactments, or Live action role playing games. Dress up in historical costume and run around fighting the enemy.

The post Gladiator Training appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a 10 foot high hoop. It is one of the top 10 most popular outdoor activities by participation.

Skills – Strength: 2, Balance: 4, Flexibility: 3, Agility: 6, Coordination: 5
Time needed: As long as you want, Cost to try: £4 for a ball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a 10 foot (3.048 m) high hoop (the goal) under organized rules. A regulation NBA basketball court is 94′ long by 50′ wide. Basketball is one of the most popular and widely viewed sports in the world.

Points are scored by throwing (shooting) the ball through the basket from above. The team with more points at the end of the game wins, but additional time (overtime) may be issued when the scores of both teams are the same. The ball can be advanced on the court by bouncing it (dribbling) or passing it between teammates. Disruptive physical contact (foul) is penalized, and free throws will be issued if an offensive player is fouled while shooting the ball. (violations).

Through time, basketball has developed to involve many common techniques of shooting, passing and dribbling, as well as players’ positions, and offensive and defensive structures. Typically, the tallest members of a team will play center or one of two forward positions, while shorter players or those who possess the best ball handling skills and speed, play the guard positions. While competitive basketball is carefully regulated, numerous variations of basketball have developed for casual play. In some countries, basketball is also a popular spectator sport.

While competitive basketball is primarily an indoor sport, played on a basketball court, less regulated variations played in the outdoors have become increasingly popular among both inner city and rural groups.

Cool Moves to Practice on an Outdoor Basketball Court

Reverse shots – Can you get it in the hoop by throwing it backwards over your head?

Setting up a Backyard Basketball Court

If you don’t have an outdoor basketball court at a park near you, then you may have to set your own up in your backyard. All you need is a basketball hoop and a hard playing surface. You can practice your shooting on grass, but you won’t be able to have a one on one with someone else. This is because you can’t bounce the basketball effectively on grass. A patio or driveway is the best.

Basketball Hoops

There are three different types of basketball hoop you need to think about when buying one for your backyard.

1. Freestanding,
2. Poolside,
3. Wall mounted.

With a freestanding basketball hoop, you will need to have space for storing it when not in use.  It can be wheeled about to move into position.  The base is usually weighted by filling it with water.

Poolside hoops can be either bolted to the ground or have a weighted base.

Wall mounted basketball hoops are the most popular space saving hoop.  You can attach it to a wall at the correct height of 10 feet above the ground.

The post The Joys of Playing on an Outdoor Basketball Court appeared first on Active Outdoors.

What is Ultimate Frisbee?

Ultimate frisbee, usually shortend to just ultimate, is an exciting, non-contact team sport recognized by the UK Sports Councils and the Australian Sports Commission. So it’s an official sport, not just a game in the park.

How to Play Ultimate Frisbee

The defending team attempts to stop the attacking team with the disc from making progress upfield by marking them. The general aim for the defending team is to mark the other team closely so that their players find it difficult to get a clear throw to their team mates. If a throw is made then there is a good chance that any closely marked player will get intercepted.

The Field is a rectangular shape with endzones at each end. A regulation field is 64m by 37m, with endzones 18m deep.
Each time the offense completes a pass in the defense’s endzone, the offense scores a point. Play is initiated after each score.

To initiate play, each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of their respective endzone line. The defense throws (“pulls”) the disc to the offense.

Ultimate can be a very intense sport but it’s very newcomer friendly. The rules you need to know to start playing are easy to pick up.

Rules of Ultimate

Ultimate frisbee is a unique sport in that it is self refereed by the players themselves, even at World Championships. Known as “the Spirit of the Game,” this places the responsibility for fair play on the players themselves.

Players cannot run with the disc. When you catch the disc you must come to a stop and try to throw it to another player on your team. If the frisbee hits the ground or is intercepted or knocked down by the other team, then the other team takes possession. Possession also changes if a receiver is outside the playing area when he or she catches it.

The disc may advance up the pitch in any direction by completing a succesful pass to a teammate. The person with the disc has ten seconds to throw the disc. The defender guarding the thrower counts out those ten seconds, called “stall count.”

Ultimate is supposed to be a non-contact sport. Any contact between players is a foul.

When a player initiates contact on another player a foul occurs. When a foul disrupts possession (i.e. removes the disk from someone that would have had it, had the foul not occurred), the play resumes as if the possession was retained. If the player committing the foul disagrees with the foul call, the play is redone so the disk is taken back to its position before the occurrence of the foul.

Where to Play Ultimate

Ultimate frisbee can be played on any open patch of ground such as a park or playing field. All you need is to mark out the pitch corners and end zone line with a few coats or jumpers.

Ultimate Frisbees and Discs

You can use pretty much any type of flying disc for ultimate frisbee, but for cometitive games it has to be a complete disc rather than a flying ring.
The best frisbee to use for ultimate should be 12″ in diameter.
You can also use flying discs and frisbees for playing disc golf or dog disc retrieval.
Ultimate frisbee is one of the best team building activities for team bonding.

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The Most Popular Outdoor Recreational Activities

Every year the Outdoor Foundation in the US and Sport England in the UK publish a list of the most popular outdoor activities.
According to the Outdoor Foundation, about half the U.S. population participated in outdoor recreation at least once in 2018, including hunting, hiking, camping, fishing, canoeing among many more outdoor activities. Unfortunately, the report highlights an alarming trend that just under half the U.S. population does not participate in outdoor recreation at all.

The most popular outdoor activities are:

1. Running, jogging and trail running;
2. Hiking and walking for fitness;
3. Camping and RV Camping;
4. Road biking, mountain biking and BMX;
5. Freshwater, saltwater and fly fishing;
6. Golf;
7. Wildlife watching;
8. Netball and basketball;
9. Tennis and Table Tennis;
10. Soccer;

Most participants preferred to find adventure less than one mile from their homes.

The top 10 list remains fairly consistent year on year.  There are however a few variations as new sports and activities develop and become popular for a while. Follow the blog to find out new trends and more great ways to try out new activities and get active outdoors.

Outdoor Activities Environment Picker

Use the images below to jump to the section in the outdoor activities list with the environment for you.

Outdoor Recreational Activities and Hobbies for Adults

Outdoor recreational activities are ways in which you can spend your leisure time outdoors being physically active, creative, relaxing, having fun or being social.  Explore the huge range of exciting outdoor activities and some of the best adventure sports in the list below.

The most popular ideas for outdoor summer activities include:

• outdoor activities to do on the weekend with friends,
• outdoor activities for couples,
• bucket list of summer activities for boyfriend and girlfriend.

What are the Different Types of Outdoor Activities?

To help you choose which outdoor recreational activities and hobbies suit your needs right now, I have rated them under five categories:

• Relaxing outdoor activities to just unwind and take things easy or to improve your sense of well being.
• Fun outdoor activities that are a perfect for shared experiences where it’s all about fun and friends.
• Outdoor physical challenges that provide adventure and challenge for an adrenaline buzz or for personal development.
• Extreme outdoor activities for thrill seekers that give a serious adrenaline rush and require great skill
• Outdoor sports activities that need a few friends to join in and are competitive

Land Activities

This vast list of outdoor land activities provides inspiration for fitness, downhill fun, relaxing creative hobbies, personal challenges, new skills to learn and outdoor recreational activities that will leave you with a huge smile.

•  4×4 driving experience
•  Activity Holidays for adults and families
•  Adventure Races
•  Air rifle and air pistol shooting
•  Airsoft
•  American Football
•  Animal Parks, Wildlife Parks and Zoos
•  Archery
•  Assault courses and Obstacle course races
•  Athletics
•  Backyard Sleepovers
•  Badminton
•  Baseball and Softball
•  Basketball
•  Baton Twirling
•  Battle Reenactments
•  Beach Activities
•  Beachcombing
•  Bicycle Polo
•  Bird watching holidays
•  BMX biking
•  Boccia
•  Bootcamps for fitness
•  Bouldering
•  Bowls
•  Brushboarding
•  Bubble Football
•  Bushcraft and survival courses
•  Camel trekking holidays
•  Camogie
•  Camping
•  Canyoning and Canyoneering
•  Capoeira
•  Carnivals
•  Carriage driving
•  Cave biking underground
•  Caving and potholing
•  Cheerleading
•  Chinese Martial Arts
•  Circus Skills
•  Clay Pigeon Shooting
•  Climbing courses and climbing holidays
•  Concerts, Festivals and Gigs
•  Conkers
•  Cookout
•  Crazy Golf and Mini Golf, Pitch and Putt
•  Cricket
•  Croquet
•  Cycling fitness training
•  Dance, Street Dance
•  Den Building and Bivouacs
•  Digger and JCB driving
•  Dodgeball
•  Dog Scootering
•  Drag Racing
•  Driving Experience Days
•  Duathlon
•  Eclipse Sphering and Eclipse Zorbing
•  Equestrian (horse Riding, eventing, racing, dressage, cross country)
•  Exercise and fitness
•  Exploring holidays
•  Fencing
•  Fives (rugby)
•  Floorball
•  Folk Dancing
•  Footbags
•  Football and Soccer
•  Free Running and Parkour
•  Fruit Picking
•  Fun fairs
•  Futsal
•  Gaelic Football
•  Gap Year Travelling
•  Gardening
•  Geocaching
•  Gladiator Training
•  Goalball
•  Go Ape forest high wire adventures ropes courses
•  Go Karting
•  Golf Holidays
•  Grass skiing
•  Grass sledging
•  Grass karting
•  Greyhound Racing
•  Grow Your Own Vegetables
•  Grouse Shooting
•  Gymnastics
•  Handball
•  Harness Racing
•  Hiking holidays
•  Hockey
•  Horse Boarding
•  Horse Racing
•  Horse Riding
•  Hurling
•  Jogging and running
•  Jousting
•  Kite Boarding
•  Kite Buggying
•  Korfball
•  Lacrosse
•  Landboarding
•  Land Sailing and Land Yachting
•  Landscape painting holidays and art holidays
•  Laser Clay Shooting
•  Laser Tag
•  Lawn Mower Racing
•  Live Action Role Playing Games
•  Llama trekking
•  Marathon Running
•  Minimoto
•  Modern Pentathlon
•  Monster Truck Driving Experience
•  Motorcycling, Motocross and dirt biking
•  Motor Sports
•  Mountain Bikes
•  Mountain Boarding
•  Mountaineering
•  Mud Racing
•  Multi Use Games Areas and playgrounds for adults
•  Nascar
•  Netball
•  Open Air Theatre
•  Orienteering
•  Outdoor Movie theatres and cinemas
•  Outdoor Photography
•  Paintballing
•  Parks – Chess, Ping Pong, picnics, football, sunbathing…
•  Pentathlon
•  Petanque
•  Picnics
•  Piggy Back Fights
•  Pogo, extreme pogo and pogopalooza
•  Pony Trekking Holidays
•  Polo
•  Polocrosse
•  Quad Biking
•  Rally Driving Experience
•  Rambling
•  Remote Control Cars
•  Rock Climbing
•  Roller Coasters and Theme Parks
•  Roller Skating and Roller Blading
•  Roller Hockey, Puck Hockey
•  Rope Swings
•  Rounders
•  Rugby and Tag Rugby
•  Quoits
•  Safari Holidays
•  Sandboarding
•  Scavenger Hunts
•  Scooter Freestyle
•  Segway Offroading
•  Shinty
•  Shooting (air, clay, crossbow, pistol, rifle, longbow, compound bow)
•  Show Jumping
•  Skateboarding
•  Skeet Shooting
•  Skid Pan Experience Days
•  Skipping
•  Sightseeing
•  Slacklining
•  Soap Box Kart racing or Extreme Gravity Racing
•  Softball
•  Soft Martial Arts – Tai Chi, Chi Kung
•  Speedway
•  Sphering
•  Steam Train driving experience
•  Stock Car Racing and Demolition Derby
•  Stoolball
•  Street Hockey
•  Street Improvisation and Drama
•  Street Luge and Downhill Skateboarding and Downhill Skating
•  Table Tennis
•  Tag Rugby
•  Tank Driving Experience
•  Team Building Outdoor Activities
•  Tennis Holidays
•  Throw and Catch an American mini football, frisbee or frisbee golf
•  Tractor Pulling
•  Trail Running
•  Trampolining
•  Treasure Hunting and Metal Detectors
•  Tree Climbing
•  Treehouses
•  Triathlon Events
•  Tug of War
•  Ultimate Frisbee
•  Unicycling
•  Via Ferrata
•  Volleyball
•  Walking Holidays
•  Walk the dog
•  Wash the car
•  Watch the sunrise or sunset
•  Water Fights
•  Wildlife Conservation
•  Wildlife watching holidays
•  Yoga
•  Young Drivers – Car racing for teenagers, and driving experiences for 11 year olds and over
•  Zorbing

Water Activities

These outdoor water activities provide wet and wild inspiration in, on or under water.

•  Argo Cats
•  Banana rides
•  Blackwater rafting
•  Boating, Pedalos and Punts
•  Body Boarding
•  Bore Surfing
•  Bridge Jumping
•  Canoeing
•  Cave Diving
•  Coasteering
•  Crabbing
•  Diving (swimming)
•  Dragon Boat Racing
•  Exploring Rock Pools
•  Fishing Trips
•  Flyboard, waterjet powered hover board
•  Free Diving
•  Hovercraft Experience
•  Hydrospeeding and Riverboarding
•  Jet Skiing
•  Kayaking
•  Kitesurfing
•  Kneeboarding
•  Model Boats
•  Motor Cruising Holidays
•  Narrow boat holidays
•  Octopush Underwater hockey
•  Pond Dipping
•  Pooh Sticks, paper boats, duck races and dam building
•  Powerboating Courses
•  Raft Building
•  Rib Riding
•  River Bugging
•  Rowing
•  Sailing
•  Scuba Diving
•  Sea Kayaking
•  Skim Boarding
•  Snorkeling
•  Stand up paddle boarding
•  Surfing
•  Surf Life Saving
•  Swimming
•  Swimming with dolphins
•  Tall Ship Holidays
•  Tombstoning
• Waboba
•  Wakeboarding
•  Water Jet Pack Flying
•  Water Parks and flumes
•  Water Polo
•  Water Skiing
•  WaterWalkerz water sphering
•  Waveskiing
•  Whale Watching Holidays
•  Whitewater Rafting Trips
•  Wild Swimming
•  Windsurfing
•  Yacht Charters
•  Yachting
•  Zap Cat Racing

 Air Activities

This list of outdoor air activities includes birds, planes, flying toys and some seriously exhilarating aerial experiences.

•  Aeroplane flying and aerobatics experiences
•  Air Sphering
•  Astronomy
•  BASE Jumping
•  Bungee Jumping
•  Falconry experience days
•  Gliding lessons
•  Gyrocopter flying
•  Hang Gliding experience
•  Helicopter Flights
•  Hot Air Balloon Rides
•  Indoor Skydiving
•  Kites and Power Kites
•  Microlights
•  Model airplanes, helicopters and multirotors (drones)
•  Model Rockets
•  Paragliding and Paramotoring
•  Parascending
•  SCAD – Suspended Catch Air Device
•  Skydiving
•  Wing Walking

Winter Activities

This list of outdoor winter activities is all about being cool on the on snow and ice.  Most are adrenaline sports.

•  Airboarding
•  Biathlon
•  Bob Rafting
•  Bobsleigh
•  Curling
•  Dog Sledding Holidays
•  Heliskiing and Heliboarding
•  Ice Climbing
•  Ice Diving
•  Ice Hockey
•  Ice Karting
•  Ice Racing and Ice Driving
•  Ice Skating
•  Luge
•  Skeleton Bob
•  Skiing
•  Skiing Holidays
•  Skijoring with dogs, horses or a 4×4
•  Sledges and toboggans
•  Snowball fights, snowmen and free fun winter activities for teenagers
•  Snowblading
•  Snowboarding
•  Snowbombing
•  Snowcat Piste Basher Driving
•  Snow Kiting
•  Snowmobiling
•  Snow Rafting
•  Snow Shoeing
•  Snow Tubing and Doughnutting
•  Winter Olympics

Follow the blog to find out new trends and great ways to try out more outdoor activities examples and get Active Outdoors.

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