What is a power kite?

A power kite such as the HQ Kites Symphony is a soft canopy kite that provides enough pull and traction to lift you off your feet. Power kites are used in a range of extreme sports for pulling you along. These include:

• Kite Surfing is an extreme sport where you use a power kite to pull you across water whilst standing on a specialist power kiting surf board.
• Kite boarding is where you use a power kite to pull you along whilst you are mountain boarding.
• Snow kiting is an extreme sport where you use a power kite to pull you along on your snowboard.
• Kite buggying is a sport where you sit in a buggy and use a power kite to pull you along a beach.
• Power Kites for Ships – Power kites are so powerful that you can tow ships with a power kite.

Choosing the Best Power Kite for You

There are several key players supplying power kites, with the best brands including Flexifoil, HQ, Ozone and Peter Lynn. The key characteristics of power kites are whether they have two or four line (quad line) control, and how big they are.

Two lines or four lines?

The main two lines on a power kite are used for steering it. If you pull the left line the power kite goes left. If you pull the right line the power kite goes right. On four line power kites, there are two additional lines that are attached to the trailing edge of the kite. These are the brake lines. The brake lines on a power kite are used for reducing the amount of pull the power kite is giving, and also for bringing the power kite down.

How to fly a 4 Line Power Kite

On four line power kites, you control the power kite using two bars, one for the left, one for the right. The top lines are for power, the lower lines are the brake lines. Some power kites also have bungee cords that attach to your wrists to act as a safety device. When you let go of the control bars, the bungees release the power lines and pull on the brake lines which brings the power kite down.

What Size Power Kite Should I Get?

The size of power kite you choose depends on your body weight, fitness and the strength of wind you will be flying your power kite in. Power kites come in a range of sizes. To help you understand what size will suit you, here is a comparison of the different Flexifoil power kite sizes.

Flexifoil Buzz and Big Buzz

The Big Buzz kite is the 2.05m version of the Buzz 1.45m. The only performance difference between the Big Buzz and the Buzz is an increase in power due to the increase in size yet the kite is still a super-easy and safe-to-fly kite.

Flexifoil Sting

Flexifoil’s entry-level 4-line power kite. Designed to provide a precision flying experience, perfect for learning to fly on 4-lines and bridging the gap into the world of traction kiting (skidding, buggying or landboarding). Available with 4-line handles or a 2-line bar.

The Flexifoil Sting power kite comes in several sizes.

• 1.2m The most junior of the Sting power kites, guaranteed to keep you smiling long after you have finished flying for the day.
• 1.7m Gives more power to your moves and introduces the traction element to your flying. Perfect for the younger first-time flyer wanting to get into power kiting.
• 2.4m This is where power kiting can become a reality. With a good wind, the 2.4m Sting power kite is powerful enough to move you on a mountain board or buggy. You will start to get a real sense of power in your kite flying.
• 3.3m Flexifoil’s new 3.3m size bridges the gap between recreational static flying and zooming along in a buggy or mountain board.  This kite is the perfect first time power kite.  If you’re keen on progressing with kite sports then this is the best way to learn.

Flexifoil Rage

A full on 4-line traction kite. The Rage power kite provides fantastic grunt in all sizes and is the ideal first power kite for older teens or adults who want a kite that they can learn with, yet with enough power to use with a buggy or mountain board. The Rage power kite can propel you up to great speeds with a buggy or mountain board. It is the power kite of choice for all kiters wishing to harness the elements.

Available in five sizes sizes from 1.8m to 6m, with either 4-line handles or 4-line bar.

Please seek advice on which size to go for, but for most adults the 2.5m or 3.5m is the right place to start.

Supplied ready to fly with all you need to get power kiting. A legend amongst kite flyers. Pure fun, pure adrenalin, pure power!

Flexifoil Blade IV

The Blade IV is not a power kite for the feint hearted – it is seriously powerful and designed for the most extreme power kiting activities. Flexifoil Blades have an exciting history – sailing the first kitesurfers across the English channel, pulling explorers across the South Pole, and powering our outrageous freestyle buggy team.

The BladeIV is an ideal second kite in your kite bag, best suited for people with some previous flying experience!

It is available in four sizes from 4m to 8.5m. If you already have a Rage then you can buy the BladeIV power kite only and fly it on your Rage lines. Due to the awesome power of the BladeIV, you may need to upgrade your lines in strong winds.

Recommended Best Power Kites

HQ Symphony

The HQ Symphony is an excellent power kite. It comes as a 1.3 metre size and 2.2 metre size power kite.  It allows you to do a lot of stunts and has quite a pull when in full flight. Easy to launch, and because it does not have any solid spars, it survives all crashes.

Children aged 8 and up should be able to fly this power kite with ease and supervision. Also lots of fun for adults who want to practice their stunt flying. Excellent value for money and makes a super gift to get someone outside.

Peter Lynn Hype

The Peter Lynn Hype is incredibly easy to set-up and suitable for all ages and skill levels. Flying the Hype does not require any prior kiting experience, as it’s docile flying behaviour ensures that there are no sudden power surges when flying the kite through the wind-window.

It is a 2-line fixed bridle kite with straps. It has an extremely robust construction, with great control and easy handling. This power kite is easy to launch and relaunch.

Flexifoil Buzz and Flexifoil Big Buzz

The Flexifoil Buzz power kite is suitable for ages 5 to 95. The 2-line Flexifoil Buzz is the perfect first power kite. Simple, robust and set up ready to fly straight out of the bag – all you have to do is unwind the lines.

Great in winds from 10mph up to 30mph, you will be able to practise precision flying with manageable power in all weathers making this the perfect fun family kite that you can fly time and time again.

The Flexifoil Big Buzz is the Buzz’s big brother. With a 2m wingspan, the BIG Buzz creates a strong but manageable pull across the sky. This gives you a more radical experience, with the same user friendliness as the Buzz.

The BIG Buzz is ideal for older kids, teenagers and anyone who wants to have fun with a traction kite that
will pull them in stronger winds. No trip to the beach or park is complete without the Buzz or BIG Buzz.

The Big Buzz comes with 18 metre colour-coded flying lines to ensure easy set-up and pack-down. When packed away, the carry bag is 40x20x10cm so can easily be stored in the boot of the car or suitcase.

You don’t have to buy the best power kite to have fun. Kids stunt kites provide plenty of entertainment for kids of all ages.

For more advanced power kite users, you should get some kitesurfing lessons.

The post The Best Power Kites For Beginners appeared first on Active Outdoors.

“I have been asked to write a small piece on outdoor bootcamps and being active outdoors and how this differs from training within a Gym environment.

I am a Personal Trainer, Master Kettlebell Instructor, an Advanced Bootcamp Instructor and Nutrition and Weight Loss Advisor.

I haven’t always done this. I was extremely sporty throughout my childhood and at 17 years of age joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service. This is where I discovered the joys and the side effects of alcohol and I also discovered that disgusting nicotine addiction which stayed with me until I was in my 40s. I did however represent the WRNS in athletics and RMSM Deal in cross country and my quirky style of dancing at the local bops was rather energetic to say the least so my fitness levels remained quite high.

I then left the Navy and became a civilian for a few years before joining Kent Police at the grand old age of 26. Was I fit? Nope!! Did I need to get fit? Oh yes!! I headed off to the local gym, had a look around and promptly walked out. I then joined a group circuit class and before I knew it, I was being handed my truncheon that was just the right size to fit into my Police Issue handbag, a set of handcuffs and an ill-fitting uniform.

I was sent off to training school where fitness wasn’t a choice. We were heading into a job where chasing baddies on foot was going to happen whether we liked it or not and there is nothing worse than seeing a copper catch someone and proceed to puke over the ne’er do well or even worse, being out run by a shoplifter laden down with a whole weeks worth of goodies. Oh and not to mention the shift work diet of curry at 3am, or grabbing a chocolate bar when nothing else was available, the stress levels through the roof, the night shifts, the out of sync body clock, the unsociable hours to name but a few. The only thing that did keep me going was my fitness and love of training.

Becoming a Personal Trainer

In 2007 I hired a Personal trainer for the first time ever and that’s when I decided I wanted the knowledge and the skills to help others get fit and healthy too.

So here I am now, 9 years on. I have taken early retirement from the Police and I run my own business doing outdoor Bootcamps and Personal Training.

When I first entered the Personal training arena, the emphasis was on getting fit in a gym environment using machines and weights to build and tone muscle and cardio machines to improve cardiovascular and aerobic stamina.

Using the Outdoor Environment for Fitness

To me, the body is already a machine and therefore does not necessarily need more machines to make it work better or more efficiently. Did our cave man ancestors have machines to help them chase after their food? So, I removed myself from the gym environment and started experimenting with training outdoors using anything I could find to help me in my quest to get fit and lean.

If I saw a bench (preferably with no one sitting on it), I would do some step ups or tricep dips or elevated push ups. If I saw a set of steps, I would hop, jump or sprint up them. If I saw railings, I would throw out sets of inverted rows or close hand pullups. If I saw lamp posts, that would be my fartlek training done for the day. The great outdoors literally became my gym without having to listen to the grunts and screams of guys and girls doing their free-weight thing. I also didn’t have to wipe off someone else’s sweat from any apparatus I wanted to use and I certainly didn’t have to wait to use a bench or a weight whilst someone finished texting. – yes!! Mobile phones had been invented by then.

I became in tune with my body and its ability to balance itself, my motor skills were being utilised at all times, I wasn’t relying on a machine to fix my body into the correct position. It was my core, my posterior chain, the way I held myself.

My love of functional fitness was born.

In time, not only did I acquire an awesome tan, freckles and a truck load of natural Vitamin D, I acquired a lean and toned physique with a fitness and stamina level to die for. The greatest thing about it as well? It’s absolutely FREE!!

What do Outdoor Boot Camps Entail?

My bootcamps do exactly the same thing. I use bodyweight exercises ensuring a whole body approach is achieved. I concentrate on quality as opposed to quantity. Good form is vital as well as control, balance and co-ordination. The outdoor bootcamps consist of functional fitness training based on military style workouts using functional movements performed at high intensity. For example: Press-ups, burpees, squats, lunges, jumping, skipping, planks. The list is endless. I use tyres, boxing, kettlebells, sandbags, bands, medicine balls, slam balls, battle ropes, steps, running tracks and of course, everything nature has to offer fields, hills, the beach, muddy banks.

What can you expect to get out of one of my bootcamps? Well it does all depend on how hard you work and the effort you are willing to put in. At Functional Fitness Bootcamps, be prepared to experience fat loss, muscular growth and endurance, definition, stamina and speed.

Yes it is hard work but outdoor bootcamps are a lot of fun. You become part of a team, a group with the same goals, a great group who always encourage each other and motivate each other.

Gyms on the other hand can be solitary training environments where your motivation depends on your mindset or whether you have an awesome training partner to spot you and encourage you.

Don’t get me wrong, I love gyms but I know what I am doing and I know the importance of goal setting and a training plan. I see people enter gyms and not know where to start or they get so disheartened so quickly, or they are intimidated by the guys with the muscles in the free-weight section or they get given a programme by the in house PT and are expected to get on with it. I’ve returned to gyms after a year of only doing outdoor training to see the same people doing the same workout and their fitness or body shape hasn’t changed one iota.. How de-motivating is that!!

Luckily I found an awesome gym. A big shout out to www.doverweightsroom.co.uk . A gym where people are friendly, focused and always willing to help out if they see someone struggling. I’ve trained in there on my own, with a PT, with pals and even with total strangers.

Outdoor exercise will always be my preferred choice of training. It is so versatile. It is free. It is convenient. It changes every time. I always carry around a kettlebell in my car just in case I feel the need for a 20 minute training session. Everywhere I go, I eye up my surroundings and see the opportunity for a work out. Hey, even childrens playgrounds hold a multitude of training opportunities.. Remember monkey bars? (great for upper body) Remember see saws? (great for squatting). Just don’t start shoving children out of their playground because you get the urge to do leg raises and hang off the steps to the slide.

Get a timer app on your phone. I have a boxing app which allows me to do times rounds with rest periods in between. Plus I love the ding ding sound it makes when the round has been completed. I set myself up a little circuit of lunges, squats, press ups etc and set my timer to 30 seconds on each station with 10 seconds rest in between and do that about 4 times or however many times I feel like.

The world and your surroundings are literally your own gym.

Since my clients have started to train outdoors with me and have experienced outdoor bootcamps, none of them want to train indoors again.

So my outdoor activity readers. Put on your Under Armour sportswear, grab your personalised water bottle and join an outdoor boot camp. The choice is yours as to whether you choose a gym or an outdoor activity but always remember one thing:

***DO NOT FORGET TO GO OUTDOORS AND PLAY***

Find Out More About Personal Trainers and Functional Fitness

• Obstacle Course Races
• How social running groups improve fitness quicker than the gym
• Functional Fitness Personal Training

The post Outdoor Bootcamps and Training vs Gym Experience 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.

As I come across more team building activities for teens, I will add and update this post so that you get the best ideas for your team building exercises.
You will find out:

1. The best approach for delivering team building activities for teens
2. How to keep teens engaged during team building activities
3. Safety Considerations
4. Types of Team Building Activities
5. 53 team building activities for teens

This step by step guide on how to run more than 50 fun team building activities for teens makes your job easy. The free printable worksheets show how to avoid disasters and keep things on track, with instructions, rules, equipment, aims and outcomes. The team building exercises go way beyond just the usual obstacle course ideas, swamp crossing, water bucket and rope pulley swap, and the favourite toxic waste canister.

Types of Team Building Activities

There are a few different types of team building activities that you can use to develop teamwork for teenagers.

• Problem solving,
• physical challenges,
• Team Bonding Activities,
• Military team building activities

There are also the good old team building games that everyone loves to do time and time again.
There are plenty of more specific team building activities guides for teens including the popular team building activities for teenage athletes.

If you are planning your team building activities for outdoors or summer camps, I’ve compiled 40 of my best outdoor team building activities in one post for you.

The real benefit of teen team building activities is providing youth with those essential life skills of problem solving, working as a team, understanding others, and youth leadership. These character building activities need to be run in just the right way to elicit the very best from each teenager.

The Best Approach for Team Building Activities for Teens

If anyone tells a teenager to go and do some task, often the response is “No” or “Why?” However, if you present the task as a challenge you are pretty much guaranteed a positive response.

The second key factor is to ensure that every teenager can clearly see what they will get out of the team building activities. If you sell it purely on improving their teamwork or youth leadership skills, then you aren’t going to win their attention. Present it as fun, provide some reward for succeeding, or even give them the opportunity to feel that they have achieved something.

The aim of a team building activity is that there is some goal that is worth the effort to attain, but it should be achievable. If your group of teenagers perceive the team building activities to be impossible, they won’t even bother and will be completely demoralised.

You have to make the challenge attractive. Rather than ask if they can get a bucket of water from one end of a field to the other, ask if they can do it faster than another team whilst negotiating an obstacle course. Teenagers will definitely be up for that.

Teenagers are at a stage in their lives when they are trying to work out who they are and where they fit into society. The effectiveness of outdoor team building activities for difficult youth is proven, as long as those organising it are encouraging and supportive. Help them to rise to the challenge, giving them support and encouragement to develop as they discover their true potential.

Safety

As with any team building activities, make sure that you take care that all of the teenagers are safe during the challenges you set. The spirit of competitiveness may cause some teens to over stretch themselves and do something too adventurous just to win. Clearly state to the youth group what the rules are and make sure that they stick to them. You will always get those who innovate, cheat or break the rules just to beat the opposition.

The List of Team Building Activities

This list is not the usual boring team building games for teens that you will find all over the internet. You won’t find “lining up in birthday order” here!

Whether you want It’s a Knockout type games or Crystal Maze activities, these outdoor physical team building activities are for teens to really get to develop what they’re made of.

1. 1. Human pyramids

      Teenagers seem to love the physical element of this is they are good friends. How high can you build a human pyramid or tower?

   2. Run Mats

      

      Run mats makes a great team building activity. The team stand inside the fabric loop and have to move forward together as a team. The sturdy material works well inside or outdoors. This has been field tested by over 500 students in a single day without any snagging, tearing, or complications. You will probably want to buy three run mats to race teams in relays. An absolute hit with teachers and students!

   3. Obstacle courses

      Create an assault course or obstacle course and get the teams to race over it.

   4. Bucket Swimming relay

      Get the team to do a swimming relay collecting things from the other end of the pool. Include a bucket, which is actually a real challenge to swim with as it fills up and slows you down.

   5. Blanket Volleyball

      Basically, you 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.

      You can play this team building game standing up or sitting down on the floor, depending on how high you can make the net.

   6. Crate Stacking

      You need proper climbing gear for crate stacking. 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. They need to wear a climbing harness, and helmet, with someone belaying them from the ground.

      The team have to pass the crates up to the stacker. Takes guts and teamwork.

   7. Bucket on a rope water obstacle course

      Another teen favourite. 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. Good teamwork is needed to pass the bucket up and over high obstacles.

   8. Capture the Flag

      
      
      
      Capture the Flag as a team building game for teens is one of the easiest to run. Plus it will wear out the energetic ones whilst those who don’t feel up to running around can adopt different roles within the game.
      Capture the flag involves placing two flags at a distance from each other within a defined play area. Each team starts from their game base where their flag is and try to capture the flag from their opponents and return it to their base. The first team to get the enemy flag to their base wins, regardless of whether they still have their own flag. Very quick and easy to setup. Even more fun at night.

   9. 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.

   10. Chariot racing

       The team builds a chariot and then races across a course. The course can be as long as you like. I have raced cross country over several miles before.

       The chariot can have wheels, or be dragged like a wooden frame.

       

   11. 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. A lot more tiring.

   12. 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.

   13. 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.

   14. Geocaching

       Using a GPS, you can find hidden caches all over the world using the geocaching.com website. A hitech treasure hunt.

   15. 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.

   16. 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.

       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.

   17. Soap Box Cart Gravity Racing

       A soap box cart originates from the good old days when kids used to get a wooden soap box crate, stick some pram wheels on and race them down hills. Get you teams to design and build their soap box carts and race them down a hill.

   18. Get the Canister from Toxic Area

       This is a popular team building challenge. Set up a can inside a taped off area. Give the team some equipment to retrieve the can without touching the ground inside the area. One variation I have done is to attach an ammo box up a tall tree containing supper for the team. They have to use climbing gear to climb up the tree, retrieve the box and return without dropping it inside the area. Inside the box can be anything you want that they can cook over an open fire. We had two chickens in ours. We plucked and prepared them while others in the team made the fire. Lovely.

       If you aren’t that adventurous, you can just put sweets in the can.

   19. 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 team challenges included river crossings and getting a cassette recorder to work when the power wires were too short (use the earth lead to extend the others). The sort of tasks teens will love are things like working out how to boil some water using only a sheet of paper and a candle. They have to fold up the paper to make a container. The water soaks into the paper a bit, but this is countered by the flame. It doesn’t burn the paper if they are careful.

   20. The Great Egg Race – Invention to solve a problem

       Give the teams a problem where they have to build something to solve it. It could be a device to carry an egg the furthest over a course, or a rocket/parachute that can bring an egg back safely to earth.

   21. Scavenger Hunts and Treasure Hunts

       Give your teams a list of 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.

   22. 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.

   23. 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 teens can you get in a phone box or in a car.

   24. Blindfold tent pitching

       This is straightforward, but is prone to lots of cheating and peeking.

   25. 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.

   26. Construction

       Get the team to build something. Anything. Just the act of cooperative work improves their team work. This is a great way to support troubled teens, as they will often work well when given physical tasks where they can see the results of their labour. Community projects may be ideal.

   27. 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. The rules are that only one person from each team is allowed to go and have a look at the structure. When they come back to their team, they cannot touch the bricks, but they can tell the others how to build their copy. Anybody from the team can go and have a look, but only one at a time. Once another person comes back from having a look, the previous person can then touch their bricks to help build.

       What you don’t tell the teams is that you have swapped one brick from each of their supplies with another team. This means that they cannot complete their copy unless they get the correct brick from another team. Of course, the other teams will not be willing to give away their bricks until they know which ones they have spare. Negotiation comes into play.

       One amazing thing I once saw was when I did this team building activity with ten teams. Some of the teams grouped together and all worked on completing one model. They could then copy the model within the room as they had a copy in front of them. All I had said is that there was a prize for every team that completes their copy of the model. It is not a race, but most teams usually want to be first and don’t help the greater group.

   28. Swamp Crossing

       Create a swamp, and then the teams have to cross it without going in it. 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.

   29. Follow the plans

       Give each team a set of plans that tell them how to do or build something. A prize is given for every team that completes the task in the time limit.

       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. So team A may have pages 1, 2, 4 and 5; Team B may have pages 1, 2, 3 and 5. The teams will need to work this out to finish the task. Sometimes they will improvise and work out what the missing instructions might be.

   30. 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. A great laugh.

       If you are not so fortunate, give the teams a silly phrase on a piece of paper. The teams then have to create a short play that includes that sentence. The other teams in the audience have to guess what the sentence was.

   31. Human Marble Run

       Give each teenager in 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. Make it interesting by making the team get the ball to traverse an obstacle course or to go up and down stairs. Not as easy as it sounds.

1. Learn a new sport

   Just have a look at the full outdoor activities list to discover a new sport they all might like to try. Sharing the learning experience is a great way to get teens to bond.

2. Chocolate making

   Make a giant bar of chocolate

3. The Search Party

   This team building activity is a great way for teens to learn and understand what is involved with organising a search party. You could even get the real emergency services involved for the practice and education.

   Two people are to act as the missing persons and wait at a known location in the woods. Everyone else is given a rough location of where they might be and they then have to form a search party to find them. To make it harder, you can have the rule that the missing people do not answer to any rescuers’ calls. Or do it at night. You will need to have a clear signal that the missing people must respond to in case the rescuers cannot find them.

4. Raft Building

    

   

   A favourite amongst teens for team 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.

5. 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.

6. 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. You can also have a battle firing at each other. Eye protection is advised. Get building those trebuchets, catapults, water bombs slings and ballistas.

7. The levitating 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.

8. 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.

9. The Wall

   Find an assault course that has a ten foot wall in it. The team has to get everyone over the wall. It takes planning, as the strongest person who can lift the other up onto the wall may not be the best person that everyone else has to then pull up the wall.

10. Electric Fence

    This is one of the most popular trust building activities for youth groups. Set up a fence made of rope with large squares. This can either be ready made or you can use several pieces of rope to make a spider’s web sort of arrangement. The team then have to get every teen through the electric fence without touching the ropes. Lots of trust required.

    

11. 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.

12. Human Knot

    Everyone crowds together and randomly holds someone else’s hands. They then have to unravel themselves without letting go.

13. 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.

14. Parachute Games

    Take one large parachute and play team building games with it. There are some great parachute games books on Amazon.

15. 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. The photos can be obvious or obscure, depending on the skills of your teens.

16. Dragon Boat Racing

    Get the team working together to paddle a dragon boat in a race. Rowing is another idea.

17. 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

18. Canal Lock Navigation

    Guide a canal boat through a lock

19. Technology Transmissions

    Get the teams to use technology to solve a puzzle or challenge.

20. 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. This requires coordination and teamwork to lift the plank.

21. 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.

22. 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. If you don’t give any guidance, it will often end up as a general free for all.

23. Water Fights

    Using water fights as a team building activity for teens 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. Allow a free for all, or work out a points system for achieving some goal such as capturing a flag.

24. Wide Games

    
    Capture the Flag on Amazon

    Wide games are team games played over a large area, usually at night. The most common wide game is Capture the Flag. One team of teens defends a base, whilst the other has to enter and retrieve an object such as a flag and return it to their base. I have a powerful rotating beacon connected to a car battery and fire alarm switch. The switch is held open by a block of wood. The players have to get into the camp and remove the block of wood which turns on the beacon. That way it is obvious when the game is over.

Need More Team Building Activities?

If these team building activities don’t meet your needs, you can find many more ideas in the full team building activities list containing worksheets for all of the team building activities to make it easy for you.
If you want to help teenagers to get to know each other better, try these team bonding activities.

The post Team Building Activities for Teens appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Gliding experience gifts from Red Letter Days

Skills – Strength: 1, Balance: 5, Flexibility: 1, Agility: 1, Coordination: 6
Time needed: travelling time + 1 hour, Cost to try: £60

Gliding is, quite simply, the most fun you will ever have in the air!

A glider is like a small aeroplane, with one important difference – it has no engine. Glider pilots use the sky’s own energy to stay airborne and, by reading the sky and following the weather, pilots are able to achieve feats that non-glider pilots find hard to believe. The world distance record for a glider flight is over 3000km (that’s further than London to Moscow!) and even in this country, where the weather isn’t quite so good, flights of over 1100km have been recorded. Modern gliders fly at speeds of up to 250kmph and can reach heights well in excess of 30,000ft.

(c) www.whiteplanes.com

You are allowed to fly solo at 16 and most clubs will allow you to start training when you are around 14 or 15. Many young pilots do this and go solo on their 16th birthday each year. Once you have gone solo, you can start to really go places – flying cross country, taking part in racing competitions, getting into glider aerobatics, or just pushing yourself to go further, higher or faster than ever before.

The UK has a great record in international competitions and three out of the last four world junior champions have been British. There is a great junior scene (because you can’t go solo until you are 16, you are classed as a junior in gliding terms until you are 25!) with dedicated competitions, events, parties etc.

Glider pilots come from all walks of life and it is one sport where males and females can (and do!) compete on an equal basis. Many people think it has to be an expensive sport – wrong! Club members can take a half hour flight typically for as little as £15-£20 and most clubs offer young members flying at further reduced rates.

There are about 100 gliding clubs spread throughout the UK, including a good number of university clubs. You can find a complete listing along with further details about the sport at www.gliding.co.uk. For now though, here’s a bit more information:

Gliders

Gliders come in many shapes and sizes. They can also be cheap or expensive! Fortunately, you don”t need to buy your own glider – all clubs have two-seaters for instructional purposes, and most also have single-seaters which you move onto once you go solo. You never have to buy your own glider, but if you do, you can keep the cost down by joining a syndicate. Like cars, a glider can cost from a couple of thousand pounds through to a lot!

Launching

In order to launch, you need a little assistance. There are a couple of main ways of launching. The aerotow launch is very docile, and involves being pulled up by a light aircraft with a strong rope in between. When the glider gets to the required height, the glider releases the cable, and the glider is free! Winch launching is probably the most common. This involves being attached to a winch with a long reel of wire. When the wire gets pulled in, the glider gets the speed to fly into the air like a kite. When you are almost overhead the winch, again you can release the cable.

Staying Up

Once you are airborne, how do you stay up? Well, this depends on finding air that is rising. There are three forms of this “lift” that help us stay up – thermals, ridge (or hill) lift and wave. If you want to know more about these, have a look at the Soaring section on the BGA web site – www.gliding.co.uk

Going Places

Now you know you can stay up (given the right conditions!), you can use this to go places or go “cross-country”. Normally, this involves using one, or even all three forms of lift to get height, and then using this height to go forward to the next point on our task (or to the next area of lift). A typical task may be a 300 kilometre triangle, with the aim to get back to where you started. It is in this way that you can race – very simply, a task is set and the fastest person round it is the winner!

Aerobatics

We’ve all seen powered aircraft do aerobatics, but how does a glider do them? Well, very simply, in very much the same way. Gliders are just as strong and just as manoeuvrable as most powered aircraft, but with one difference – no engine! This means that an aerobatic flight normally involves taking a high aerotow and then using the height energy to perform the moves. To get the speed to perform these aerial feats, rather than using power, you turn your height into speed. Gliders may be slightly limited in what they can perform without an engine, but the gap is small, and they are silent and graceful in the execution.

Just Gliding!

(c) www.whiteplanes.com

Places to go Gliding

The post Gliding Lessons appeared first on Active Outdoors.

What is Go Ape?

Go Ape is the award winning tree top forest adventure where you can swing in the treetops and speed down thrilling zip wires.  Established in 2002, Go Ape is still growing UK-wide and you can also Go Ape in the US.

Go Ape has over 30 locations in the UK where they have tree-top high wires, tricky crossings (using ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood, rope and super-strong wire) and wind-in-your-face zip wires.  Apart from Go Ape London, all of the locations are in natural settings of lush, green forest with a healthy dollop of breathtaking scenery.

The Go Ape experience gets the adrenaline pumping, gets people out of their comfort zones and above all it’s just great fun.

In this guide you can find out what Go Ape is like, use the Go Ape course comparison to see which are the best Go Ape locations, how to book, buy Go Ape gift vouchers and subscribe for Go Ape offers and deals.

How Long Does Go Ape Last?

Go Ape lasts for up to three hours of tree top adventure, depending on how quick you are at completing the crossings.

Go Ape Opening Times

Go Ape is open daily from April to October (and weekends in February and November!).  Every year Go Ape opens for the February half term week, then on every weekend until April. From April, Go Ape is open every day until the end of October.

Go Ape opens at 930am, and the last session is at 430pm.

You can get early bird sessions from 8am, with the last Go Ape session at 4pm. During the summer, there are more sessions available due to the longer daylight hours.

It is best to book Go Ape online before you go. You can just turn up and book on the day if there are spaces available.  It’s best to check the Go Ape website for details (or call the booking line on 0845 643 9215, please note there will be a £1.50 booking fee.)

How much does Go Ape cost?

Go Ape prices
Gorillas (18yrs+) – From £30.00 *
Baboons (10-17yrs) – From £20.00 *

Restrictions

Minimum age 10 years, minimum height 1.4m (4ft 7in) and maximum weight of 20.5 stone. Under 18yr olds must be supervised by a participating adult. One participating adult can supervise EITHER two under 18 year olds (where one or both children are 10-15 years old) OR up to five 16-17 year olds.

Go Ape Vouchers

If you are ever having problems finding a gift for someone, get them a Go Ape gift voucher and you will definitely give them a gift they will remember. It is easy to do. Select how much the voucher is for, pay online, then email or print out your gift voucher.

Buy Go Ape gift vouchers directly from Go Ape.

Current Go Ape Discounts and Offers

You can currently save 15%on a Go Ape Tree Top Adventure/Forest Segway adventure by showing your course completion certificate when booking again.

How will I know what to do at Go Ape?

When you turn up at Go Ape, you are provided with a climbing harness, and helped with fitting it. When everyone is ready for your session, your instructor shows you exactly how the safety system works. You get to try it for yourself at ground level. The instructor then takes you to the practice area, where a low level crossing and zip wire is demonstrated. Everyone gets to have a go and the instructor makes sure that you know how to attach yourself to the safety system and stay attached. After that, you head off on your own. Instructors walk around the entire course at ground level, so if you ever get stuck, all you have to do is shout for help and someone will be there within a minute.

Each of the Go Ape locations is split into 5 or 6 separate zones. Up in the canopy, there is an assortment of spectacular rope bridges and Tarzan swings. An exhilarating zip wire brings you back down to the forest floor at the end of every section, usually ending up with the bark chips from the landing zone going down your pants!

Go Ape is for anyone who likes to live life adventurously – you don’t have to be a seasoned explorer to have a Go Ape experience! There’s no greater thrill than the great outdoors, so whether your tribe is looking for stag do ideas, birthday party, corporate team building event or simply a day out with the kids, Go Ape make their courses as fun and as accessible as possible. Every Go Ape location has a cafe or restaurant so that you can get food and drink before or after your treetop experience. It is also useful for those who are just going to watch.

Which is the Best Go Ape Location?

To make things easy for you, here is my Go Ape course comparison that lists all of the Go Ape locations on one page so you can see which is the best. You can see stats like height, distance and number of zip wires.

How high is Go Ape?

The highest Go Ape course is at Glentrees and is 48 metres above ground at its highest point. Typically, Go Ape courses are about 12 metres high, but the highest Go Ape platform is 18m above ground at Go Ape in Grizedale Forest. This is my favourite place to Go Ape.

So, with over 29 Go Ape locations to choose from in the UK alone, which one is the best? It all depends on whether you want height, long zip wires, or challenging obstacles.

The best Go Ape location depends on what you are looking for:

• Best Go Ape location for scenery – Grizedale;
• Longest Go Ape zip line in the UK – Aberfoyle 420m;
• Highest Go Ape rope crossing – Glentrees 48m;
• Biggest Go Ape rope swing – Swinley Forest has a double rope swing;
• Longest Go Ape course – Cannock Forest 1465m.

The difficulty of all the Go Ape courses is similar, as they are designed for you to be able to get across, albeit with some difficulty. But each Go Ape location has its own unique character.

Below is a list of all of the Go Ape courses in the UK, with key details of features that will help you to decide which is the best Go Ape location.

1. David Marshall Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, nr Aberfoyle, Stirling

   Longest Zip Line. Go Ape Aberfoyle opened on the 26^thMay 2007 and is situated in southeast Perthshire on the upper reaches of the River Forth. It is a key centre in both The Trossachs and the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and as such has become a tourism centre. Go Ape in Aberfoyle has two of Britain’s longest zip wires, each stretching over 400m long, flying customers 150 feet above the ground and over a 90 foot waterfall!

   Number of sections – 5
   Longest Zip Wire – 426 metres
   Longest Crossing – 11.5 metres
   Total Length – 1,171 metres
   Number of Crossings – 35
   Highest Point – 14 metres

2. Alice Holt Woodland Park, Surrey

   Go Ape is set within the ancient forest of Alice Holt, famous for its oak trees which once supplied timber for navy ships. Recently Alice Holt oak has been used to build a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London. Whether you have come to walk, cycle, picnic, or see the wildlife, there is something at Alice Holt for everyone who loves the countryside.

   Number of sections – 5
   Longest Zip Wire – 126 metres
   Longest Crossing – 20 metres
   Total Length – 664 metres
   Number of Crossings – 41
   Highest Point – 14 metres

3. Go Ape London in Battersea Park

   If you want to try Go Ape London, there is a unique high wire tree top adventure in Battersea Park in the centre of London. This is the first Go Ape location in the centre of any UK city. There is another Go Ape course in London but further away from the city centre, located at Cockfosters.

   The highest obstacle crossings are double the height of most Go Ape courses, and many are twice as long as usual, making them extra wobbly and challenging.  It also has zip wire bark chipping landing zones up in the air on platforms instead of the bark chipping pile on the ground.

   Number of sections – 3
   Longest Zip Wire – 50 metres
   Longest Crossing – 11.5 metres
   Total Length – 730 metres
   Number of Crossings – 43
   Highest Point – 12 metres

4. Bedgebury Forest, Kent

   Bedgebury is located in Kent and is incredibly popular with people of all ages. Walkers, runners and cyclists all enjoy this tranquil forest and kids of all abilities can spend time having fun in the adventure play area. Bedgebury’s National Pinetum allows for scenic views throughout the whole year.

   Number of sections – 5
   Longest Zip Wire – 170 metres
   Longest Crossing – 20 metres
   Total Length – 812 metres
   Number of Crossings – 36
   Highest Point – 13 metres

5. Black Park

   Set in 530 acres of beautiful woodland with a centre-piece lake. Black Park Country Park, Black Park Road, Wexham, Buckinghamshire,
   SL3 6DS

   Number of sections – 5
   Longest Zip Wire – 140 metres
   Longest Crossing – 24 metres
   Total Length – 787 metres
   Number of Crossings – 37
   Highest Point – 10 metres

6. Swinley Forest, Bracknell, Berkshire

   Biggest Rope Swing. This Go Ape location has the first Double Tarzan Swing on any of the Go Ape courses. Set in Swinley Forest, Bracknell, a great place to let off steam in the great outdoors. Take in a variety of plants and animals and explore a fabulous science discovery centre and free adventure play area. Popular for mountain biking and a hit with corporate teams.

   Number of sections – 5
   Longest Zip Wire – 160 metres
   Longest Crossing – 12 metres
   Total Length – 704 metres
   Number of Crossings – 35
   Highest Point – 13 metres

7. Poole’s Cavern, Buxton, Derbyshire

   One of the highest Go Ape locations above sea level, close to a 2 million year old natural limestone cave. Buxton is a spa town at the heart of the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire. It has been a popular holiday resort for centuries and blessed with stunning scenery.

   Number of sections – 5
   Longest Zip Wire – 159 metres
   Longest Crossing – 19 metres
   Total Length – 733 metres
   Number of Crossings – 32
   Highest Point – 11.4 metres

8. Cannock Forest, Staffordshire

   Longest Go Ape Course. With the longest Go Ape location and only a short drive from Birmingham, Cannock Forest sits on Cannock Chase, the smallest area of outstanding natural beauty on mainland Britain.

   Number of sections – 5
   Longest Zip Wire – 260 metres
   Longest Crossing – 16 metres
   Total Length – 1,465 metres
   Number of Crossings – 38
   Highest Point – 14 metres

9. Coed-Y-Brenin

   This is a lovely tree top adventure based in the heart of Coed-y-Brenin Forest, North Wales. Coed-Y-Brenin, Dolgellau, Gwyrew, Wales, LL40 2HZ

   Number of sections – 5
   Longest Zip Wire – 140 metres
   Longest Crossing – 20 metres
   Total Length – 679 metres
   Number of Crossings – 31
   Highest Point – 13 metres

10. Crathes Castle

    Set in the grounds of the historic Crathes Castle, this Go Ape course has skateboard zip wires.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 125 metres
    Longest Crossing – 92 metres
    Total Length – 592 metres
    Number of Crossings – 28
    Highest Point – 8.6 metres

11. Crawley, Tilgate Park, Sussex

    This was NEW for 2013. The Go Ape adventure in Sussex can be enjoyed by all. Not only can the over 10’s enjoy the classic Tree Top Adventure, but anyone over 1 metre can get off the ground and up in the trees with Tree Top Junior.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 142m
    Longest Crossing – 14.3m
    Total Length – 737m
    Number of Crossings – 34
    Highest Point – Unknown

12. Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire

    The Go Ape at Dalby Forest has hilltop-to-hilltop zip wires and a plunging valley below. Dalby Forest is situated on the southern slopes of the North York Moors National Park. The southern part of the forest is divided by a number of valleys creating a “Rigg and Dale” landscape whilst to the north the forest sits on the upland plateau. Enjoy great walks around Staindale Lake and Haygate with views over the valley. A network of forest roads including the 9-mile Dalby Forest Drive provides access to this outstanding landscape.

    Number of sections – 6
    Longest Zip Wire – 250 metres
    Longest Crossing – 15 metres
    Total Length – 888 metres
    Number of Crossings – 37
    Highest Point – 35 metres (over Zip 4)

13. Delamere Forest, Cheshire

    The course in Delamere has the second longest zip wire of any Go Ape site, stretching 200m. The facility is located adjacent to the Linmere Bridge with views of Blakemere Lake.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 212 metres
    Longest Crossing – 14 metres
    Total Length – 760 metres
    Number of Crossings – 42
    Highest Point – 12 metres

14. Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire

    Set in one of the most distinctive forest settings in Britain with a seductive charm all of its own, this new Go Ape adventure course is one of the most exciting of the seven sites around the UK. The circuit boasts crisscrossing zip wires in a forest that covers some 35 square miles with picturesque views of the lakes.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 180 metres
    Longest Crossing – 18 metres
    Total Length – 806 metres
    Number of Crossings – 39
    Highest Point – 15 metres

15. Glentrees Forest, Peebles

    Longest and Highest Rope Crossing. Built on the hillside within the beautiful Glentress Forest, the Peebles adventure makes good use of the valley for some jaw dropping exposure, and features the highest Go Ape! zip wire over the reservoirs in the valley.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 325 metres
    Longest Crossing – 13.5m
    Total Length – 933m
    Number of Crossings – 36
    Highest Point – 48m

16. Grizedale Forest, Cumbria

    Highest Go Ape Platform. Grizedale has the highest Go Ape platform at 18 metres. Newest obstacles are the Parrot Ladder and the Victoria Falls Crossing. Grizedale is a stunning location particularly great for families – take in the wash of bluebells in June! You can even go on a 200m zip wire that goes across the road leading up to Go Ape, waving at the cars driving to Grizedale Forest.

    New in 2014, Go Ape has introduced Zip Trekking. If you love Go Ape zip wires then this is for you. A set of 7 tandem zip wires where you can race a friend through the fir trees for 3km!

    Number of sections – 6
    Longest Zip Wire – 275 metres
    Longest Crossing – 22.5 metres
    Total Length – 908 metres
    Number of Crossings – 39
    Highest Point – 19 metres

17. Haldon Forest Park, Devon

    Go Ape’s first foray in the South West! Just 15 minutes from Exeter, Go Ape at Haldon and experience two incredible 230m zip slides flying you from hilltop to hilltop!

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 230 metres
    Longest Crossing – 16 metres
    Total Length – 775 metres
    Number of Crossings – 39
    Highest Point – 14 metres

18. Leeds Castle, Kent

    Take to the trees and speed down zip slides high above the Kentish hilltops. Featuring zip slides 250 metres in length, adrenalin is guaranteed! Take in the stunning views of Leeds Castle and its grounds – representing over 900 years of history, beauty and change. For a great day out in Kent, make a day of it by Going Ape and exploring the castle.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 250 metres
    Longest Crossing – 25 metres
    Total Length – 775 metres
    Number of Crossings – 38
    Highest Point – 12 metres

19. Margam Country Park, South Wales

    In the springtime we’ll be opening our very first Welsh course, located in Margam Country Park (near Port Talbot), which boasts splendid landscapes and the largest deer herd in Wales.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 167 metres
    Longest Crossing – 18.5 metres
    Total Length – 744 metres
    Number of Crossings – 39
    Highest Point – 13 metres

20. Matfen Hall Hotel

    Matfen has 300 acres of historic parkland to enjoy a great day out near Newcastle.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 160 metres
    Longest Crossing – 16 metres
    Total Length – 755 metres
    Number of Crossings – 38
    Highest Point – 11 metres

21. Moors Valley Country Park, Dorset, Hampshire

    A challenging trail with some 35 hanging bridges, scramble nets and zip wires at heights of up to 30 feet off the forest floor. Enjoy the meadows, small woodlands and Crane Lake. An adventure play area is perfect for younger children and a special castle and sand area ideal for toddlers. Witness the picturesque Moors Lake or take a ride on the narrow-gauge steam railway – the perfect end to a Go Ape day out.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 166 metres
    Longest Crossing – 25 metres
    Total Length – 1,000 metres
    Number of Crossings – 39
    Highest Point – 11 metres

22. Rivington, Lancashire

    With its rugged hills, picturesque reservoirs and woodland Rivington is hailed as Chorley’s mini Lake District… the perfect location for enjoying a 200 metre long Zip Wire over the Edge of the Rivington Reservoir.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 198 metres
    Longest Crossing – 17.5 metres
    Total Length – 924 metres
    Number of Crossings – 35
    Highest Point – 10 metres

23. Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Nottinghamshire

    Set within Sherwood Pines Forest Park, changes for 2006 include an expanded course of seven sites. New additions include Stepping Stones, a new Balance Beam and a great new cabin. Sherwood is famed as the only Go Ape location in the UK with treetop-to-treetop zip wires! Set deep in the heart of the Nottinghamshire countryside, Sherwood Forest boasts beautiful woodland and is probably the most famous forest in the world. The forest is a great place to walk, cycle, or horse ride (Keep your eyes open for the merry men!)

    Number of sections – 6
    Longest Zip Wire – 140 metres
    Longest Crossing – 64 metres
    Total Length – 909 metres
    Number of Crossings – 41
    Highest Point – 8 metres

24. Southampton, Itchen Valley

    Tucked away in 440 acres of beautiful woodland and meadows close to the River Itchen

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 193 metres
    Longest Crossing – 21 metres
    Total Length – 927 metres
    Number of Crossings – 40
    Highest Point – 14 metres

25. Thetford Forest, Suffolk

    Newest obstacles are the Tank Trap crossing and Turtle Crossing, the first of their kind to be developed on any Go Ape course. Two sites have been merged to form a new supersite now compromising of 16 obstacles. All zip wires have been extended by 50%.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 140 metres
    Longest Crossing – 26 metres
    Total Length – 739 metres
    Number of Crossings – 36
    Highest Point – 12 metres

26. Trent Park, Near Cockfosters in London

    With one of the higher Go Ape courses at 16 metres above the ground, at last, you can take to the trees in London. If you want to know where there is a Go Ape in London, go to Trent Park.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 120m
    Longest Crossing – 32m
    Total Length – 662.7m
    Number of Crossings – 40
    Highest Point – 16m

27. Wendover Woods, Buckinghamshire

    Set high up on the crest of the Chiltern Hills; enjoy the spectacular views and wild landscape across Aylesbury Vale from high up in the trees. Jon & Amy run a great café in the woods; pop in and indulge in one of their homemade cakes.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 140 metres
    Longest Crossing – 20 metres
    Total Length – 685 metres
    Number of Crossings – 40
    Highest Point – 11.5 metres

28. Whinlatter Forest Park, Cumbria

    Set in the North of the picturesque Lake District; the home of outdoor adventure. Whinlatter is the highest course above sea level, (rising to 790 metres), making it a real high altitude experience. Soak up the spectacular views across the Lake District and into Scotland.

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 89 metres
    Longest Crossing – 24 metres
    Total Length – 601 metres
    Number of Crossings – 39
    Highest Point – 14 metres

29. Woburn Safari Park, Bedfordshire

    In March 2009 we’re opening a brand new course at Woburn Safari Park… we can’t wait! So why not join us, and combine the excitement and thrill of Go Ape with the fun of Britain’s largest drive through and Foot Safari…

    Number of sections – 6
    Longest Zip Wire – 156 metres
    Longest Crossing – 15.5 metres
    Total Length – 804 metres
    Number of Crossings – 37
    Highest Point – 8 metres

30. Wyre Forest, Worcestershire

    Wyre Forest, home to some of the most ecologically significant woodlands in England. So why not Go Ape in one of Britain’s largest remaining ancient woodlands…

    Number of sections – 5
    Longest Zip Wire – 160 metres
    Longest Crossing – 17 metres
    Total Length – 567 metres
    Number of Crossings – 40
    Highest Point – 14 metres

Groups

Get in touch with our Go Ape Events Team to get your tribe in the trees – from Aberdeen to Wyre, 10 to 280 people, for adults and children – We can tailor a day that you and your gang will never forget.

Team Building Groups and Events at Go Ape!

Go Ape Tree Top Junior

Under 10s were complaining about not being able to Go Ape, so there is now a growing tribe of Junior Go Ape treetop experiences being built across the country. A fun filled hour of canopy exploring, trail blazing and obstacles for all to enjoy. You’ll take on 20 crossings over 3 trails and finish with one awesome zip wire. Go Ape Junior is for all abilities so explorers can uncover the forest canopy from 4 years (over 1m) to 104.

Forest Segway With Go Ape!

If you don’t fancy swinging through the trees, you can test your balancing skills by riding on the two wheeled Segways. The forest segway experience is at 10 Go Ape locations in the UK. Get off-road and explore the forest on all-terrain segways. It’s a totally unique way to tackle the trails in the forest.

Segway at Go Ape.

Go Ape Zip Trekking

If you love the zip wires but can’t be bothered with all the obstacles to get to them, then you really need to visit the Go Ape Zip Trekking experience in Grizedale Forest in the Lake District.

Find Out More About Go Ape

For the ideal gift, you can get Go Ape vouchers. Occasionally, Go Ape do have discounts and offers. If you have been to one of the best Go Ape locations in the UK, your certificate you get at the end gives a 15% voucher off your next Go Ape adventure.  This applies to any Go Ape location.

So whatever your confidence and ability, if you love the outdoors and fancy taking on zip wires, Tarzan swings, rope ladders, high wire crossings and more, grab your tribe and head to the best Go Ape location near you for up to three hours of tree top fun and adventure. No two Go Ape experiences are the same.

Visit GoApe.co.uk to start your adventure.

The post The Best Go Ape Locations appeared first on Active Outdoors.

Physical team building activities are great for all ages, and enable team members to gain immediate feedback on how well they are doing. Physical team building activities are defined as any team building exercise that involves physical effort from the participants. It could involve building something big, carrying a casualty on a stretcher, or orienteering.

I have broken this guide to physical team building activities down into four sections:

• What works well
• Team Bonding
• Physical Challenges
• Military Team Building Activities

Be VERY aware of your team’s physical abilities

Before planning any physical team building activity, you must carefully consider the opinions and abilities of your team. It is all too easy to dictate that everyone is going on a 20 mile hike across wild country carrying heavy packs in challenging weather conditions. The end result will be to completely alienate and defeat quite a few members of the team. This is disastrous for your efforts to bring the team closer together. Adversity does not necessarily work.

There will be times when adventurous activities create the right conditions to bring team members closer together by sharing experiences, learning together and supporting each other.

You need to know the characters within your team before you embark on anything too strenuous.

Ideas for physical “shared experiences” team building activities

To get your creative juices going, here are a few ideas for physical activities that can be used as a day away from your normal environment where team members can share new experiences together.

Ropes Courses

High ropes courses provide your team with some physical challenges where they have to get across various obstacles high up in the trees. You used to only be able to find ropes courses at outdoor activity centres, but Go Ape has set up lots of ropes courses all over the UK and US.

Go Ape ropes courses involve rope swings, challenging crossings up in the trees, and great zip wires at the end of each section. You can also go Segway trekking, Zip Trekking (lots of zip wires one after the other), and mountain biking.

You will have a dedicated host who will build a day that suits your team and budget. You get exclusive use of a forest shelter, food and drink, and conferencing facilities if you need them.

The Go Ape treetop adventure lasts between 2 and 3 hours. It is suitable for all, so everyone will be able to do it. At some points there are different routes, so the more adventurous can take the extreme routes. You wear safety harnesses at all times, and get a full briefing on how it all works.

Play in the Snow All Year Round at an Indoor Ski Centre

You don’t have to travel to the Alps to take your team skiing. You can take in the alpine experience at snow centres across the country. You can learn how to ski, snowboard, and have fun doughnutting in big inflatable rings or sledges.

Whitewater Rafting

You can experience the thrills of white water rafting at locations such as the London Olympic competition course at Lee Valley just outside London. Your corporate team building day would consist of tackling 300m of fast and furious white water, obstacles and drops in a big inflatable raft.

Your team will have a qualified rafting guide steering and telling you exactly what to do. You get to learn how to control the raft under a variety of conditions, and get to rush down the rapids, surf the waves, and even pull huge wheelies when everyone sits at the back of the raft.

This is a fabulous outdoor team building day. The team building day I took part in was at Nottingham Water Sports Centre. There is the risk of capsizing the raft, which happened once to us, but all you do is lie on your back and float down river. Before you know it, the raft guide has got the raft upright and someone is pulling you back in.

If you are in the US, there are lots of rivers where you can go white water rafting, such as the Colorado River.

Paintball Team Days

Paint is a strategy game played by running around in the woods firing paint pellets at each other. This is not everyone’s cup of tea, but a great opportunity to get your own back on those you don’t get on with in the office.

You will need to plan the game strategies and organise a debrief afterwards if you want to actually develop teamwork. Otherwise all of the games risk just being a free for all shoot out where everyone looks after themselves.

Some youth organisations do not allow paintballing, as they prohibit shooting at people. But, if you are a corporate team, it is all system go! One word of caution – paintball pellets can leave some big bruises depending on how close you are when you get hit.

Sailing, Tall Ships or Yacht Charters

Sailing is a really good way to develop team work. Charter a sailing yacht with a qualified skipper, and your team will learn how to sail. The skipper will direct you all how to get the yacht to go where you want to. You will get to practice different areas of responsibility. Tasks include steering at the helm, manning a winch or handling a line, supporting and coaching your colleagues, share risk-taking and increase trust.

Adventure Associates in the US specialise in blending adventure activities and interactive experiences with team building. They can plan and host some great work team sailing days.

Assault Courses and Obstacle Course Races

Team building obstacle courses come in many forms. They range from the races at a school sports day, to something big like Total Wipeout on the TV. The military use assault courses to test the ability and endurance of personnel. These have gained notoriety with the public, and consequently events such as the Tough Mudder, Spartan Race and the Dirty Dash have become great events to take part in.

Physical Team Building Challenges

1. Firing Blind

   This is a very effective physical team building activity that requires leadership, coordination, trust and good communication. At one end of your playing field, lay out a large target area, about 3 meters in diameter. At the other end of the field is the fire team. They sit behind a large tarp held upright to block their view of the target. They have a water bomb launcher and a stack of water bombs. Using direction given by their observer who stands on the target side of the tarp, they have to try and get as many water bombs on target as possible.

2. Human pyramids

   How high can you build a human pyramid or tower?

3. Egg Toss

   How far can you throw a raw egg to a partner who successfully catches it?

4. Get the Canister from Toxic Area

   This is a popular team building challenge. Set up a can inside a taped off area. Give the team some equipment to retrieve the can without touching the ground inside the area. One variation I have done is to attach an ammo box up a tall tree containing supper for the team. They have to use climbing gear to climb up the tree, retrieve the box and return without dropping it inside the area. Inside the box can be anything you want that they can cook over an open fire. We had two chickens in ours. We plucked and prepared them while others in the team made the fire. Lovely.

   If you aren’t that adventurous, you can just put sweets in the can.

5. Bucket Swimming relay

   Get the team to do a swimming relay collecting things from the other end of the pool. Include a bucket, which is actually a real challenge to swim with as it fills up and slows you down.

6. Blanket Volleyball

   Basically, you 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.

   You can play this team building game standing up or sitting down on the floor, depending on how high you can make the net.

7. Crate Stacking

   You need proper climbing gear for crate stacking. 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. They need to wear a climbing harness, and helmet, with someone belaying them from the ground.

   The team have to pass the crates up to the stacker. Takes guts and teamwork.

8. 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. Good teamwork is needed to pass the bucket up and over high obstacles.

9. 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.

10. Chariot racing

    The team builds a chariot and then races across a course. The course can be as long as you like. I have raced cross country over several miles before.

    The chariot can have wheels, or be dragged like a wooden frame.

11. 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. A lot more tiring.

12. 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.

13. Geocaching

    Using a GPS, you can find hidden caches all over the world using the geocaching.com website. A hitech treasure hunt.

14. 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.

    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.

15. 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 team challenges included river crossings and getting a cassette recorder to work when the power wires were too short (use the earth lead to extend the others). The sort of tasks teens will love are things like working out how to boil some water using only a sheet of paper and a candle. They have to fold up the paper to make a container. The water soaks into the paper a bit, but this is countered by the flame. It doesn’t burn the paper if they are careful.

16. Swamp Crossing

    Create a swamp, and then the teams have to cross it without going in it. 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.

17. Scavenger Hunts and Treasure Hunts

    Give your teams a list of 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.

18. 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.

19. 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 teens can you get in a phone box or in a car.

20. Learn a new sport

    Just have a look at the full outdoor activities list to discover a new sport they all might like to try. Sharing the learning experience is a great way to get a team to bond.

21. Raft Building

    

    A favourite amongst teens for team 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.

22. 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.

23. The Wall

    Find an assault course that has a ten foot wall in it. The team has to get everyone over the wall. It takes planning, as the strongest person who can lift the other up onto the wall may not be the best person that everyone else has to then pull up the wall.

24. Dragon Boat Racing

    Get the team working together to paddle a dragon boat in a race. Rowing is another idea.

25. 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

26. Canal Lock Navigation

    Guide a canal boat through a lock

27. 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. This requires coordination and teamwork to lift the plank.

28. Water Fights

    Using water fights as a team building activity for teens 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. Allow a free for all, or work out a points system for achieving some goal such as capturing a flag.

29. Zombie Combat Experience

    Run around abandoned warehouses or shopping malls fighting for your life against hordes of zombies. This adrenaline-pumping team building experience is not for the faint hearted. Your team of thrill seekers get a detailed mission briefing before receiving a combat training session and being issued with airsoft weapons and ammunition. You then head into battle.

    Your mission is to work with a team of doctors, military personnel and other civilian survivors to defeat the evil zombies and end their reign of terror. Your team has to complete a series of military based tasks to find a cure for the life-threatening zombie infection and ultimately save the human race – just make sure you don’t get left behind!

30. Wide Games

    Wide games are team games played over a large area, usually at night. The most common wide game is capture the flag. One team of teens defends a base, whilst the other has to enter and retrieve an object such as a flag and return it to their base. I have a powerful rotating beacon connected to a car battery and fire alarm switch. The switch is held open by a block of wood. The players have to get into the camp and remove the block of wood which turns on the beacon. That way it is obvious when the game is over.

Military Team Building Activities

It is essential in the military that all personnel work in strong effective teams. Leadership, trust, communication and coordination are critical. If these physical team building activities ideas aren’t enough for you, you’ll love my guide to military team building activities.

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

It is good to see that playground equipment that is designed for adults is appearing more and more in parks and outdoor play areas.  These awesome bits of kit at long last make up some decent adventure playgrounds and teen shelters that provide teens with somewhere to go outdoors for free. It is essential to be able to spend time outdoors socially with friends, show off and use up some of that pent up energy from the day. Teen playgrounds are great, but if you can have a multi use games area or MUGA that’s even better.  However it has taken a long time for teen playgrounds to be considered rather than just playground equipment for young children.

Playgrounds are only for kids

Local parks often only have a kids playground. When teenagers go on the swings, parents of the kids complain.  Teenagers get bad press for hanging around outside on street corners and other public places.  I must admit that some teens don’t do anyone any favours by the use of bad language, unruly behaviour and vandalism.  So what should be the way forward?

What teens are seeking is a place in their neighbourhood where they can meet up with others and do something together. If the council were to provide decent free open access places for teenagers to socialise, then the opinion of teenagers would improve.

Teens need to burn off their energy in a constructive way.  They rise to personal challenges, and boys in particular like to compete physically.  You might think that some form of fitness equipment or outdoor adventure playground would be good. The thing about outdoor adventure playground equipment is that it often gets damaged and then the whole playground gets condemned for months and eventually just gets removed leaving an empty space!

The design and engineering of playground equipment has led to more robust and sturdy play areas that require less maintenance and last substantially longer.  No more wooden structures that rot and collapse.

Types of Playground Equipment

There are five main types of playground equipment for teens:

1. Playground equipment to test physical ability such as climbing frames and obstacle courses
2. Fun playground equipment such as big swings and roundabouts
3. Trim Trails
4. Outdoor gyms
5. Multi-Use Games Areas

Play Equipment for Teens and Adults Physical Ability

Some playground equipment manufacturers can provide a Ninja Warrior type curved wall for finishing, where you have to run up the curved surface and climb to the top.

Obstacle course playground equipment for teens comes as set designs, or can be designed suit the needs of the specific play area.  The play surface underneath the play equipment is more often composed of a rubber compound.  Bark chippings are becoming a thing of the past.

Combine one of these climbing frames with a teen shelter and you have a good playground layout that will satisfy most teens and give them a constructive way to spend their leisure time outdoors.

Fun Playground Equipment for Teens

One of the attractions of meeting up with friends is to have some fun together.  Big swings like the snake swing in the photo above are easy to install and will get used in a variety of ways by teens.  Just sitting and chatting, gently swinging, or the extreme how high can you go swing.

An example of the best in breed playground equipment for pure fun is manufactured by Wicksteed Leisure Ltd in the UK.

Trim Trails

Trim trails are usually made of sustainable wood to make balance beams and obstacles that can be used for exercise.  These differ from the obstacle courses in that their purpose is to provide activity stations for fitness and exercise.  Trim trails are modular and easy to install but do require maintenance to ensure that the wood is in good condition.

Outdoor Gyms

Outdoor gyms appeared around 2010.  The Outdoor Gym Company in the UK provides these in playgrounds around the country.  The playground equipment is made from metal and uses a persons own body weight to act as the challenge for strength.  The image above shows a leg extension station.  You sit on the seat with your feet on the footplates.  By extending you legs you push the seat back and upwards.

Multi Use Games Areas

The best solution seems to be to make an outdoor play area for teenagers by building a multi use games area (MUGA). The best location for outdoor playground equipment for teens is on the opposite side of the playing field from the kids playground so that teenagers are less likely to play near young children and less likely to get moaned at.

Playground equipment for teens still seems to take second place over outdoor play areas for young children. Local councils should start building more outdoor play equipment for teenagers.  This will give young people something constructive to do instead of just wandering the streets aimlessly. In return, teenagers need to respect the money invested in them by the provision of outdoor play areas for youth. Vandalism is a huge waste of money which is paid for by all of the adults who pay council tax. By causing vandalism and graffiti, teenagers waste the very money that could be spent on providing playground equipment for them. At some point, hopefully teenagers will work this out and look after their own communities.

Others forms of outdoor play areas for teens and adults include Outdoor Basketball Courts.

If you have the skills, perhaps you could Make your own backyard playground.

The post Playground Equipment for Teens appeared first on Active Outdoors.

So, you’re looking for something to do this weekend are you? Well, this list of ideas for fun outdoor activities for teens will inspire you to get out of the house and do something fun.  Some of the activities involve having fun socially with friends, while other activities focus on physical activity.

1. Go to a concert.

Go and see your favourite artist at the weekend. The gig could be at an open air concert, music festival such as Glastonbury, or at a stadium. For the bigger gigs, you will need to plan ahead and get your tickets as soon as they go on sale. My Concert, Festival and Gig Guide gives tips on tickets, and how to make the best of a fantastic day out.

2. Shop/hang out at the mall.

There are a huge choice of shops where you can buy outdoor clothing and equipment. Just go out and see what bargains there are. Or you could just hang out with your mates.

3. Go out to the diner.

Going out for a meal with your friends is a great way to socialise. Not only do you get great conversation, you can get great food if you choose wisely. It doesn’t have to be an expensive restaurant. A diner gives a choice of food and drink at a reasonable price, and if you get a window booth you can watch the world go by outside. Sitting at a table outside a cafe means you can see more of what’s happening.

4. Organize a “get-together” with friends.

Get a group of friends together and do something fun outdoors. This could be any outdoor activity you can think of.

5. Take a trip to the beach.

A weekend trip to the beach can be quite an event. Get together with some of your friends and head for the beach. Be sure to take all the necessary supplies in a cool box.

There are plenty of outdoor activities teenagers can do on the beach. Fishing with nets in rock pools, sand castles, beach volleyball and other beach games, barbecues, ice creams, fairs, swimming, surfing, watching the good looking guys and girls, meeting new friends…

6. Theme Parks.

Organising a trip to a theme park will provide serious fun and thrills for all. Check for teenager, youth and student discounts. Challenge your mates to ride the fastest rides. A trip to a theme park will take up the whole day, so plan where you are going to eat. You may get wet on the water rides, so make sure you have the right clothing. Some theme parks have lockers where you can store your stuff. Jump the queues by getting a single rider pass.

7. Go to a carnival.

Go and watch the colourful floats and costumes this weekend at a carnival near you.

8. Go to a friend’s house.

Get out of your own house and visit a friend. Perhaps you have a teenage friend who needs some company or cheering up. You could go through lots of photos and remember the great times you have had.

9. Go bowling.

Bowling is far more popular in the US than in other countries. You can always find a bowling alley near you. Check for youth or teenager discounts.

10. Play video games with your friends.

With the introduction of the Nintendo Wii, playing video games with your mates has never been more fun. You don’t have to play shooting games. There are plenty of team games like racing and other sports.

11. Go roller-skating or skateboarding.

Roller skating and roller blading can be fun, exhilarating, or relaxing. The best place to skate is usually along the path at the edge of a beach. The California Inline Skating website has details of numerous skating trails across the state of Carolina. You can rollerblade in the golden sunshine on a smooth path.

Skate parks provide a place to socialise and show off your skills skateboarding. Evenings and weekends can be spent grinding rails and cruising the half pipe. Some outdoor skate parks have a roof, making them an all weather place to go.

You can also rent a sports hall and use it for a roller disco. If you can’t find an organised roller disco at your local leisure centre, then hire the hall and get lots of your friends together. Bring along a decent sound system and the evening will be great.

12. Water Fights

Whether it’s sunny or raining, water fights are always a great laugh. There are cool ideas on this free fun outdoor activity in our article on water fights, water bombs and super soakers.

13. Organize a monthly school social, such as a dance or coffee house.

Having a school social is a great activity. You could rent a village hall and hold a dance, but do you go for a disco or a proper dance where you dance with a partner?

Arranging a monthly social also allows you to catch up with friends you haven’t seen for a while.

14. Go to an arcade.

Go and shoot some aliens.

15. Go mini golfing.

If you can’t cope with the walk around a 19 hole golf course, or even the first 8, then perhaps mini golf is more in your league. Mini golf courses tend to be found near beaches.

16. Visit the museums.

A lot of museums are free, and those that aren’t offer discounts for young people. Museums can become quite busy at the weekend, so choose your time carefully.

17. Organize a volunteer activity.

Volunteer at the weekend to help out in your local community. This could be helping out at an old folks home, conservation, or a community project. You may enjoy being a volunteer at the local animal or homeless shelter.

18. Go to the park.

Hopefully you will have a park that is within walking or cycling distance. On a summers day there are plenty of activities for teenagers to do. Hopefully there will be playground equipment for teens, and somewhere to play soccer, frisbee, throwing a ball, chatting, picnics, read a book, play chess, or climb a tree.

19. Go to a multi-use games area with friends.

MUGAs or MUPAs are play areas designed specifically for teenagers. They are usually a five a side fenced pitch that can also be used for basketball or tennis. They have teen shelters so that you can sit and chat even if it is raining. Some even have climbing walls.

20. Get a job and earn some spending money.

As a teenager you can bring in the cash at the weekend to help save up for your outdoor activity holiday. Find out more about what outdoor jobs are available

21. Play cards, chess, pool, ping-pong, etc.

A lot of parks have stone tables with chess boards engraved on them. It can be quite relaxing just sitting under the trees playing chess with a friend. There are even outdoor table tennis tables.
Outdoor table tennis is one of the top 10 most popular outdoor activities for teens . You can set it up in the garden, garage or cabin so that you don’t have to be in the house. Outdoor table tennis tables will cope with all weathers, but can you?

22. Backyard Sleepover.

Just set up your tents in your backyard and invite your friends over for the night. It is more fun when the weather is warmer. If it is too cold for you, then you could always resort to the traditional indoor sleepover. For ideas of what to when you go camping, check out some tips on camping with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

23. Go sledding or skiing.

If there is some snow where you are, go out at the weekend and go sledding or skiing. Here are a few tips on how to make your sledge go faster.

24. Cookout.

Do a bit of cooking somewhere outdoors. If it is not in your own backyard, then you will need permission first. Have a barbecue, grill, campfire, or use portable gas stoves. If everyone bring something to eat, then you should end up with plenty for everyone. If you can’t be bothered, you could always have a small fire in your backyard and toast marshmallows on sticks. Be careful of the hot bits!

25. Watch a movie.

You could rent a movie at home, or for a change of scene, why not go out to the cinema at the weekend and watch the latest film. If you are lucky enough to have a drive-in movie theatre in your town, then it is just great to drive in and park up with your mates. Or you can just cuddle up with the one you love and watch the movie. If you don’t have a drive-in movie theatre, you can make your own outdoor movie theatre in your backyard. All you need is a large sheet hung up, a projector and a computer with a DVD player.

26. Swimming and Water Flumes.

You could go for a swim, but why not make it a bit more exciting and find a pool with a wave machine and water flumes. When it is hot, cool off and experience the thrills of a water park. I know as a teenager you may be body conscious, but perhaps your swimming ability will be more important. You could go wild swimming in lakes or rivers, jumping in from rope swings.

27. Go Fishing

If you just want to chill out and have a chat with your mates, you could go fishing and see if you can catch some whopper.

28. Cycling.

You could combine any of the above activities with a bike ride. If you don’t have any particular purpose, you could just explore your neighbourhood. Go somewhere you haven’t been before. There are more and more cycle routes these days. Pack a picnic and go somewhere with a group of friends. Just chill out and have fun.

29. Go to a sporting event.

There are plenty of outdoor sporting events you can go and watch. Athletics, football, soccer, rugby, basketball, baseball… the list goes on.

30. Treasure Hunts and Scavenger Hunts.

If you want to have a walk outdoors and exercise your brains, then maybe you could go geocaching, or create a treasure hunt. If you live near London, then a Monopoly Run might suit. This is where you have to visit all of the locations named on a monopoly board as quick as possible.

Other Things to Do this Weekend

So what are you waiting for? As you can see, there are plenty of things to do this weekend. For tons more outdoor activities for teens, have a look at our Outdoor Activity List for Teenagers. If you want ideas of things to do outdoors with your partner, look at fun things to do with your boyfriend or girlfriend outdoors, or even try to complete a summer bucket list.

The post Outdoor Activities for Teens appeared first on Active Outdoors.

In its simplest form, to make a rope swing, you get a piece of rope and tie it to the branch of a tree. To get the best from it though, here are a few tips on making the best rope swings.

Is your rope swing strong enough?

Choosing the right place to tie your rope swing to

You don’t want the rope swing breaking on you. It seriously hurts when you land on your backside. You create quite a few expletives; and that’s if you’re not in too much pain to get up.

Make sure that the branch you are going to tie your rope swing to is strong enough. A good branch should be thick enough, have signs of green leaves growing on it, and no sign of dead bits or fungus. You will want a branch that is at least 30cm in diameter. That way, there is a good chance of it holding the heavier grown ups who will no doubt intrude on your fun.

You will also have to consider the location of the branch.  Is it high enough to get a good swing?  Will you be able to get the rope over the branch without it getting tangled up in other branches?  Is the path that the rope swing takes clear of obstructions?

You don’t have to tie your rope swing to a tree branch. You could tie it to the metal supports under a footbridge or bridge over a river. Or if you have the right climbing gear, you can anchor it into the rock of a big natural arch. Only do this if you are an experienced climber and know how to anchor ropes.
If you can find a branch over a river, then you can swing out and jump into the water. Make sure the water is deep enough to land in though. Oh yeah, and make sure you can swim.

The Best Rope for a Rope Swing

There are several different ropes that you can use for a tire swing. The best rope for a rope swing will need to:

• Be Durable – It has to last in all weathers without fraying or rotting
• It has to be thick enough to hold onto – thin ropes are harder to hold on tight to when swinging, so you need at least 3/4 inch (20mm) width rope.  If you are using a proper swing seat that is attached by both ends, you can get away with using rope that is thicker than 14mm.  However, this is a guide from my personal experience.
• Be Strong – the rope you choose for your tire swing has to support the weight of at least one adult.  Always allow for extra weight because you will get multiple adults trying to swing on it at once.  When buying rope, check the breaking strain.  Always allow 2 or 3 times the maximum expected load.  It needs to hold at least 300kg.
• It has to hold a knot – Some polypropylene ropes do not grip and the knots can slip

Any decision you make for your rope swing design is taken at your own risk.

Types of Rope

Manila Natural Rope that is 20mm in diameter can be bought by the metre from Amazon or hardware stores for less than £2 per metre. Natural or hemp ropes are the best ropes for rope swings. It is durable and doesn’t deteriorate in UV light.
Climbing ropes are designed to take the weight of someone, and may be a good option. They do cost money though, and don’t last well rubbing back and forth on a tree branch.

Make sure that the rope you use for your rope swing is long enough to go over the tree branch, be tied up, and have enough length for you to reach it. I have seen loads of rope swings where the bottom of the rope is nowhere near the ground and you have to climb on something or jump to reach it. The rope becomes shorter if you are going to tie a stick to the bottom as a seat.

Another good thing to use as a rope swing is a 20m heavy duty towing belt, or the thick straps used on lorries for holding goods down. These are flat, but designed to be very strong pulling 7 tonnes, and withstand wear and tear.

Tying your rope swing to a tree branch

Anyone good with knots? One way to tie your rope swing to a tree branch is to tie a loop in the end of the rope, pass the rope over the branch and back through the loop in the rope. When you pull the rope, it tightens itself onto the branch. This is also a good method if you cannot climb the tree to attach your rope swing. To make it easier to get the rope over the branch, you can use a weight attached to a long piece of string and throw it over, keeping hold of the end of the string. Then tie the other end of the string to the rope and pull it over the branch. Put the end of the rope through the loop and tighten. You are good to go.

Using a bank for your launch point

Rather than having to be pushed on your rope swing, or have to run to get a good first swing, you can use a bank to get the height. If you can find a tree where the branch is over a lower point in the ground and there is a bank or raised bit of ground where you can start your swing from, then this gives you a nice big swing.

Check that the end of the rope reaches the bank so that you can get on, whilst also making sure it will not hit the ground when in motion. If you do this right, this means that you can use a longer piece of rope and get a bigger swing. The longer the rope, the further you swing and more exhilarating it is. Just watch the YouTube video of the world’s best rope swing ever to get the idea. They are starting off from the top of a cliff and swinging down under a rock arch.

How to make it easy to hold onto the rope swing when swinging

The simplest way is to use a foot loop. Tie a non-slip loop knot at the bottom of the rope. You put your foot in the loop, hold on further up and swing. You can also put a stick through the loop and sit on it. This can be tricky for some people, as you have to balance on the stick. You can also tie a tyre to the rope and make a tyre swing.

If you want to be really different, you can cut the tyre and make a tyre horse rope swing.

You can buy rope and seats for rope swings from Amazon.

Rope swings, rope and seats from Amazon.com

Rope swing rope, seats and ladders from Amazon.co.uk

Make Your Own Zip Line Aerial Runway

Amazon now has some great zip line ropes and pulleys so that your can make your own zip line. The 100′ Night Riderz Series Zipline Kit includes 100 feet of cable, and includes everything you need to get the zipline up and running. It even has 50 multicolored LED lights on the seat, rope and trolley so you can have fun using it in the dark!

If you want to try some big rope swings and ziplines, have a look at what Go Ape ropes courses offer.

The post How to Make the Best Rope Swing in the World appeared first on Active Outdoors.