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Adventurous Indoor Activities
Adventurous Indoor Activities
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It’s winter, which means colder temperatures that often leave one less inclined to spend time in the outdoors. For those of us who are used to filling our weekends with long hikes, bike rides, or runs, this can be torture. It’s not just that we are depriving our bodies of the levels of vitamin D that we are accustomed to, but that we are looking for activities that entertain us. An afternoon spent in a museum, at the movies, or indulging in a happy hour can be fun now and again, but gets boring when done too many weekends in a row.
Adventurous types need winter activities that match their love of adrenaline and sweat. Some find this all year long by taking part in winter sports like skiing, ice climbing, and ice fishing, but there are others with the inclination towards adventure who do not share a tolerance for the cold. Despite what they may previously have thought, these folks don’t need to spend the rest of the winter putting in endless hours on a treadmill and in the weight room. Rather, these days there are plenty of places to go where adventure can be had in the great indoors.
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Rock Climbing Gyms
These non-traditional gyms are everywhere these days. In them, it is possible to try your hand at different types of rock climbing using plastic holds attached to the wall. Bouldering involves climbing to a height of 10 to 15 feet with mats beneath you for protection. Top-roped climbs are longer, so a rope is needed to safely ascend these walls.
Most rock climbing gyms also provide visitors with the opportunity to lead sport routes, which involves clipping the rope into quickdraws to protect oneself as they move up the wall. The workout gained from climbing is full-body, and the heights involved in this sport are sure to get your blood pumping. Furthermore, joining a climbing gym in the winter can be a great way for those who like to climb outside to stay in shape during the winter and connect with their local climbing community.
Indoor Skydiving
Modern-day technology has made so much possible that would have sounded like science fiction mere decades ago. An example of this is indoor sky diving, which allows individuals to freefall without parachutes and at very close proximity to the ground. The machines that make this activity possible produce concentrated wind tunnels that allow you to perpetually float just off the surface of the ground. If this sounds kind of dangerous, don’t worry – this is typically a very controlled activity, with instruction from someone well versed in sky diving and oversight by a technician part of the deal.
Trampoline Parks
Release your inner child and get a sweet work out in at a local trampoline park. These parks, which can be found in most high population areas, feature foam pits, areas for freestyle jumping and flips, and areas designed for games like dodge ball and basketball dunking competitions. It allows for a safe environment to try new tricks and to get comfortable with falling, two things that many people into outdoor adventure sports are concerned with.
Even more importantly though, this place is just fun, a playground where adults and kids can share in an equal amount of fun. One chain to look for in particular is Sky Zone [https://www.skyzone.com/], which has locations all over the US and offers some of the most diverse and unique obstacles of any trampoline park.
Indoor Bike Parks
The concept of mountain biking inside has still not fully taken hold, so finding an indoor bike park close to you may be hard to find. However, they are increasing in popularity, so the mountain biker itching for some obstacles should definitely do some research. Even if you aren’t a die-hard mountain biker, these bike parks can be a great way to mix up your mid-winter activities with something that will be a challenge both physically and mentally.
Furthermore, the relatively controlled environment of a bike park is, like climbing, unquestionably safer than learning in the outdoors, where multiple unforeseen variables may come into play. All these parks have feature areas and lines of differing ability, so the advanced bikers don’t have to worry about getting stuck behind a noobie either.
Laser Tag
This is a great option for mid-winter fun that can bring large groups of friends together. This game was first developed as a way for soldiers to train in a combat-like simulation and is now played the world over. Participants carry laser guns, referred to as “phasers”, and wear vests that have sensors and will react if the participant is shot.
The actual rules of laser tag depend on how the participants decide they want to play, with Capture the Flag being a popular way to organize play. How many lives each participant has is also up to the players, and is often decided based on how much time they have. Laser tag arenas can be outside and inside, so make sure to double-check that the one you want to go to isn’t going to involve being very cold before hands.
Amusement Park
The thought of putting a roller coaster inside a building may seem ridiculous at first, but it has been done – it just takes a very large building! Of course, the amusement parks that can be enjoyed during the winter won’t have as many, large scary rides, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the thrill of a loop d’ loop in January.
There are only a scattering of these parks throughout the country, with the largest being Nickelodeon Universe, which spans 7 acres inside of the Mall of America. The second-largest is the Adventuredome, a 5-acre adult playground in the Circus Circus hotel on the Las Vegas strip.
