Yahoo News Seven extreme activities you didn’t know you could try in London
New year, new you.
You’re probably bored of hearing it because, let’s face it, New Year’s resolutions are usually pretty boring. Usually, that is.
If, however, your goal for 2018 is to become an axe-wielding taxidermist, or a flyboarding specialist who’s handy with an ice pick, we’re all for it.
Believe it or not, you can learn how to achieve all of those things right here in the capital (in a safe and responsible manner, of course).
Whether you’re a dedicated adrenaline junkie or just incurably curious, these are the extreme activities you need to say yes to in 2018.
Axe Throwing at Whistle Punks
This is probably not one to tell your mum about. All those times she warned you not to run with scissors will seem fairly futile as the instructor begins to explain the finer points of chucking a twirling axe at speed into a splintering target. For £22 per person (or £29 Thursday to Saturday), you can test out your hatchet-brandishing prowess at Whistle Punks in Vauxhall (see above). After some education in the ways of axe-throwing, battle it out among your peers (groups of 12 can book out a lane to themselves) for a chance to get your score in the hall of fame. No alcohol consumption (obviously) and, no, you can’t put a picture of anyone on the bullseye.
Taxidermy at Made From The Dead
Stuffing the turkey last Christmas is but a distant memory by now – but why stop there? Forget moth-eaten resurrections of your great aunt’s dead pets, taxidermy has had a serious makeover courtesy of South African-born artist Tonja Grung, whose works are more akin to elegant art objects than creepy curiosities. At Made From the Dead’s macabre workshops, the experienced taxidermist will teach you the art of skinning, preserving and mounting various deceased creatures, ranging from mice for the beginners to birds for experts. Feeling queasy? Don’t worry, longer day courses include lunch or a stiff reviver from Hendricks Gin.
Ice Climbing at Vertical Chill
Calling all Game of Thrones fans: did you know you can find a little bit of The Wall in Covent Garden? If you’ve always fancied yourself as a bit of a Jon Snow, then why not take on the icy façade of Vertical Chill, an indoor ice climbing wall in Ellis Brigham’s central London store. Temperatures dip as low as -12°C in the 8m tall chamber – complete with eye-widening overhangs – which starts in the basement of the store and viewing windows on the ground level. For £25, you can get kitted out, get a briefing from an instructor and enjoy roughly 40 minutes of climbing. Note: we’re not sure what’s beyond the wall, but watch out for a Wildling or two.
Reopening February 2018, vertical-chill.com
Flyboarding at Big Crazy Flyboard
As summer descends on the asphalt jungle, Londoners are always looking for a way to cool off. The likelihood is that every lido is at capacity – so why not swap your gentle swim for a fast and furious flyboarding experience? You don’t have to be Leonardo DiCaprio in Ibiza to try out this trendy extreme sport, with Big Crazy Flyboard running classes in Royal Victoria Docks from April to October. For £95 per person, get a 1.5-2-hour experience with training and 30 gravity-defying minutes on the board. You can also choose to have your whole experience filmed for you, so you can replay your James Bond moment as many times as you like.
Sword Fighting at London Longsword Academy
If you enjoyed then first round of Jon-Snow-In-Training at the ice wall, then welcome to lesson two. No Valyrian steel here that we know of but there certainly are bountiful swashbuckling opportunities at the London Longsword Academy, where swordsmanship is taught as a martial art. Budding swordsman can try their hand at using different weapons – from rapier to longsword, paired weapons to mixed weapons – in weekly classes (£15 per session, or £45 for the month) across their multiple locations in the capital. Next time someone throws down their gauntlet (don’t you hate it when that happens?) you’ll be more than prepared.
Ice Karting at Queens
Yeah, Go Karting is thrilling and all that (you could take on Lewis Hamilton any day, he's just scared) but have you ever tried it on ice? Ice skating rink (and bowling alley) Queens has teamed up with Karting On Ice to bring you two evenings a week (Tuesday and Sunday) of Jenson-Button-Meets-Torvill-And-Dean fun on 12,000 sq ft of indoor ice. For £44 per person for a 40 minute session, 8 karts at a time can burn (or chill) some rubber, and catch some serious drift. Afterwards, drivers can refuel with dinner at MEATLiquor, with the barbeque restaurant's west London outpost based at the rink itself.
Angle Grinding at The Fire School
We've had a lot of ice, but we know what you’re wondering – where’s the fire? Angle Grinding may sound more like hard labour than a hobby but at The Fire School (which does what it says on the tin) willing students can learn how to use this power tool on their body – not directly, obviously. Clad in metallic panels, one-on-one classes (£150 for 1.5 hours) teach students how to give a spark-tacular performance, using the tool to emit a fountain of firey sparks from a startling range of body parts. If that’s not your thing, The Fire School also offers classes on fire eating, breathing, poi and even how to swing a flaming nipple tassel or two…
