Make Your Valentine’s Extreme
Jo 
Three weeks til’ the love bug crawls up and bites you, whether you’re counting down the days to celebrate your love with someone or you have a first date planned, we have some excellent ideas to spice up your Valentine’s Day this year. In fact, we can go one better than sugar and spice, we want to make your day memorable and extreme enough to place it on the extreme-ometer!
White Water Rafting for Two in Perthshire
As Valentine’s Day is meant for two we’ll start off with an experience made to be enjoyed with others – white water rafting in Perthshire. Tackle the rapids with your loved one as you battle your way down the river, working as a team (with 4-6 other people) and having fun as you go. The experience is a thrilling three hour journey where you’ll be encouraged to work as a team and try not to get too wet! If this doesn’t quite float your boat, but you know it’s perfect for your loved one, there’s no need to worry about them as they’ll be in safe hands with a fully experienced and qualified instructor.
Price: £105 (price for two)
Location: Pitlochry (Perthshire)
What better way to surprise your partner than with a chance to sit behind the wheel of a £220k supercar, and with only 17 in the country you can’t really get a gift more unique than that! With a top speed of 219mph, those three to four laps should give you enough time to really enjoy the full capability of the Lamborghini. During your two hour visit to the centre you’ll be given a quick in-car introduction by a highly qualified instructor, who will then proceed to guide you around the circuit, giving you direction as to the best places to speed up and turn. After your three to four laps you’ll leave the centre with a personalised certificate, free to do with it what you please… perhaps framed and ready to show off?
Price: £165
Locations: Chertsey (Surrey), York (North Yorkshire), Gainsborough (Lincolnshire) or Lutterworth (Leicestershire)
Jumping from a height of 300ft and freefalling for around four seconds… ahh can’t get more romantic than that! Well, if your adrenaline junkie partner has a love for bungee jumping and anything extreme, but you’d rather have your feet on solid ground then this is just the experience for them. The highest jump in the UK and you don’t even need to worry about being strapped to them… well, unless you want to, Extreme Element also provide the UK’s highest tandem bungee jump in the UK, now, that may be seen as a little more romantic – being strapped to your partner, hearts beating together and jumping on the count of three!
Price: £99 – £198
Location: Belfast (County Antrim), Knutsford (Cheshire) or Maidenhead (Berkshire)
Ultimate Monster Truck Car Crushing Experience
Swap the family car for a monster truck and start doing some damage! Crushing two cars, tackling tricky terrains and successfully controlling a gigantic truck that has 6 foot tyres and a 7.5L engine. The experience itself may not have you weak at the knees and falling deeply in love (well it might do) but imagine your partners face when they open this present up! They sure won’t be forgetting this Valentine’s Day for a while. This unique extreme experience, lasting three to four hours, has been exclusively put together for Extreme Element, but if you find yourself more interested in just the truck driving then maybe the ‘Big One’ is more up your street, or perhaps your partner is just a big kid that would gain more enjoyment from playing with some big toys in their monster truck!
Price: £139 – £845
Location: East Grinstead (West Sussex)
Well, if they don’t spice up your Valentine’s Day this year, we don’t know what will! Oh and don’t forget to order in a bunch of flowers and some chocolates, happy Valentine’s Day.
New Hobbies, for the New You, for the New Year
Happy New Year! Just over a week into January and apparently a few of those New Year’s resolutions have already taken a backseat. If, like some of us, you’re trying to find excuses to avoid the gym, or if those left-over chocolates from Christmas are just a little too tempting, then never fear … we have a new plan to help you out! Forget that get fit regime this year; why not start up a new hobby? Here at Extreme Element we can provide everything from MMA fighting to wakeboarding – perfect introductory courses to get anyone gripped with a new sport for the new year!
Get yourself into a harness and prepare to climb, and with so many choices of walls to climb, this sport can be enjoyed all year round and by anyone and everyone. Whether it’s indoors in the warm and dry climbing next to a friend, or outside facing the natural environment such as rivers and gorges, or even ice (ok, that one is indoors too!), Extreme Element provides rock climbing for all abilities, with everything from an introduction to indoor rock climbing to climbing the Peak Distract with a loved one.
From being attached to a rope and harness to strapping a board to your feet and being pulled along water by a rope … ahh yes, this could only be wakeboarding! With chances to wakeboard all over the country, this experience is brilliant for anyone looking to learn something new for the New Year. We provide introductory lessons in Hove and half day sessions in Devon. If you don’t fancy going alone, why not grab a bunch of friends and make it at a wakeboarding party in Milton Keynes? Prepare to get wet … and fit! This awesome experience definitely beats a gym session!
Another hugely popular water sport to get you out and about in the New Year is kayaking, so whether you’re confident in the water or not, this experience will have everyone dying to get back in their kayak and paddling away! After learning the basics in an introductory kayaking session, you can aim for a more challenging day trip in the beautiful seas of Dorset. Want more? We also offer more advanced levels of kayaking where you can aim to achieve BCU 2 star or 3 star – a great way to carry on your new hobby well into 2013 … and certainly beats a boring New Year’s resolution any day.
Cage Fighting and MMA Training in Brighton
Last, but definitely not least, something a little more challenging for all the extreme-lovers – martial arts, MMA training and cage fighting. Not only will this experience get you fighting fit for 2013, you can also get your friends involved and go to the gym … but still manage to avoid the machines! Brilliant; a new hobby, getting fit and carrying out that ‘go to the gym’ resolution. With a choice of going alone and having a private eight hour cage fighting session or picking seven other friends to train in the art of MMA with, this experience is a great way to get fit and healthy in the gym but with guidance from a professional AND learning exciting new skills … much more enjoyable than just jumping on the same running machine every week.
We have plenty of fresh ideas that you can get stuck into in 2013, all excellent ways to get fit and healthy whilst learning a new skill and hopefully picking up a new hobby!
FreeRunning or Free Running-Shoes?!
Welcome back to you, our favourite facebook fans and bestest blog buddies! It’s getting serious now as we prepare to do it all again, concocting a host of New Year’s Resolutions and empty promises to help you feel better as the final turkey / cranberry sauce sandwich settles. Well, now that the excitement has settled for another year and the world kicks back into normality, it’s about time we made some wholly unrealistic attempts to improve our physique… Well, it wouldn’t be January otherwise!
Whether you’re looking to shed a few pounds with a few gentle jogs each day, or you’d like to inject some high octane adrenaline into your lives… Extreme Element are here to help you start the year with the best intentions.
Much the same as the previous Helicopter, Ice Climbing, 4×4, Tank & FlyBoarding competitions, all you have to do is ensure that you have liked the Extreme Element Facebook page, publicly share the image and let us know which you’d prefer to win in the comments box underneath:
FreeRunning Experience or FREE Running Shoes from FootLocker? The choice is yours!
Wet ‘n’ Wild or Superdry… Which Would You Rather Win?
Celebrating both the launch of the incredible FlyBoarding experiences and the last few days before Christmas, fans of the Extreme Element Facebook Page can enter the draw to win either 60 minutes FlyBoarding or £100 of SuperDry vouchers by simply liking the page, sharing the image and then stating which is more desirable in the comments box underneath.
Once you’re all unwrapped-out and the festive spirit has vanished quicker than a plate of turkey and pigs in blankets, what would you rather be doing? Powering through the sales armed with £100 worth of gift vouchers, or jetpacking across the water like something out of a sci-fi film? Much the same as the previous Helicopter giveaway, Ice Climbing giveaway, 4×4 Rocky Road giveaway and the Tank Driving giveaway – there is no right or wrong answer… so the choice is yours!
We’ll be calling the winner of this amazing giveaway on the fan page on the 27th December.
Good luck… and Merry Christmas!
Ice Climbing, Ice Skating, Ice Eating
Ice, snow and winter clothes, oh yes! December has truly struck and everything has turned a little frosty at Extreme Element (except for the atmosphere of course), and just in time for Christmas! Last week, Extreme Element sent ‘JOTR‘ ice climbing in London, but that wasn’t enough frozen fun for us, so we gave you a choice competition where we let the lucky winner decide between a slushie maker or an ice climbing experience. But we still didn’t quite feel Christmassy enough, so next week the office are all going ice skating!
To break the ice, as always, I’ll tell you about how my extreme experience went – this time I tried my hand at ice climbing in London. The hour-long session was brilliant, and with 40 minutes of the hour spent on the ice, it was a wicked introduction to ice climbing that left me dying to climb again. We started with a brief introduction to the equipment where I learnt about technical boots, crampons and ice axes. Before heading into the freezing room (strangely enough, in the middle of the Ellis Brigham store) I layered up in the provided gear – comfy salopettes and a blue puffer jacket.
There are four pitches on the wall and over the course of the session I managed to ‘successfully’ climb two of them…ok there were a few screams and slips but I can proudly say I got to the top and rang the bell of triumph! Comically enough it was the abseiling back down that scared me – apparently trying to use the ice axes to hack my way back down is not true ice climbing etiquette! I never was very good at letting go of the wall when I went rock climbing a few years ago… whoops.
Starting with the easiest route to the top, I found myself going slow at first, focussing on where to dig my feet in and where to aim the ice pick next. Before I knew it I was at the top…trying not to look down! My poor attempt to abseil back down, which involved a fair amount of screams from me, was made easier and a little less terrifying with some encouraging words and instruction from the brilliant professionals, Alex and Calum.
Next, the harder route which starts on a massive (well, it was to me) bump in the wall, which turned out to be quite tricky to climb up! Of course Calum made it look beyond easy – but surprisingly enough, I found myself getting quite competitive and I started to get a good rhythm going, reaching the bell in what felt like a quicker time than before.
Before I knew it, my time was up. I really enjoyed it, probably more than I thought I would. Oh, and if you’re worried about the cold, there’s no need; after all that hacking and climbing you’ll soon be warm enough to melt the ice… well, you’ll sure feel like you are!
Ahh, the competition I mentioned! It is a little too late to enter now… but fear not, we have plenty more to give away on our facebook page. Right now we’re giving you a choice between a toy tank and a tank experience! Hmm, getting muddy or perhaps irritated on Christmas day (depending on who gets their hands on the tank controls)!
The tip of the iceberg – our ice skating adventure next week. Stay tuned…I’m sure there will be plenty of hilarious photos and footage!
Merry Christmas.
Not answered all your questions? Drop me an email:
jo @ exelement.com
Facebook:
Jo At ExElement
Extreme Element
Win a Tank!
Which would you rather win?!
Well, why not like our facebook page and enter yourself into draw to win one or ‘tuther?
Whether you’d rather pester the family this Christmas with your very own mini military vehicle – complete with remote controlled BB gun, or you’d sooner take the controls of a 10 tonne war machine for an off road driving experience to remember… well, the choice is yours. So, much like the previous Helicopter giveaway, Ice Climbing giveaway and the 4×4 Rocky Road giveaway – stick your cyber thumbs up and let us know which… and we’ll see what we can do!
Competition closes 20.12.12, so don’t miss out!
Extreme Christmas Ideas for Two
Crack out those Christmas decorations people – December is here! As we’ve been scraping the frost off our windscreens and digging out the warm winter thermals for a couple of weeks already, it can only mean one thing: Christmas is almost here… and it’s time to get shopping!
If, like most of us, the panic of what to buy is suddenly kicking in, then fear not – for you have a quite brilliantly unique range of Christmas gift ideas at your finger tips right here. Last week we brought you the Christmas Extreme Best Sellers – and this week we’re bringing you the perfect gifts for partners and friends. We’re good like that you see. Well, with all of these amazing experiences and cracking deals we’re sitting on – we might as well spread the festive cheer and all that.
Christmas is all about giving and receiving, but what if the gift you carefully picked out for your loved one is just too good to give away on closer inspection? Especially with the risk they might have skimped out and not got you something as good?! Well, young gift-hungry unwrapping machines – Christmas is not about all receiving, it’s about sharing… so get them that experience you wanted, and go along with them. Sorted!
Husky Ride For Two in Kent
Price: £150
One for the dog lovers – now we know dogs are for life and not just for Christmas, but these furry four pawed pooches definitely won’t judge you for a bit of seasonal love. With 40-60 minutes of husky sledding to mush your way through, you’ll enjoy learning all about these magnificent creatures as they pull you along. Kids as young as 8 can climb aboard the four wheeled sled, which is of course great for Christmas spirit if you can’t get to Lapland. We would have asked for reindeer but apparently they’re a little tied up this time of year…
Sunseeker Powerboat Experience For Two in Southampton
Price: £249
Luxury, speed and relaxation – the perfect combination for a couple’s day out. You’ll find yourself enjoying a gentle cruise down the river before the powerboat shows its true potential – speeding up with you at the controls. A fantastic 3 hour experience with snacks and drinks provided – you and your lucky partner will enjoy a range of the majestic Sunseeker’s talents as you cruise around some of Britain’s most picturesque waters surrounding the Solent. With the sea spraying and the scenery whizzing by, keep an eye out for Cowes, the River Medina and Osborne Bay in Southampton. Merry sailing!
White Water Rafting For Two in Perthshire
Price: £105
Enough of the lovey-dovey experiences, time for something a bit more extreme that will really get you and your partner’s heartbeat racing – white water rafting! Top of nearly every bucket-list since the early 1990s, WWR is about as fear-conquering and extreme as it comes. With 3 hours of high octane rafting to really get to grips with alongside your terrified partner, and a team of six other people, the aim is simple – successfully make it down the river. Sounds simple? It’s not. Whether you take on the rapids solo, with one other person or even in a group – the rush of excitement out on the rapids can speed up a ‘movement’ quicker than a whole plate of Brussels sprouts. Make sure you’re up for an adventure… it will be wet and wild!
Rock and Ice Climbing for Two in Inverness-shire
Price: £139
Pick on something your own size… Wrap up warm for this mini winter-wonderland, as keeping this giant slab of ice ready for climbing is a chilly business. Once inside and ready to start, taking on the cold hard challenge of ice climbing will thaw the motivation you’d put on ice over the festive period… ready for some unrealistic New Year’s Resolutions! With 1.5 hours on the rock and 3 hours on the ice, you and your partner will have plenty of time to work on your techniques for abseiling, ice hacking, coordination and more. With some of the weather we’ve seen forecast for late Dec / Jan – you may be wise to get some practice in early!
Keep checking back for more ideas in the build up to the big day, and if we don’t see you before…
Merry Christmas!
Win A Helicopter Lesson OR A Remote Controlled HD Helicopter
Everyone loves a competition!
Three small steps to win:
1. Like Extreme Element Facebook page
2. Share the competition photo (make sure it’s public or we might not see it!)
3. Let us know which one you would rather win!
Good luck guys, see you in the air!
Supercar vs Ariel Atom in Oxford
Remember when I drove a Mustang on the famous Goodwood circuit? Well Extreme Element couldn’t wait to get JOTR back in the driving seat and on a racetrack – this time I’m behind the wheel of a Lamborghini on a track in Oxford…and oh wow what an experience!
If you follow JOTR you may or may not know that usually I go about these journeys on my own, however, not this time! I’m joined by a fellow supercar-lover colleague on the day – apparently his love and knowledge on the cars entitled him to come along and teach me a thing or two…and of course gets him out the office and into the driving seat!
Once signed in and helmet strapped on, we head over to our qualified instructor, Mike Brown. He’s eagerly waiting for us in the two-seater Ariel Atom, ready and raring to go. I’m gripping on for my life as he speeds us around the track, zooming past the other Supercars and taking every turn faster than the last. After three incredibly breath-taking hot laps Mike pulls back into the pit stop and (once I’ve found my feet) I unbuckle to let my lucky JOTR experience-goer strap in.
What makes the Supercar track in Oxford so good? It’s based in the middle of a field and airfield which can make it a little hard to find (don’t worry, there’s plenty of signage directions) but it means there’s plenty of space around and more than enough room to enjoy the full potential of the unbelievable motors. PLUS the rally cars circuit next to the Supercars track is big enough for all ages to really take advantage of – I’m hoping JOTR goes back for this soon!
(That’s me getting buckled in ^^)
To find out a little more about the Oxford track days I get chatting to one of the owners – Shelley. Amongst the fifty vehicles used for the Supercar driving and Rally days are: five junior rally cars, two Ariel Atoms, two Aston Martins, two Lamborghinis, one Ferrari and a vast amount of rally cars…oh and a some more Supercars! Not to fear though, the circuit has a six car limit driving around at once which usually consists of five Supercars and one Atom – phewf!
Now, the bit you’ve all been waiting for – my drive in the Lamborghini!
Three amazing laps around the track, with helpful guidance from Mike as he tells me where to head for and when I should brake – encouraging speed and building confidence as I go. I’m immediately jealous that they get to drive these mighty motors around all day! Unfortunately though, I do eventually have to bring the Lamborghini back into the pit stop for the next person…and to make it worse I’m allowed to look at all the other beautiful cars available for experience track days so I can take pictures for this blog:
The Aston Martin Vantage AMV8
Aston Martin v Ferrari Driving Experience – Oxford
Aston Martin AMV8 v Ariel Atom in Oxford
The Audi R8 – driving experience in Oxford
Audi R8 vs Aston Martin V8 – Oxfordshire
Audi R8 vs Ferrari Experience – Oxfordshire
Audi R8 vs Lamborghini Thrill
The Ferrari 360 – experience the thrill in Oxford
Ferrari vs Lamborghini Experience – Oxfordshire
Ferrari vs Porsche Experience – Oxfordshire
Ferrari vs Porsche Experience – Oxfordshire
And my favourite for the day – the Lamborghini (and yes I prefer the silver colour and yes it’s on my Christmas wish list)
The Lamborghini Gallardo driving experience in Oxford
I somehow don’t think Santa will be able to fit this in my stocking this year, but at least I got to drive a Lamborghini!
I will definitely be hoping for another driving day!
Not answered all your questions? Drop me an email:
jo @ exelement.com
Countdown to Christmas: Best sellers from 2011
FIVE WEEKS TO GO UNTIL CHRISTMAS! Apologies if we have just sent you into a panic of how / what / why / when – but once again the jovial joy of Christmas spirit has snuck up on us, and with all of these fantastic gift experiences we’ve got – someone needs to hear about it!
With more than a billion kids in the world expecting Santa to bring them everything from bikes to 40″ 3D TVs – give jolly Saint Nick a break and send an email… or a lightweight gift pack. He knows when you’re sleeping and he knows when you’re awake – so he’d probably know you’ve been kind, and will duly reward you! If he doesn’t, then we certainly will – starting with some of the best sellers from last year…
Bungee Jump in the UK
Price range: £30 – £198
Highest Bungee Jump in the UK
Bungee Jump in London
Bungee Jump with a Friend
Treat your loved one to an extreme thrill and let them leap from a height of 300 ft! Berkshire’s Bray Lake is the host, and this magnificent jump proved the most popular Christmas gift from last year. There really is nothing like a nice casual jump from a crane after the festive food and mulled wine has gone down. Possibly not one for acrophobia sufferers… but for everyone else – wahey!
Supercar Track Days in the UK
Price range: £75 – £795
Vroom, vroom, vroom! Who doesn’t fancy the shiny sleekness of a super speedy supercar?! Too big to fit in the stocking and definitely too big to wrap up – treat them to a day at the circuit instead. A choice of supercars, a professional instructor, a certificate and photo finish… well, that’s just about the perfect gift we say!
Whether those petrol-headed dreams involve a Lamborghini, Ferrari or even an Aston Martin - Extreme Element has more choice than you could wave a chequered flag at. If you made a faux pas and chose the wrong car, no bother – they can exchange at the click of a button!
Goodwood Supercar Experience – Gallardo, F355, Porsche 911
Supercar Foursome in Oxford – Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi and Aston Martin
Supreme Supercar Experience – Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Ferrari 360, Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 and the Audi R8
Stock Car Championship Racing Day in Northampton
Price: £159
Not just a favourite of Extreme Element staff, the Stock Car Racing Day appears to be a chart-topping favourite for gift-hunters too! Forget the preened perfection of supercars and hit the dirt track for a rough ‘n’ ready, greasy overalls day of proper driving! Racing F2 stock cars, Reliant Robins and a whole host of other crazy contraptions – this Stunt car driving and stock car racing day is perfect for getting behind the wheel of something a little different this festive holiday.
Flying Lessons in the UK
Price range: £95 – £395
Soaring through the sky and learning how to fly a plane at the same time – fantastic! What better way to appreciate your local area and the magnificence of aero-travel than a flying experience day? Well, many of you couldn’t find a better way – as the 30 minute aeroplane lesson (two seater) proved one of last year’s best sellers. Hands-on, exciting – and even counting toward your licence – what more could you want? A certificate? …because you can have one of those too.
If thirty minutes just isn’t long enough to satisfy those celestial cravings, take a look at the 1 hour options – or even the vintage experiences, such as one hour flying in a tiger moth.
Well, that is just a mini-snapshot of some of last year’s biggest sellers. With so many ways to make your Christmas extreme, go wild and and really spoil your loved ones this year. It certainly beats socks, Quality Street and books that they’ll never read!
Merry Christmas!
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