dry ski slope in surrey
There are plenty of ways to keep the family fit this winter. And all in the warm. Samantha Laurie bounces, skates and skis into another year
It’s the ultimate post-Christmas challenge: having bought the kids every technological game known to man, you now have to wean them from the screen. But what exactly can you do as a family to get them up and moving this month? Try this lot...
Trampoline parks
If you haven’t heard of them yet, you soon will. Indoor trampoline parks are big business across the Atlantic and are now springing up here faster than a double back somersault.
One of the first in the UK is Gravity Force in Camberley (gravityforce.co.uk), a converted warehouse where 50 interconnected trampolines enable you to jump not just from wall to wall, but actually off the walls, with the help of angled trampolines. With its giant foam pits, dodgeball courts, slam dunk basketball hoops and tumble track runways, this is soft play for
a broad demographic – from parents and toddlers to urban sport enthusiasts fresh from BMXing and parkour.
“There’s a real lack of indoor activities for older kids in the UK,” says Sarah Sims, who founded Gravity Force last summer after visiting similar parks in the US. “Just cinema, tenpin bowling and not much else.”
Keen to get the social aspect right for teenagers, Sarah runs Friday night discos for over 13s – £15 for two hours bouncing to a resident DJ – and a dodgeball league for both juniors and adults. But it’s the open jump – one hour’s free play for £10 – that is proving most popular with families.
“I wanted something that families could do together,” says Sarah. “It’s great to see mums getting fit jumping whilst their little ones play.”
Getting fit, in fact, is a big part of the appeal. An hour’s trampolining can burn up to 1,000 calories, while just
10 minutes of bouncing offers the same cardiovascular benefits as 33 minutes of running, without the bump and grind on the joints. So says US space agency, NASA, which uses bouncing to train astronauts before they go into space and to recondition them on return.
The park’s biggest concern is safety. As the number of venues in the US has risen, so has the number of injuries – many of them serious. But Sarah Sims says that UK parks have learnt from this: each hourly session at Gravity Force is preceded by a safety briefing, while those bouncing unsafely are ejected by court monitors. Under 4s are only allowed during the special toddler sessions and all jumpers must wear special grip socks to improve stability.
Meanwhile, Surrey’s second bouncing arena, AirHop (airhoptrampolinepark.com), has opened in Guildford. Further afield, a disused Welsh slate mine now hosts the world’s first subterranean bouncing chamber, illuminated by a neon light show. And if you think that sounds surreal, Transport for London has approved plans for a ‘bounce to work’ urban trampoline track near the South Bank.
The daily commute is about to get stranger.
Skiplex
A day out on a giant revolving white carpet sounds bonkers. But if you’re hitting the slopes with new or nervous skiers this winter, this is for you.
Skiplex is an indoor ski treadmill: an endless piste with an adjustable gradient controlled remotely by an instructor. A family ski lesson, which includes instruction and equipment, enables kids to practise the basics without the distractions of soggy ski socks and lift queues. Better skiers can hone technique, boost ski fitness or try snowboarding.
Each slope (some centres have two) holds up to three people, so the kids can take it in turns to laugh at your shaky snowplough from behind the two-way mirrored wall. For me, a nervous skier, it’s an intense and exhausting half an hour. For my 13-year-old would-be snowboarder, it’s a whole new love affair.
Three venues: Reading, Chiswick and Basingstoke. Visit: skiplex.co.uk
Ice skating
If the Hampton Court rink has left you wanting more, try ice skating courses at Guildford Spectrum. Look out for the Fun Penguins – hold-on skating companions for under 10s. Visit: guildfordspectrum.co.uk/ice-skating
Donutting
Low on dignity, off the scale for fun: throwing yourself down the dry ski slopes at Christ’s College, Guildford, on a rubber ring. Open weekend sessions for ages 6+ (£10 per hour) and various snowboard and ski lessons for families. Book ahead at ccski.co.uk.
For more ideas on skiing (but no snowboarding this winter) see Sandown Ski Centre in Esher (sandownsports.co.uk).
Ice climbing
An eight-metre ice wall snakes up from the basement of
a store in Covent Garden. For £50, Vertical Chill provides one-to-one instruction and all the equipment you’ll need to scale its heights. Over 13s only. Visit: vertical-chill.com
