So you’ve reached that point in your business expansion that you think the employees could benefit from a little team building. You’ve got past that beginning stage where everyone is in it together and operates like a well oiled machine, there are some new kids on the block – and you need to make sure they’re all bonding as well as they can.

Sounds like it’s time for some team building activities.

Does that phrase strike dread into your heart as it does everyone else’s? Of course it does. No- one looks forward to the corporate away day filled with phoney motivational speeches and done-to-death trust activities – and they don’t really seem to do much good in terms of team building except for bringing people together in disliking the experience.

So don’t out your team through that. Instead of dull cliched team building activities, a great way to get people to bond and work together is to throw a challenge at them. So, for something a bit different, why not send them on an adventure activity? They will actually enjoy the activity, and because they’re doing something unusual and exciting together they will definitely end up bonding in a way you just couldn’t achieve with standard activities.

So what kind of activities are you thinking about? It needs to be something completely absorbing, so there’s not too much time where anyone has to mill about making awkward small talk. We’ve put some of the best (and most adventurous) options below.

Rock climbing

This is a great option, but you should carefully consider whether any of your team members suffer from a fear of heights before you go ahead and book it. There’s creating a bond and there’s traumatising your employees; you ought to avoid the latter. That said, rock climbing is a really exciting and confidence building activity, and there are so many options out there for beginners and advanced climbers alike.

Canoeing

The only downside to canoeing is obviously that you can only have so many people in one boat, so it might not be an amazing opportunity for the whole team to bond during the activity – but it still creates a shared experience, and there’s no harm in having some team members interact more than others (in fact, if there are any problem dynamics, you might consider making themes share a boat). Canoeing is a challenging but not overwhelmingly difficult activity, and has the potential to be a lot of fun.

Whitewater Rafting

This might sound like a sport best left to the adrenaline junkies of the world, but actually there’s a huge variety of opportunities for beginners and larger groups to enjoy a low-key version of this high octane activity. It’s really exciting, the scenery is almost always stunning especially when you go somewhere like Arkansas River rafting, and it’s a memorable activity that the whole team will get something out of. 

So there you go – if you’re aware your team needs to get a bit closer but you’ve been dreading organising a boring corporate team day, this is your solution. Adventure sports are some of the most popular vacation activities in the USA for a reason, and they’re also a fantastic environment for people to bond without realising that’s what they’re doing – it removes the awkwardness, and adds some excitement.

Send your brilliant team off on an adventure together, and they’ll come back with stronger bonds and improved team working abilities.