Are you ready for recreational axe-throwing?

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This article was published 08/02/2016 (3692 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bad Axe Throwing is coming to town.

The Toronto-based company can be summed up in their tagline, “Where axe throwing lives.” The sport has been hugely popular in Toronto, said operations manager Jesse Gutzman.

“Winnipeg seemed like a great spot because it spoke as a true Canadian city to me and after looking into it a bit more we found that yeah, there’s definitely a big impact we could have here,” Gutzman said.

Although Winnipeg has been catching up in terms of alternative ways to go out (escape game facilities, board game cafes) it’s still far behind cities like Toronto and Montreal in that regard. Gutzman said Bad Axe will give Winnipeggers another way to celebrate things like birthdays and corporate events.

“People need a new way to stay interested and have an outlet for doing something novel when they’re trying to celebrate,” Gutzman said.

For those who’ve never heard of axe throwing as a sport before, it may sound dangerous. However, Gutzman assures that safety is No. 1; the activity is no more inherently dangerous than archery, and operates in a similar way.

“We make sure that people are throwing axes at the same time,” Gutzman said. “We wait until the last axe is thrown or put down before approaching the target… we have a radius around the axe throwing area.”

Like archery, participants are throwing at a target which looks like an archery bullseye or dartboard but is less detailed.

“When it comes down to it, when you’re throwing a much larger object like an axe at a target, you’re not going to be able to hit a centimetre-wide bullseye such as in darts,” he said. “We expect everyone when they come in to be able to start hitting the target within five throws and that’s something we always provide for everyone.”

Coaches on-site will go over a safety run-down and a crash course in technique with all participants. Usually an intro is followed by games which are competitive and the event ends with a tournament that determines an ultimate winner.

Players of all ages are welcome, although anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. The facility won’t serve food or alcohol, but groups are free to cater their own event and bring their own beverages in the form of beer cans — no hard liquor or glass.

“People are so busy with axe throwing that they’re not really even drinking that much during the course of the event,” Gutzman said. “Giving people the option to do that and seeing that it doesn’t really lead to an excess of drinking, that was something to keep it going.”

Gutzman told The Metro that the Winnipeg location will be on Border Street, though an official address hasn’t been released. The open house will take place on the weekend of April 15 to 17 during which time people can drop in for free and try their hand at the sport.
For more info visit badaxethrowing.com

 

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