Apex Challenge

Apex software reveals event stats

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:38:00 +0000

So with all the results processed, the teams' maps drawn and the full breakdown published, the software which controls the Apex Challenge has now been able to send us some more statistics about the event.

Firstly, it has compiled the hundreds of data entries into a real-time simulation of the event. Each dot on the animation represents a different team and their point-to-point journey through the playing area.

This shows a pretty even spread of teams throughout the event, but reveals that the teams who went against the masses got a free run of the activity bases. You can see the simulation here. http://www.apexchallenge.co.uk/pastevents/spring2012/simulation.htm

The software has also been able to show us which activity bases and control points had the most visits. The busiest activity base was M - UFO Frisbee which was completed by 81 teams, closely followed by E - The Big Puzzle, and C - Total Shambles. The quietest was H - On Target where just 30 teams managed to complete the tough archery challenge.

Teams did outstandingly well to outwit the Apex Chasers this year, with just eight being hunted down and losing points. One chasing team didn't manage to catch anyone at all!

As for the controls, there are some surprising stats. The most visited was control 9 at the far side of the park, closely followed by control 20 at the impressive Obelisk right in the centre of the woods. Only 16 teams managed to find control number 17 - hidden away under a log in the forest.

You can see the full statistics from the event here: http://www.apexchallenge.co.uk/pastevents/spring2012/results/activitybases.htm

New twist planned for this weekend

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:12:00 +0000

There's just one day left before the first of this year's Apex Challenge events. We're already on our way to start setting up for when almost 500 people start arriving tomorrow and we're really excited to tell you about a brand new twist for this year's event.

If you've been to one of our competitions before you'll know you've got six hours to collect as many points as you can by completing activities and finding other control points, all the time hiding from the Apex chasers who are trying to steal your points.

This year you'll be able to get DOUBLE points by visiting some new control points. It means you'll have to think more carefully about how you plan your route and what order you visit different bases and controls. We'll give you more details at the event briefing on Saturday night.

Good luck with all your packing for this weekend. You'll need warm clothes - the forecast says it could be chilly overnight. And don't forget some cash if you want to buy any of the exclusive items in the new Apex AdventureStore.

Keep checking our Facebook and Twitter pages too. We'll be sending updates and pictures while we're setting up!

Over £1000 worth of prizes to be won!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:16:00 +0000

Prizes worth more than a thousand pounds will be given away at the huge Apex Challenge event this weekend, including tickets for the world-famous Leeds Festival.

Around 400 people will be competing through the night, tackling tough activities and avoiding the Apex chasers to rack up their points. But there'll be major rewards for the strongest teams with our biggest ever combination of prizes for the winning teams.

Prizes include intensive go-kart sessions, adventurous rock climbing days and an extreme caving experience in the Peak District.

Another team will win a weekend's luxury break on a canal boat, while others will win a free weekend in one of Staffordshire's most dramatic settings.

But the star prize in the network category this year is four tickets for the Leeds Festival, which normally sell for more than £200 each. They have been kindly donated to the Apex Challenge by the event's organisers Festival Republic, in recognition of our event being held in the same place - the spectacular Bramham Park.

Competition is likely to be extremely intense with such amazing prizes on offer at this event.

The Apex Challenge would like to thank all our prize sponsors for their huge support.

PRIZE SUPPORTERS
Organisations that have donated prizes for our events.

Derbyshire Scouts Caving Team

This newly formed activity team is offering a fantastic prize for one lucky Apex Challenge Team. They'll be facing a day of Extreme Caving in the Peak District, tackling dramatic abseils through waterfalls and climbs in some of the area's most dramatic caverns.

Go Ape

Swing through the trees at any one of their 26 centres across the country. From high rope traverses to dramatic zip slides, their sites offer an amazing experience high in the canopy.

Gradbach Scout Camp

The site has kindly donated a free weekend of camping for the winning explorer Team. The campsite is ideally situated for most Peak District activities including climbing, walking and caving and is a much used stopover point for scout and Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions, as well as longer troop or patrol camps.

North Yorkshire Scouts Activities Team

This team of specialist instructors is offering the Apex Challenge prize winners an unforgettable extreme climbing day in North Yorkshire.

Pole Position Indoor Karting

Pole Position Indoor Karting have two great tracks in Leeds and Wetherby. The tracks are both professionally designed and action packed. They offer a range of group experiences with special offers for scout and youth groups. Contact them for more details.

Jubilee Venture

A full weekend adventure on the water awaits the winners of this amazing prize, donated by Wakefield Scouts. You’ll have exclusive use of their prestigious narrowboat for a full weekend to explore the waterways of Yorkshire.

Choose this weekend's music

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:38:00 +0000

It's up to you to choose the music we'll be playing at event centre at this weekend's Apex Challenge event at Bramham Park in West Yorkshire. We've already got some of the year's biggest songs on the playlist but we want to make sure we've got all your favourites on there.

Leave us a comment below if there's a particular song or two you want to hear and we'll do our best to get it on the playlist. We'll need all your requests in by Thursday teatime so don't delay!

Last chance to update team details

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:46:00 +0000

With less than a week to go before the first of this year's big events, it's really important all teams log in to the website and check that their team details are up-to-date.

We need the names and contact details for all team members, along with a note of how many vegetarians are in each team before you arrive at the event. You can also order extra T-shirts for members of your team if you haven't already done so.

The deadline for changing your team name is this Wednesday (11 April) at 10pm. All the other details, including T-shirt orders can be changed until Thursday evening (12 April) at 10pm.

Chippy van at next event

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 08:17:00 +0000

Teams competing in the next Apex Challenge event will now be able to stock up on crucial carbs before the event. The Village Chippy - a mobile fish and chip van will be at Event Centre from 5-6pm on Saturday.

Competitors, leaders and supporters will be able to buy a range of snacks from the great value chippy van including fish, sausages, chips, peas and curry sauce.

This is an optional addition to the food covered by your entry fee which includes a late night snack after you finish the event, and a hot breakfast roll on Sunday morning.

Hot and cold drinks will also be available free of charge from the Apex Cafe throughout the event.

New range of Apex merchandise

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:13:00 +0000

You can now keep the Apex Challenge with you right through the year with items from our exclusive new range of souvenir merchandise.

As well as our specially-designed 2012 T-shirt and stylish hoodies we will also have several other items available at our upcoming event at Bramham Park.

The full range includes:

2GB USB drive - £6
Safety-break lanyard - £2.50
Cloth badge - £2
Limited edition 10th anniversary mug - £4
Stylish hoodie - £22
2012 design T-shirt - £7 (available to pre-order through your team's entry page)

Make sure you bring some money with you to the event if you'd like to buy something from the Apex AdventureStore. Then you'll be able to remember your adventure all year round!

Make a full weekend of it!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 08:19:00 +0000

This April's huge Apex Challenge event is now just weeks away, and there's now a great opportunity to enhance the experience even further.

If you'd like to extend your Apex Challenge adventure to a full weekend, why not stay on the Friday night at the nearby Wike Scout campsite?

They are offering a special Apex Challenge rate of just £2 per person per night, and also have indoor accommodation available for the weekend. Wike is less than six miles away from the spectacular Bramham Park where the event is taking place, and staying here could leave you fresh to arrive with us from 4pm on the Saturday.

For more details or to book your places, contact them directly via http://www.wikecampsite.org.uk, quoting 'Apex Challenge' when booking to receive the special rate.

2012 T-shirt design revealed

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:22:00 +0000

We've come up with what we're convinced is our best T-shirt design yet as we celebrate ten years since the first Apex Challenge competition.

For the great price of just £7 each, one of these purple T-shirts showing a crowd of cheering scouts on the front and two people climbing across a rock-face on the reverse could be yours. Read more about the design.

If you haven't already pre-ordered your T-shirts when you entered our next competition it's now possible to log in through our team list page and order extra T-shirts. You will need to pay for any extra ones as soon as you order them through our secure online payment system so make sure you have your card details handy.

So what do you think to this year's design? Leave us a comment below.

Apex pays tribute to heroes

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:44:00 +0000

The Apex Challenge sends its deepest condolences to the families of six soldiers killed by a bomb in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday. Five of them were from 3rd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment - the Battalion which has supported our Apex Challenge events over the last four years.

Cpl Jake Hartley, Pte Anthony Frampton, Pte Daniel Wade, Pte Christopher Kershaw, Pte Daniel Wilford, and Sgt Nigel Coupe died when their Warrior armoured vehicle was hit by a huge Taliban bomb in Kandahar province.

The Yorkshire Regiment has been involved in the last four Apex Extreme events, helping to run our activities at the weekend-long competitions.

It is with great sadness that we hear that these young men have lost their lives, and our thoughts are with the families of all involved.

First time? Get in now!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 07:24:00 +0000

If you haven't before taken part in one of our national Apex Challenge events, now could be your chance.

Entries opened on Sunday afternoon, and the first 94 team places were snapped up in just a few hours. It's great to see teams from as far afield as Cumbria, Cambridgeshire, Wales and Warwickshire all joining us for the next event. One district has even booked a coach to bring their eleven teams to the competition. But all this now means there are just six places remaining.

This overnight adventure competition is taking place on the weekend of 14th-15th April in the spectacular Bramham Park near Leeds. It's open to explorer scouts and scout network members from across the UK.

If you're not sure what it's all about, this two minute video should help.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150649018505309

Full details and entry forms are on the event's website at www.apexchallenge.co.uk.

We look forward to seeing you in April!

Next event entries open today

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 08:42:00 +0000

Entries for this Spring's massive Apex Challenge event open this afternoon - and demand is expected to be incredibly high.

There has already been huge interest from explorers and network members from right across the UK. We have increased the capacity at this event, with 100 team places now available for this overnight adventure challenge event. But you will need to be quick to secure a place in the event.

Remember last year's competition sold out in less than two hours.

The entry fee is just £75 per team with T-shirts being an extra £7 each. While the exact design is still being finalised, it's fair to say it is a brilliant, dynamic new look, designed for us by a former competitor. So make sure you are by your computer by 3pm this afternoon as the Apex Challenge opens for entries. We look forward to seeing you all for a night of incredible adventure in Bramham Park this April.

Latest annual report published

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:03:00 +0000

The latest Apex Challenge annual report has just been published online. If you're a fan of our events you're sure to enjoy reading more about how the team puts together some of the UK's biggest and most popular scout competitions.

In this year's document you can look back at the highlights from 2011, flick through our accounts to see how your entry fees are spent and get an idea of how we are planning to celebrate ten years since our first competition during 2012.

Download your copy now and let us know what you think!

Apex team tests out new ideas

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:56:00 +0000

More than a dozen members of the Apex Challenge team have spent the weekend coming up with ideas to make sure our next two competitions are a fitting way to celebrate ten years of adventure since our first event in 2002.

Richard from the tech team testing out a new activity.

Despite the wintry weather we made it to a scout activity centre in Derbyshire for two days of boot-camp style activity sessions, team-building tasks and several hours of brainstorming ideas.

Part of the weekend involved splitting into three teams for a competition to design three brand new activity bases that could feature in our future events. The other two teams then tested them out to see how they'd work with dozens of teams. We created games of skills, teamworking challenges and most of all, activities that were great fun to take part in.

The Apex organisers at the team-building session.

We made loads of big decisions about how this year's events will work and there'll be more details about those on the website in the next week. We're really excited about the new ideas we've come up with and we're sure they'll make this year's Apex Challenge competitions the best yet.

We're always looking for even more ideas though so now's the time to leave us a comment on here with your thoughts on what we should include in this year's events. And start getting your teams together to be ready when entries open next month for our spring event.

Check out the brand new Apex promo!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:55:00 +0000

A brand new promotional video has now been released, showing off the best of the Apex Challenge in under two minutes.

Featuring footage from the past four events, the film gives a real insight into what it's like to be part of the Apex Challenge adventure.

The film shows hundreds of young people enjoying activities such as rock climbing, grass sledging, shooting, archery and mountain biking while they compete for Apex points. The fast-paced footage was gathered at our events over the last two years, featuring the events in the Peak District, Ilkley Moor, Otley Chevin and Sherwood Forest.

With clips from the competitors as they take on some of the top challenges, the film gives a real opportunity to sample the excitement of the Apex Challenge without having to even leave the house.

Venues for 2012 events revealed

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:28:00 +0000

As we celebrate ten years of the Apex Challenge, we've picked two amazing locations to host this year's competitions. From an exclusive stately home estate, to a rugged area of outstanding natural beauty these areas will provide us with everything we need to host some unforgettable events.


© Paul Brooker and reproduced with permission.

Spring event
April 14-15 2012
Bramham Estate, West Yorkshire

Our first event of the year will see us heading to the home of the Leeds Festival, as we get exclusive use of the massive private Bramham estate in West Yorkshire. Situated just off the A1, the grounds include dense woodland, open pastures, rivers, lakes and amazing historical landmarks, all of which will contribute to an immense overnight competition. After four years of hosting the spring event at Sherwood Pines, we thought it was time for a change and this new location gives us the opportunity to hold an amazing event in an area few would normally have access to.

After incredible demand for the 2011 events, we are looking to increase capacity still further for this night challenge competition, but places are still likely to be snapped up incredibly quickly. Further details will be announced in February and entries will open online at 3pm on Sunday 4 March.

Autumn event
October 5-7 2012
Burbage and Longshaw, Peak District

In October we're heading back to where it all began! The Burbage Valley near Hathersage was the location for our first ever Apex Challenge event in 2002. Now, a decade later, we're heading back with some brand new activities and a much bigger competition. The number of teams at our events has more than quadrupled in those ten years, so we've been given special access to some brand new areas for camping and activities in this most spectacular of Peak District locations. You can expect a weekend packed full of adventure and adrenaline at this ultimate competition. Further details about this event will be announced in the summer.

Got it covered: Apex photo fame for Explorer

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:21:00 +0000

An action photo from the Apex Challenge will be dropping through thousands of letter boxes this week on the cover of the national Scouting magazine.

James from Caludon District Explorers in Coventry was snapped taking part in one of our extreme rock climbing challenges at the Apex Extreme event last year.

It was one of a series of photographs which the event's offical photographer, Andy Pagett, submitted for the magazine's photo competition. The shot was then selected by this months' young editors from the 514 photos submitted to be featured on the cover.

Apex DVDs - in the post!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:55:00 +0000

This year's spectacular Apex Extreme DVD has now been completed, with dozens of copies ready for dispatch.

The fifteen minute film captures all the action from the toughest and biggest ever Apex Challenge event.

From the intense Apex Supersprint event on Friday night, to the action of Saturday's main event and the incredible assault course on the Sunday, this film features all of the teams, and all of the action from this unforgettable weekend.

Those who pre-ordered copies at the event should find them dropping through their letter boxes in the next few days - but there are still some extra copies available.

If you'd like this unique souvenir of your Apex Extreme weekend, simply send a cheque, payable to 'Apex Challenge' for £6, together with your name and address, to Apex Challenge, The Lodge, Eltofts, Carr Lane, Thorner, Leeds, LS14 3HF.

Extreme results and photos online

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0000

What a fantastic weekend! We've had fantastic sunshine through most of the 2011 Apex Extreme which had some of our most exciting and dramatic activitity bases.

With 89 teams from right across the UK, this was not only our fastest selling event but also our biggest and the teams certainly weren't disappointed.

Whether you made it to the event, or didn't, take a look at the event results, photos and report to see what happened. Our photographers did an especially fantastic job of capturing all the action and there are well over 600 pictures in the photo album already. The details are online in record time - even before any of the teams leave the event site!

24 hours to go!

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:27:00 +0000

The Apex Challenge team has just arrived at Event Centre in Bramhope, West Yorkshire to start getting ready for this weekend's event. It'll take us the next day and a half to set everything up for when you all arrive on Friday evening.

Most of you will probably be packing your bags tonight so we just wanted to remind you to check a couple of things. Make sure you've read through the kit list which tells you what you need to bring for the weekend. There are also directions to site to make sure you don't get lost. And don't forget we need a consent form for each member of every team taking part, even if you are over 18 and in the network competition.

You should arrive on Friday evening any time between 6:00pm and 10:00pm. There'll be traffic marshals on duty and once you've parked or been dropped off, follow the signs to Event Centre. There's plenty of space for camping and there'll be members of the Apex Team around to show you where you can put your tents.

When all members of your team have arrived you can come to Event Centre to sign in and collect your welcome pack containing your event instructions and map. You'll need to bring all your consent forms with you. It's much easier for us if you turn up as individual teams with your own consent forms rather than several teams together with all your consent forms mixed up!

We'll look forward to seeing you on Friday night!

Food for thought!

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:12:00 +0000

This weekend's Apex Challenge event is going to be pretty exhausting! We've just been looking through the list of activities and we reckon you're going to need plenty of energy for the three days. Thankfully our Apex Cafe team are up to the challenge and are planning a menu that should keep you well fed throughout the weekend.

Once you've arrived on Friday evening we'll get the pizzas on as an extra snack to keep you going through the evening.

You'll wake up on Saturday morning to a delicious bacon or sausage sandwich served in a fresh bread roll which should set you up for a busy day of activities. When you return in the evening there'll be a selection of meat or vegetarian pies and pasties served with new potatoes and mushy peas followed by a dessert of fruit pie, yogurts or swiss roll (can you manage an entire swiss roll?!)

Then on Sunday morning we're going continental with chocolate croissants and cereal for breakfast and in the afternoon, once you've taken on the challenge of the legendary Apex assault course you can relax around the Apex BBQ.

And all through the weekend we've got an endless supply of hot and cold drinks and there's water to top up your bottles as well.

Don't forget you'll need a packed lunch for Saturday and plenty of snacks in case you get hungry while you're away from Event Centre. Bring some loose change too. There's a shop on site selling some snacks and you never know when you might come across an ice cream van or a sweet shop when you're out and about!

Hitting the right notes

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:53:00 +0000

So it's now less than a week to go until your ultimate adventure weekend at the Apex Extreme 2011 and we want to make sure we're hitting all the right notes, and that's where you come in!

We want all your requests for what songs you'd like to hear during the weekend. You've got until Wednesday night to let us know if it's Tinie Tempah you want to hear more of, or maybe some Katy Perry and Bruno Mars or the chart topping debut single from One Direction.

Whatever you want to hear, we want to know, so leave us a comment below or head to our Facebook page and stick a message on there to say what tunes you want us to play. You've got until Wednesday night to get the message in!

Volunteers needed for new Apex app

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:58:00 +0000

At the Apex Challenge we've always used the latest technology to control and enhance our adventure events, but now we’re taking it to the next level and we’d like you to help us. Our team has spent the last few months developing an exclusive new Apex app for smartphones to run Apex Challenge events.

The eventual plan is to replace the current electronic tag and control box system with this new system for all major phone platforms – but we’re now at the stage where we’d like to trial this new app at this forthcoming event, and we’d like you to be part of it.

We’re looking for some teams who’d like to test the new smartphone app for us, as well as collecting their Apex points in the usual way. There will not be any advantage or disadvantage in the event if you take part in the trial, but you’ll be contributing to the development of a brand new smartphone scoring system for adventure events. And you can say you were there first!

To take part in the trial...

:: One member of your team will need a smartphone which runs the Android operating system

:: You'll need to bring a mains charger to ensure your handset is full of juice before the event starts!

:: You'll be happy to download our software to your phone.

:: You'll want to be part of the future of Apex adventure technology!

If you’d like your team to be one of those trialling the new AdventureApp, please email us by 8:00pm on Tuesday 27th September and we’ll be back in touch with more details.

Last chance to Wear it Out!

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Richards) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:01:00 +0000

We've seen you high on glaciers, deep in rivers and as far afield as Sweeden and Kenya - but there's still time to send us more pictures of you Wearing it Out!

A fantastic Sony digital camera is up for grabs for the winner of this year's Apex Challenge 'Wear it Out' competition. More than 350 of us now have this year's exclusive blue Apex Challenge t-shirts, and we want to see the pictures of you wearing them on your events and adventures this summer.

Already around twenty extreme pictures have arrived at Apex HQ - but there's still time to send us your images. The winner will be announced at the Apex Extreme event at the start of October.

Simply upload your photos to the Apex Challenge 'Wear it Out' T-shirt gallery on the event's Facebook page, or email them to us.

The competition will be judged by an expert panel, with the person behind the winning entry receiving a high-end digital camera. Two runners up will each get an exclusive Apex Challenge hoodie.

So with just two weeks to go, get out there, go and have some last-minute adventures in your Apex Challenge t-shirt, and send us the evidence for your chance to win the big prize!

Time running out for T-shirt orders and team names

noreply@blogger.com (James Webster) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:57:00 +0000

There are just a few days left to order your T-shirts if you're taking part in this year's Apex Extreme. We'll be ordering them at the end of this week, so if you haven't already ordered yours then contact us to tell you what size you'd like.

They're just £5 each and are available in four sizes. From the number of orders we've had it's clear the 2011 design has been one of our most popular designs to date so don't miss out and order yours now.

The deadline for ordering T-shirts is 8pm on Thursday 22nd September. We will have a few spares available to buy on the weekend itself but to be sure of getting one it's best to pre-order.

Many of you have also been using our new online system for keeping your team details up to date through the website. The last chance to change your team name will be 8pm on Monday 26th September.