It doesn’t get more Canadian than dressing up in plaid and throwing axes, right?
Recently I was invited by Bad Axe Throwing for a night of axe throwing, the new-age alternative to bowling. Bad Axe Throwing opened their first location in Burlington, a city about 45 minutes from Toronto, followed by their Toronto location which opened about two years ago. Since then, the popularity of axe throwing has only continued to grow and they’ve opened up ten locations across Canada, and a recent location in Chicago.
Living in Toronto, I constantly see interesting crazes come and go from the city, especially when it comes to unique experiences you can have. I’ve literally seen everything from a place you can go and smash things like dishes, to a poop cafe (yes, you read that correctly). However, axe throwing has been one that entered the city and pretty quickly proved that it wasn’t just a phase, but was here to stay.
As I walked into the doors of Bad Axe Throwing, I didn’t really know what to expect. We entered into a large room filled with axe throwing areas that included wooden targets on the walls. With each booking, Bad Axe Throwing assigns you with a fully trained axe throwing coach to teach you the ropes. This coach stays with you, teaches you some tricks and organizes the games throughout your experience.
Our coach was quick to explain to us the basics of throwing an axe and we were eager to have our first shot at it. What I immediately realized was how difficult axe throwing actually was. The axes are small, yet to be able to swing it over your head and throw it at the target with enough force and just the right spin on it is tricky. We all had a practice round to get the hang of it and learn a bit more on the technique, however, this didn’t really seem to help me much.
To absolutely no surprise, since I suck at most sports I try, I completely sucked at axe throwing too. Not feeling very confident after our practice run, we then were split into teams to play our first game. A game where we had to try and be the first team to get from 25 to 0 (each ring of the target is worth a different number). Lets just say, my teammate, Cam, definitely carried our team and we still lost… by a lot.
We moved on to play a few different games our coach had up her sleeve. I never really got any better at the whole axe throwing thing, however, despite rarely landing the axe actually in the target or even at the wall, I still had a blast.
Axe throwing is such a fun activity when you’re looking for something different to do with your friends and family. I’m always looking for new experiences to have in my own city, since I can’t be traveling all the time, so this was the perfect thing to try out!
Bad Axe Throwing typically requires you to book a group of eight people because the larger groups make it more competitive and also less exhausting since you’ll be taking turns. The cost is $44.25 CDN + tax per person and you can bring your own food and drinks on the premises.
So if you’re looking to be the ultimate Canadian (or at least pretend) you should definitely give axe throwing with Bad Axe Throwing a try.
Disclaimer: I was invited to experience axe throwing by Bad Axe Throwing, however, I only recommend things that I enjoyed, and think others would also enjoy. All opinions in this piece are my own and 110% honest.
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