Apex Challenge events are among the toughest of all adventure competitions in the UK. We run two major events every year. Each attracts more than 350 explorer scouts and scout network members from across the country. Entry is in teams of four and there is always a stack of great prizes up for grabs. Each of our events tests your speed, agility, adventure and teamwork. Check out our event video!
APEX OVERNIGHT CHALLENGE
This is a six-hour adventure competition which runs through the night. Teams navigate to more than a dozen challenging activities. Completing each increases their points score which can be topped up by visiting other more remote control points. But lurking in the darkness are Apex Chasers who try to track teams down and take points away! These events test stamina, skill, teamwork and navigation.
APEX EXTREME
Perhaps the most challenging weekend of your life! This is a full weekend of adventure made up of several Apex Challenge elements, combined into one massive event. From the moment teams arrive on the Friday night, the challenges begin. Each event has its own unique challenges but most include rock climbing, canoeing, abseiling, assault courses, high ropes courses, and many more adventure challenges.
APEX INTENSE @ HESLEY WOOD
A new event format developed in 2010 to form part of South Yorkshire's annual camp at Hesley Wood. Teams, including adult leaders, get the chance to face the ultimate test that is the Apex Challenge. In an intensive 90 minutes teams compete against others from their own age group throughout the weekend to try to climb higher up the ever updating leaderboard. If your score gets beaten, it's time to tackle the challenge again!
APEX DAYTIME CHALLENGE
The original Apex format! We started with these daytime events back in 2002 when the competition was devised to support the new explorer scout section in South Yorkshire. Teams have six hours to visit as many activities as possible, and the event has been held in some of the most spectacular parts of the Peak District. This format has been rested in recent years but could make a comeback in the future!
Apex Challenge events are open to young people of all abilities and we are able to adapt the event to allow those with specific needs or disabilities to take part as fully as possible.
The competitions are among the most popular and highly regarded in country, using state-of-the-art digital scoring technology to track teams throughout the event. They are run by a dedicated team of scout leaders from South Yorkshire and more then 60 volunteers. Many of those volunteers are now part of the Apex Challenge scout active support unit which has been set up to formalise the link between the charity which runs our events and the scout county of South Yorkshire where many of our volunteers are based.
The event's leading organiser, Matt Richards, became a full member of the Mountain Leader Training Association in early 2010 after gaining several outdoor instructing awards. All our events are planned following the guidelines set down by the national governing bodies.
The Apex Challenge is a registered charity and funds events through entry fees and sponsorship.
