5 places to try adventure sports in and around Shanghai
Photograph: courtesy Big Blue Scuba Diving International
There's no need to venture too far from Shanghai to get your thrills. Whether you've got a need for speed or want to get back to the great outdoors, here are the top adventure sports activities that you can do without leaving the city centre or as part of an easy weekend getaway.
Sailing
Shanghai Sailing Club at Dishui Lake
Photograph: courtesy Shanghai Sailing Club
While most people go to Dishui Lake to take pictures of the clear waters, there's more to this area than some pretty Insta-feed fodder. Shanghai Sailing Club runs sailing courses – ranging from total beginner to advanced training – and offers boat rental on these waters. The club has a decent selection of boats to suit different levels with a range of dinghys and Fareast keelboats.
📍 880 Huanhu Dong Yi Lu, near Donggang Dadao, Pudong. Visit shanghaisailingclub.com for lesson prices and boat rental information.
Parkour
LINK Parkour
Photograph: courtesy LINK Parkour
Make like Spiderman, leaping off and running up walls at LINK Parkour. The school provides full-body training through the use of four fundamentals of sport and human movement: running; climbing; jumping; balancing. Instructors teach the essentials of safe practice, like the how-tos of jumping the correct way – which makes all the different between injuring yourself and landing lightly. The training centres are kitted out with a load of crash mats to break any falls and have plenty of space for you to master the forward roll without kneeing yourself in the face.
📍 Air Park, 433 Yuyuan Lu, near Wulumuqi Bei Lu. 3,000RMB for 20 classes; 8,800RMB for unlimited classes (valid for one year). Follow LINK_Parkour on WeChat for more info.
Scuba diving
Big Blue Scuba Diving International
Photograph: courtesy Big Blue Scuba Diving International
The first step to getting a diving licence, Big Blue's one-day Discover Scuba Diving programme takes things nice and slow, getting you used to the basics of scuba at a swimming pool in Qibao. From there, Big Blue runs PADI Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Divemaster, Rescue Diver courses and more in Qiandao Lake and the Philippines.
📍 Bldg 10, Lane 10, 10 Jinbang Lu, near Hami Lu. 400RMB (discovery dive). For more information on PADI course prices, visit big-blue.cn.
Climbing
Park Climbing Gym
Photograph: Heng Hui Mei
Discover muscles you never knew existed scaling walls at this tall and open climbing gym. Park's high rope-climbing wall has 15 ropes and plenty of routes, plus there's a sky ladder, slack lines, a mezzanine training area and a glass ceiling that feels great on a warm, sunny day. For more seasoned climbers, try the bouldering area which is a side room with walls about three to four metres high.
📍 199 Yangzhai Lu, near Kaixuan Lu. 95RMB for a day pass; 980RMB for a 13-time pass; 1,850RMB for a 26-times pass; 3,250RMB for a 50-time pass; 900RMB for a one-month pass; 2,200RMB for a three-month pass; 3,300RMB for a six-month pass; 4,500RMB for a one-year pass.
Biking
Prodigy Outdoor Mountain Biking
Photograph: Heng Hui Mei
Mountain biking for 33 kilometres around Zhouzhuang (just over an hour from Shanghai via high-speed train in Jiangsu province) is one of Prodigy's more 'chill' activities. The mountain bike enthusiasts run regular weekend adventure trips to the likes of Moganshan and Qiandaohu and often combine mountain biking with some sort of other outdoor activity, like kayaking or canoeing.
📍 Locations vary. Around 1,000RMB per person (a membership fee of 1,000RMB for the year entitles participants to discounts). For more info and to sign up visit mtb.com.cn.