5 challenge ideas for outdoor beginners

Now you’re ready to take the plunge. Last year’s hikes with your childhood friends convinced you to invest in your first shoes, unless you feel the call of the open road and the urge to fill bike panniers, as if you were going to give up everything. A very good sign: you’ve caught the outdoor bug!

And inevitably, that’s when you start stressing about what’s next. Have you been out of shape since college? Is your job chasing you even after you’ve left the office? Are your kids scared of an ant? It happens to everyone, don’t worry. The truth is, the hardest part is over: it’s your desire that’s the driving force, and the rest will easily follow, once you’ve got rid of the pressure that sometimes surrounds outdoor activities. In short: you don’t have to aim for the ultimate feat to enjoy yourself, because that’s what it’s all about.

At Bon Air Club, we love the idea of a challenge, at least when it’s put to good use. Yes, practising an outdoor activity requires a bit of motivation, and that’s why we love going on adventures! So we’ve racked our brains to come up with five fun goal ideas, sport by sport, that are easy to achieve but still require you to get out of your comfort zone. The idea? After this, you’ll be unstoppable. Free yourself from the pressure of stats, drop the idea of a heroic quest – in short, be yourself!

Yes, hiking is more than a GPS track that you have to follow like a train. Walking is a fantastic activity, which is good for the senses, soothes the nervous system and, in short, refocuses us. It’s no coincidence that almost all philosophers and writers love to walk!

The challenge: take a hike you may or may not know. In any case, don’t push yourself, that’s not the idea! It’s almost better if you’ve mastered the route, which will force you all the more to complete the challenge.

Identify 5 natural elements that you’ve never noticed before: a specific species of tree, the song of a particular bird, the texture of a rock, an unassuming but beautiful plant… Things that will immediately make you “present to yourself”. And that’s what we want: not a silly physical exercise to put you in a bubble of effort, but a real sensory experience.

Push the experience further, in the last 30 minutes, by attempting complete silence. If you’re alone, this shouldn’t be a problem – just put your headphones away if you have them. If there’s more than one of you, make a game of it! You’ll rediscover music you’ve almost forgotten: the music of Nature.

Gravel is the best of both worlds: a bike that lets you enjoy speed when you’re on the road, and that will be a great riding companion when the tarmac stops, provided you don’t get into too much mountain biking. It’s the DNA of freedom!

The challenge: define a loop, around your home or in an area you like. Don’t make it too long – it’ll come in handy later on!

Then, once you’ve “warmed up your legs”, let your instincts do the talking: at each intersection, choose a path that seems appetizing, pretty, mysterious – in short, a direction that won’t be dictated by your guidance app or GPS. As you can see, the aim is to get slightly “lost” in order to discover a new point of view.

Let’s be responsible: charge your phone fully before setting off, and don’t play this little game for hours on end, at the risk of changing departments! But you’ll see: you’ll soon develop an instinct, a “compass” that will make you pay attention to the landscape, the shape of the clouds, in short, to all the details of nature that will help you find your way without tools. It’s liberating!

The first instinct when you start trail running is to want to run everywhere, all the time, until you run out of breath. It’s a pity, when you think about it: we’re talking about frolicking in the woods, a perfectly childlike activity that has been made a little too adult, at least for Bon Air Club’s taste!

The challenge: as a duo, go for a run in nature, just for the fun of it. And that’s where it gets tricky: strike up a conversation, chat, make jokes, live your best life. Out of breath? Slow down as much as you need to! The worst-case scenario is a nice walk with friends. That’s how you’ll discover your “fundamental endurance”, the pace at which you can run “ad infinitum” (in theory). And remember: there’s nothing wrong with finding a “slow” pace for chatting, and if you need to switch to brisk walking instead, there’s nothing to worry about. The right tempo is the one that suits you, and that will enable you to progress if that’s your goal!

Going from the resin of climbing gyms to natural rock is a huge qualitative leap – if you’ve never tried it, we encourage you to! The aim here is not to climb 7a: ratings are nice, but they don’t tell you anything about your experience.

The challenge: Find a boulder at human height or a small beginner’s route near you (you can ask at your nearest club). The aim is not to climb as high as possible, but to climb with as little noise and as little movement as possible. We’re looking for fluidity, placement and gentle contact with the granite or limestone. Are you familiar with the term “flow”, sometimes used in the professional world to describe a state where your tasks flow seamlessly? Tell yourself that the idea was stolen from the outside world. Let’s bring that feeling back to the right place together!

You’ll find a heightened sense of body awareness. Climbing is a dance with the elements rather than a fight against gravity, a lesson in patience and finesse that values the way to reach the goal rather than the goal itself. That’s the “salt” of outdoor activities: the journey rather than the destination!

Road cycling can be scary. The “doloriste” aspect, the myth of suffering inherent in races such as the Tour de France, means that this sport sometimes gives off the feeling that it’s made for people who like to take it hard. Bon Air Club has another idea in mind: to ride, to spin through the countryside and enjoy the sensation of speed inherent in this bike… to go for a treat.

The challenge: Find an itinerary of 30 or 40 kilometers (it could be less, it could be more) whose central point is a local artisan: village bakery, cheese producer, micro-brewery. On the spot, it’s an opportunity for a well-deserved “ravito” – save the local beer for the finish line, but no one will judge you if you eat that chocolate éclair you’ve been eyeing. Then take a sample of the product with you, in a pannier or jersey pocket, to share with your tribe when you get home. That’s the kind of cycling we love: a link between us and the land! And the Alpes Mancelles, where Bon Air Club welcomes you, is brimming with such possibilities.

These challenges have just one aim: to show you that you’re capable, that you’re legitimate and that every outing is a victory as long as it has brought you a moment of disconnection or a new skill – bonus points for your physical and mental health. Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? So, which of these challenges will you try this weekend or when you come to Bon Air Club? Check out our cabins and book your next weekend in the great outdoors!