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Summit Team Building

Outdoor Team Building Activities: 5 experiences to boost mental health, morale and meaningfully connect

If your team is looking for a little extra boost in mental health, morale and connection after a tough season, and you’re thinking that taking them for some kind of outdoor experience, you just might be on to something… 

According a study published last month in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the frequency of visiting nature and green spaces was associated with lower odds of needing blood pressure pills, asthma medications, and mental health medications. This is just the latest of a plethora of studies that have shown us the incredibly positive effect that being outside can have on our mental health. 

So, if you’re looking to take your team outside for an experience that’ll not only boost their mental health but their team morale, look no further. We at Summit have designed several programs to specifically leverage the benefits of the great outdoors for teams of all sizes, backgrounds, and industries. 

  1. Survive or Thrive

If the venue where you’re hosting your team building event has some outdoor space and you’d like a competitive, energetic, and intentional team experience, Survive or Thrive is for you. Divided into competitive teams, participants will go through a series of competitive and high-energy activities which will highlight key team skills required for thriving.

Here’s the thing – play can be transformative. As we’ve seen from hundreds of teams that have gone through this program, teams can really learn more about each other in an hour of play than a year of conversation, as Plato would tell us. If you’re looking to leverage the power of play to strengthen your team’s connection, Survive or Thrive is for you! 

  1. Reaching New Heights 

If your team is looking for an adventure, then Reaching New Heights is for you! Designed for participants of any ability level, Reaching New Heights will take your team through a ropes course experience to take them out of their comfort zone. This is an absolutely unforgettable experience for the teams that have gone through this program, as it employs power of experiential learning to take your team’s trust, personal growth, and communication to brand new heights. After all, what else could bring people closer than a collective adventure? 

This program can be delivered in Ontario at Kingbridge Centre, Hockey Valley, and Blue Mountain Resort. If you’re looking to take your team on an unforgettable adventure at these venues, Reaching New Heights is for you! 

  1. The Rescuers

Another way to bring your team together is to give them an experience in which they can work on an exciting mission together. The Rescuers is a simulated search-and-rescue experience in which team members acquire various rescue skills by attending expert workshops. No one person or team has all the information to succeed – the whole team needs to work together to utilize their freshly acquired survival skills to execute a simulated rescue before the clock runs out.

This program is unlike any other team experience program your team will have ever experienced – it’s high-energy, creative, unexpected, and absolutely unforgettable. The teams that go through this experience report feeling like they acquired a brand new perspective on their teammates, having worked with them in a completely different context. If you’re looking for team building that doesn’t feel at all like team building, The Rescuers is for you! We’d love to chat with you about how we can deliver this unique program at your venue of choice. 


Destination Team Building Ideas by Province: Alberta | British Columbia | Ontario


  1. Play It Forward

Personally, Play It Forward is one of the my all-time favourite team building experiences. It combines all of the best elements of team building – adventure, competition, being outdoors, problem solving, collaboration, and corporate social responsibility. On top of that, this program can be delivered at a wide variety of venues and locations – from Niagara on the Lake to Downtown Toronto – which allows your team to take full advantage of the unique views and experiences that each location offers. 

Integrating the dynamic excitement of the Amazing Race and the collaborative problem-solving required in Escape Rooms, Play It Forward is an innovative photo scavenger hunt in which teams play it forward by raising funds for an entrepreneur in the emerging world. This is facilitated by kiva.org – the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website. This program is well worth your consideration!  


Destination Team Building Ideas by Region: Banff | Calgary | Canmore | Collingwood | Niagara & Niagara Falls | Toronto | Whistler


  1. Blue Mountain Quest

Being outside at Blue Mountain? No matter what season, I’d say that it’s always a good idea. Like Play It Forward, Blue Mountain Quest is an adventurous photo scavenger that gives teams a unique opportunity to experience all the sights, sounds, and charms of the Blue Mountain Resort. There’s also the option of incorporating philanthropic and additional adventure elements to this team building activity, including the Ridge Runner, Wind Rider, and Climbing Wall. If you’re looking to take your team on a trip to one of the most beautiful places in Ontario, Blue Mountain Quest is the program for your! 


Destination Team Building by Venue: Blue Mountain | Falls Avenue Resort | Hockley Valley | JW Rosseau Resort & Spa | Vintage Hotels


If your ideal team experience is one that’s outside, as you can now tell – we have plenty of options for you. If any of these resonate with your needs, or if you’re looking for any further options, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Lewis Lau

With a BA in Psychology and MA in Applied Health Sciences from Brock University, Lewis has spent the past decade reviewing and conducting original empirical research on leadership and team development. He is especially passionate about drawing applicable and relevant insights from current and credible empirical studies from various disciplines, and believes high-quality, intersectional research should inform best practices.

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