Airdrie, AB Outdoor Activities

In a forest of spindly trees and twisted thicket, paintballers slink by gutted Cessna planes and giant tractor tires to find cover behind wooden barriers. These are a few of the props furnishing five fields of play where gamers must employ strategy, teamwork, and quick reactions. After sprinting, diving, and splatter-tagging friends with zipping paintballs, teams can retire to the picnic area to nosh, rehydrate, and discuss future plans of attack.

Seasoned, affable, and PADI-certified scuba-diving instructors staff Caribbean Dreams Diving, which offers personalized programs for training would-be underwater explorers of all skill levels. In-pool dive training is available for every age bracket starting with 8-year-old bubblemakers. Once you've gained some experience, instructors can help you prepare for Open Water certification, sans floaties, at some of the area's most beautiful and lucid bodies of water, including Forgetmenot Pond and Lake Minnewanka. They also teach the PADI Dive Master course and schedule refresher courses for experienced divers.

The course at Boulder Creek demands both strength and control as players knock dimpled orbs about the 6,963-yard Ron Ehlert design. Each challenger must remain wary of the terrain’s most prominent feature: the 30 acres of water that confront play on 14 of the 18 holes. Despite the daunting watery depths, the course caters to all levels of golfer with five sets of tee boxes that render the course as short as 5,272 yards or as long as 6,963 yards. Additionally, an on-site practice facility comprised of a 300-yard driving range and a putting green offers an ideal spot to limber up before a round or practice for the professional mini-golf circuit.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Five sets of tees per hole
• Total length of 6,963 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 72.2 from the back tees
• Course slope of 125 from the back tees
• Designed by Ron Ehlert

Self-proclaimed as one of North America's tallest indoor climbing gyms, The Crux Climbing & Bouldering challenges participants of all ages and proficiency levels with 72-foot walls peppered with colour-coded holds and routes. Internationally and nationally certified staff members strap patrons into all necessary rental gear before releasing them to explore more than 12,000 square feet of climbing space. The Crux Climbing & Bouldering's courses—ranging in difficulty from introduction to advanced—instill climbers with the strength and skills to rappel down an 80-foot tower, manoeuvre through a 3,000-square-foot bouldering area, and ascend up multi-pitch routes with their mouths.

During one full day, Bridal Expo Calgary showcases myriad wedding necessities all in one place, quelling the chaotic feelings one may experience when planning the big day. Ceremony and reception essentials such as florists and photographers eliminate the need to travel to far-flung vendors, whether it be a specialty dress shop or a buzzed-about DJ only available on the moon.

Named 1 of the Top 100 Golf Practice Centers And Learning Facilities In America by Golf Range Magazine in 2011, Eaglequest Coyote Creek Golf Course pairs its renowned practice facility with a par 65 course to foster improvement in players of all abilities. The 18-hole, 4,165-yard course facilitates fast rounds of golf with 7 par 3 and 11 par 4 holes, and 4 holes more than 300 yards in length, prompting players to use every club in their bags. Lines of trees stud the edges of nearly every fairway, a creek winds through the course’s gently undulating terrain to alter shots, and a tennis player with a racquet plays defense on the final hole.

Before golfers head to the first tee, they can loosen up their swings by launching high-calibre practice balls at Eaglequest's synthetic driving range. To further groom their games, clubbers can schedule lessons with one of the course's CPGA instructors, who remedy slice-prone swings, shaky short-game shots, and 9-irons stricken with the common cold.