On paper, combining alcohol and axe throwing sounds like a bad idea. But in a controlled environment with an axe-throwing “coach” looking over your shoulder, it’s actually an incredibly fun — and safe — way to spend an evening. Welcome to the latest craze.
Axe throwing as a sport isn’t new, and in fact might be one of the oldest in existence. What is new, however, is throwing axes in an urban environment, especially in the United States, where it’s just getting off the ground. In Canada and a few other spots in the world, urban axe throwing is booming and according to the National Axe Federation (NATF), participants have thrown nearly 20 million axes to date.
The beauty of the new urban axe throwing facilities popping up around the country is that they are accessible, social and as low-key or ramped up as you want them to be. Think of them as an updated — and far hipper — version of the 1970s bowling alley.
Much of the credit for bringing axe throwing to the United States goes to 35-year old Krista Paton of Philadelphia. Working in Toronto in 2013, she attended a party at a local axe throwing facility. “I had an amazing time, felt like I was good enough to compete, and thought that people in the United States needed to experience this,” she says.
She returned to her hometown of Philadelphia, brought three friends on board, and launched Urban Axes, a combination bar and axe-throwing facility that now has three locations with more opening soon. The chain is among several, along with independent spaces, popping up in many major metropolitans.
