Shea Emry is an axe-throwing, snowball-making, ex-professional football-playing man mountain! As the owner of Axewood, he knows a thing or two about getting people together and having a huck’n good time!

We sat down with him to dig a little deeper into the activities his company offers and how they could be a great fit to include in your bachelor party itinerary. 

What led you to start your business?

I started my business as an offshoot of Wellmen, a men’s adventure club that I started in 2013 where we hosted adventures for dudes to connect with their human experience. 

Bonfires, food, and some action-based activities to ventilate and exhaust all the cobwebs of life. Axe Throwing and Yoga created a great balance before we hopped into some bonfire food and conversation. 

You are based at the Whistler Racket Club in Whistler, what’s the setup like there?

We have multiple venues but the Whistler Racket Club is our mountain lodge experience. Firepits, S’mores, and snowball fights. We have a full-service cafe/bar and we’re right in the heart of Whistler. Stumbling distance to all the hotels and restaurants. We have a lawn games area in the summertime with basketball hoops, tennis and pickleball courts, and more… 

What size groups can enjoy axe throwing?

We have hosted axe throwing at music and street festivals, massive corporate events, and team-building experiences but our prime experience is good for 20-30 people where we run full team tournaments to start and then individual championships followed by some trick shots. 

What types of axes do people get to throw?

We have a variety of different axes but at our Whistler venue, we utilize the Frontier-style tomahawk. It’s light and user-friendly so anyone who hasn’t thrown axes before can figure it out in the end. 

Is it a safe activity!?

We do everything we can to ensure that people are having fun. Safety is our number one priority, just slightly beating out fun. You can’t have fun if you’re not safe. Our coaches and facilitators are trained to coach each individual for optimal success, fun, and safety. 

You also have a location in Downtown Vancouver, can you tell us a bit more about that?

We also have a rad venue in downtown Vancouver at a place called Academie Duello — a centre for modern swordplay where we have archery, axe throwing, and a multitude of swordplay experiences. The Warrior adventure is our most popular experience. It’s just adjacent to Gastown… again… stumbling distance to all the best bars and restaurants. 

Your snowball blitz activity is unique! How would you explain this to someone for the first time?

It’s a fully facilitated paintball-style snowball fight called Avalaunch Snowball Blitz — where we’ve made over 250k snowballs in the last 3 years. 

Capture the flag, Dodgeball, Run the Gauntlet… all games that we play but with snowballs. We also have a snowball slingshot that goes 150k /hour and a fully operational catapult that launches snowballs at targets off in the distance. Think American gladiator, PE class, and paintball had a baby — we call it Avalaunch. We also do this experience in the summertime by appointment only. 

How are the snowballs made?

We employ some of the few remaining wild Sasquatches. We pay them in cash as they like to stay off the grid. 

Are axe throwing and snowball fights solid activity choices for a bachelor party?

Are you huck’n kidding me — imagine huck’n snowballs at all your boys before hitting the town… It’s an adrenaline-filled experience that we finish with the bonfire side axe throwing and beers combo.  

Outside of your day job, you do lots of work advocating for men’s mental health. What 3 simple tips could you give to someone to keep themself mentally fit?

1. Have a routine - wake up, drink water, journal, cold shower, etc…

2. Lift Weights - be strong in body and mind.

3. Cut the fat/booze - Eliminate sugar from your coffee, cut the weekday beers, do something every day to progress your physical health and burn calories — it always produces a more mentally healthy dude!

You can learn more about Axewood and Avalaunch Blitz by following them on social media (@axewoodcrew/@avalaunchblitz — @sheaemry)