The Great Outdoors – the perfect place to escape to, tackle the pulsating river currents, hang precariously off the side of a cliff face or launch yourself down terrifying terrain on your bike… all under one roof!

Adrenalin junkies, adventure racers and lovers of the outdoors take note: The Outdoors Show is back this year and is set to tip the adventure barometer with the organisers struggling to fit all the exciting new additions through the doors. Taking place from Friday 14th March to Sunday 16th March 2008 at the NEC Arena, Birmingham, This year’s show will be staged in three huge showcasing halls, with 375 exhibitors and 25 new feature areas squeezed into the 31,000m2 space.

One exhilarating new feature is the ‘Skymasters Challenge’ climbing competition. Introduced into the UK for the first time, it will bring together some of the international climbing elite to take on this new challenge. For those who are predisposed to tackling new obstacles, the ‘Skymasters Challenge’ will be open to all on Friday 14th March. Contestants will compete to qualify for the main event with the opportunity to compete against the stars of the professional climbing world in Saturday’s competition.

Other features will be the Trespass High Ropes Experience and the epic challenge of Rat Race Urban Adventure Series, which will start and end at the Birmingham NEC for the first time. The hugely entertaining and physically demanding race will see competitors run, climb, abseil, cycle and kayak through the city’s roads and waterways to reach target checkpoints. The twist this year being that the Outdoors Show will be included as one of the checkpoints with no clue to the competitors as to the activity they may face until they reach the destination…

If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, Volkswagen will be bringing their indoor beach festival to the show with a cocktail of live music and complimentary smoothies; the Bike Arena which is set to shift up an entertainment-gear this year; and a brand new, purpose built track, made with 120 tonnes of dirt and a terrifying array of jumps and obstacles will play host to dare devils with the mentality to tackle it.

With the organisers cramming more action into three days than should be deemed possible this is one show all outdoor, adventure enthusiasts should get scribbled into their diaries.

For more information on this year’s show, visit the Outdoor Show website.