Jump around!
Family fun: Alex Galbinski takes a leap of faith at trampoline park Flip Out
Alex Galbinski is a Jewish News journalist
You used to have to travel quite far to go trampolining, but more and more venues are opening up. Flip Out Brent Cross, which opened just over a month ago in Staples Corner, is already proving popular. Billing itself as the UK’s most advanced trampoline arena, trick park and ninja skills centre, it is certainly great fun.
We went early in the day, and had the run (and jump) of the centre. With a one-hour slot on the trampolines, the kids leaped about. My son was coached by Zac, an older boy in his early teens, and bettered his front flips, while my daughter loved showing us how she cartwheeled with soft landings for a change.
© Tom Horton
Forgetting my age and fitness levels, I tried to navigate the ninja warrior course, where you hang, swing and just hold on. Let’s just say I didn’t get very far. “Why don’t you try it?” I asked my taller and fitter husband. “I know my limits,” he replied, while we watched those younger ones who were able to conquer the course.
Our children loved watching my husband and I battle each other, Gladiator-style, with long beams, cheering as he knocked me off the ledge into the foam pit below. They mpeted against each other, taking running leaps into another dedicated foam pit, which they found easy to traverse (it’s incredibly hard for adults!).
After the allocated slot, there is another half hour to try out the laser maze challenge, where you have to navigate the room while dodging the static and moving beams. My kids loved feeling like disciples of James Bond, even if they did get caught out once or twice.
The centre, which is open seven days a week, offers a ‘Zen Zone’ with a meditation room, a Sky lounge and a café. As well as serving hot and cold drinks, food and snacks (including kosher sweets and crisps), there are plans for hot kosher food as well as a nail bar.
Parents with children under five can bounce together in a special ‘mini flippers’ session in a designated area that is safe and fun. Parents t this session go free during off-peak times.
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