Cross-country skiing
Head to Norway, home of skiing, and breathe in the mint-fresh air as you enjoy a workout among the pine forests and mountains. With a couple of lessons, you'll be gliding along the prepared trails in style and, by the end of the week, you could be making mini-expeditions of 15 miles or more.
Where to book: Inntravel (01653 629000) offers seven nights' full board in Norway from £693pp including flights, transfers, ski hire, lessons and ski passes.
Surfing
The warm winter waters of Lanzarote's Famara beach are so user friendly the waves actually get bigger as you head north along the beach, so beginners can work their way up as their skills develop. The consistent waves, easy-to-use "foamie" boards, and English-speaking instructors will have you up and riding by the end of the first week, ready to hit the British surf in style this summer.
Where to book: Surf School Lanzarote (0034 928 528 623) has accommodation from £330 per week with surfing tuition at £35 per day including lunch. Flights to Lanzarote cost around £160.
Coasteering
The Pembrokeshire coast is the home of this new sport, which involves traversing around sea cliffs at sea level - a combination of climbing, scrambling, cliff jumping and swimming. It's a popular family activity at which kids are invariably better than their parents. And it's not just a good work-out but a chance to see the wildest and most dynamic part of the foreshore at close quarters.
Where to book: TyF Adventure (01437 720488) offers weekend packages including two nights' full-board and two half-days' coasteering (or any other activity) from £195.
Mountaineering
Tackle the sheer cliff faces of the Italian Dolomites, one of the world's most dramatic mountain ranges, on the network of vie ferrate mountain trails. These spectacular routes are linked by steel hawsers, pegs and ladders, which allow you to work your way up the kind of rock faces that would otherwise be reserved for expert climbers and eagles - all that's needed is a good head for heights.
Where to book: Inghams Lakes and Mountains (020-8780 4433). Seven nights' half-board at the three-star Hotel Marmolada in Corvara from £511pp including flights. Guided climbs can be arranged through the hotel.
Dude ranching
See the Wild West as the pioneers did, from the back of a horse. Even complete novices can enjoy a horse ride through Montana's Rocky Mountains and, when you're tired of life in the saddle, there are rodeo visits, square dances, hiking and mountain biking.
Where to book: American Round Up (0870 747 2624). Six nights' full-board at Triple J Ranch, Augusta, Montana, from £1,517pp including all ranch activities, flights and transfers.
