On Saturday, April 8, the Adventure Hunt comes to Provo as one of its 48 hunts in the country. The Adventure Hunt is a modern-day treasure hunt, like The Amazing Race, but this event is localized to Utah.
Founder and CEO of the Adventure Hunt and BYU alumnus Sean Bingham said he started the hunt two years ago to encourage others to get outside and try new, adventurous things.
“The types of adventures in the hunt are the types of things I love doing. My brother and I started brainstorming ideas to create a fun business that encourages an active and fun lifestyle,” Bingham said. “Exploring and adventuring is a lifestyle we love to live. We wanted to share that with others.”
According to Bingham, teams of two participate in the hunt, and the teams download an app with a list of challenges worth points they have to complete.
“Half of the items are fun and funny like proposing to a stranger, or doing a belly flop or having a stranger feed you grapes,” Bingham said. “The other half are adventurous. Rock climbing, repelling, long boarding, hikes, paddle boarding and different activities like that.”
Each challenge has a point value. After a team has posted the proof of their adventures to Instagram and reached 20 points, the adventure hunt app treasure map is unlocked where they solve clues and riddles to find hidden, buried treasure.
“The treasure contains loads of adventure gear from GoPro, GoScope, KZ Gear, Stance Socks, Mission Belts, Allett Wallets, Red Bull and a vacation to Panama in your own private villa with an infinity pool, zip lining through the jungle, snorkeling, scuba diving and more,” Bingham said.
Chloe Bennett from Hawaii participated in the Adventure Hunt in Oahu, Hawaii, and she and her husband were finalists.
“It was the one of the most fun experiences ever,” Bennett said. “There were a lot of obstacles and activities like jumping off cliffs into the water, surfing, finding fish and hiking Crouching Lion. Win or lose, it’s a memorable day.”
Bennett said they found places in Hawaii they didn’t even know about, made new friends and are looking forward to the next Adventure Hunt.
“I think the whole meaning of the hunt is really cool, getting people to get out there and be adventurous. It was honestly a memory of a lifetime,” Bennett said.
Addison Howard participated in the Denver Adventure Hunt last year. Her team won the Adventure Hunt and a trip to Panama.
“I’ve always enjoyed these types of events, and I loved exploring my own city in a way I’ve never done before,” Howard said.
Howard said the challenges were adrenaline-filled — snowboarding, rock climbing, rope-swinging into a lake and doing funny things in public.
“It was so exciting digging up the buried treasure and being able to go to Panama, which was unbelievable,” Howard said. “It was a blast being there.”
Registration is online and closes on Friday, April 7. Students can use the code ‘BYU’ for 20 percent off.
