Airsoft

One of the 17 activities you could get with Go Orange, from €35 per person. Like all of them, you do not find out this is the one until between 48 and 24 hours beforehand.

What is airsoft?

The airsoft is a game and an adventure sport that mixes running outdoors, orienteering, accurate shooting, strategy, organisation and plain effort. It is a war game close to paintball, played over longer distances with very realistic weapons — not weapons, never: ours are called replicas or markers. Above all it is a way of spending a day outdoors, running, jumping and throwing yourself on the ground with your friends.

The whole thing is built on re-enacting combat with replicas of real weapons (which fire 6 mm biodegradable plastic BBs) on grounds set up to look like a war, with simulated military kit. Simulated, we should stress.

It is a sort of military theatre. There are actors playing parts, there are sets, usually outdoors, there are scripts to learn and follow, costume, scenery and props of every kind. There is also breakfast together, a beer afterwards to tell war stories over — literally — and a meal if the day calls for one.

Above all it is a game of strategy, of teams and — why not say it — of honour, because you have to admit when you have been hit and walk off the field to start again.

Activity at a glance

What is included?

How long an airsoft game lasts

This activity lasts about 2 hours.

How much airsoft costs

This activity costs €32 per person and includes the experience and the kit, plus photos and video taken on the day and sent to you afterwards.

Airsoft in the Basque Country

There are themed battle grounds in all three Basque provinces. We work with experienced instructors in several Basque cities — get in touch to book or to ask:

There are airsoft fields in Bizkaia

You can play airsoft in Gipuzkoa

And there is airsoft in Álava

Airsoft in Bilbao

Are you looking for somewhere to play airsoft in Bilbao? Then you have come to the right place. Get in touch through the form or by email at [email protected] and we will come back to you quickly. Send us a date and how many of you there are and we will set the game up in Bilbao or anywhere in Bizkaia.

How to get started in airsoft

To start playing you can buy your own kit or hire it from the airsoft company

Here is what you need, if you are not sure where to begin:

Approved helmet to protect your head, face, eyes, mouth and ears.
Approved buoyancy aid to take the hits, because it is a very exposed part of the body.
Clothing suited to the game : camouflage or dark trousers, a camouflage shirt, protective gloves and walking boots
As for airsoft replicas and gas pistols, most people hire them unless they play regularly, because they are expensive. It is also worth knowing that OVER-14s may use any type of airsoft replica, manual or repeating, gas, electric or bolt action. Whereas UNDER-14s, being considered too young for the above, may only use manual replicas: single shot or spring. These rules exist for a reason and are worth respecting.
There is more on CO2 pistol prices and federation membership fees on the official site of the Spanish Airsoft Federation

Season

This one runs all year round: indoor arenas in winter and themed outdoor grounds in spring and summer.

How airsoft works

Airsoft is a sport in which you carry out a military simulation of a battle with several players using harmless weapons. Players form two teams and play to see who wins. Both teams have to work out a strategy and carry it out properly to achieve the aim: beating the other side.

There are usually two kinds of setting: open ground or close quarters. For the second buildings or abandoned areas tend to be used, which give plenty of scope for simulating a military site. Every setting is inspected beforehand so that nobody gets hurt.

No safety measure is wasted, either around the ground or with the kit and the replicas, but in truth the risks are no greater than those of any outdoor activity — a sprain, that sort of thing. It is well worth trying.

If you found this interesting, have a look at other activities in nature you might like.