GO AWOL was started by Matt and Craig and a whole team of informal, but willing helpers. Both Matt and Craig used to have big corporate jobs which were going okay but didn't really fit with their need to do more in life. So both took some time out to have a think about things.

Matt headed off round the world to the Australian west coast for a bit of windsurfing, New Zealand for practically every sport you can name and Canada for some far out snowboarding. Craig headed off to a Thai kick boxing camp for a few months and got some sense knocked into him.

When they both came back they met up and decided that they wanted to combine their love of the outdoors and being into extreme and active sports with a business. So the idea of GO AWOL, which had been germinating for a while, was born. The aim of GO AWOL is to help people escape work, get outdoors and experience active and extreme sports - we want to help people get more out of life. We offer a wide range of active and extreme sports from mountain biking in the Purbeck hills to Kitesurfing in Poole Harbour. We can also help you out whether you're looking for team building activities in the UK, adventurous things to do on the South Coast or a different sort of experience day.

Where does the name "GO AWOL" come from? Well in a rather cheesy but cool way it comes from the time Matt spent travelling. Whilst camping in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand by the beach he spotted a boat that was called "AWOL" and the name was born right there and then.

So what do the GO AWOL Crew do to escape?

Matt's key problem is that he loves just about any outdoor sport going. This means that there are never enough hours in the day, or days in the week to get everything in. Whether it's surfing, snowboarding, mountain biking or diving, he's does them all. However, his fuelling passion is windsurfing. The carve gybes and jumps are cracked and now he's moving on to learn a little wave riding and trying to pluck up the courage to have another go at forward loops.

Craig's much more into his powered sports. He used to own a jet ski, only selling it for some much needed cash when he went off travelling. He's also just recently got his RYA powerboat qualification which makes him a great guy to know if you need a boat driver for a little wakeboarding. Despite his addiction to petrol, he still loves escaping for a sneaky snowboarding trip.