ROPES CHALLENGE COURSE CONSTRUCTION OVERVIEW
Before choosing to purchase challenge course equipment or elements, it is important to identify the goals for your program. For example, programs seeking group work and team building will generally benefit most from group initiatives or low ropes course events. Groups seeking personal growth, confidence, and individual challenge will generally benefit most from high ropes courses or climbing structures. Many programs will opt for a combination of the two.
Serving populations of varying ages will significantly alter the potential design options. Courses for younger participants, corporate groups, disabled individuals and summer campers are all designed with varying characteristics.
Group Initiatives (Indoor, Outdoor, and Portable)
Group initiatives, involving real and imaginary ground-based obstacles, present physical, mental, and emotional challenges that invite a group to explore teamwork strategies and demonstrate for themselves the importance of planning, cooperation, and communication.
The success of a group in meeting the challenges of an initiatives sequence will depend not only upon individual strengths but also upon creativity, tenacity, strategic planning, shared risk taking, the allocation of resources, and the ability to create a climate in which individuals are able to trust each other and in which each member’s contributions are recognized and valued. In the process, members should discover their collective power to meet the ongoing challenge of work in other settings. Whatever the focus of a program, nearly every group comes away from the experience with a renewed sense of community and common purpose.
Example Group Initiative Elements: Spider Web | 12-foot Group Wall | Trolleys | All Aboard | Muse | Prouty’s Landing | Croc Pit
Group initiative elements are best conducted within a group context of 6 to 15 learners, led by at least 1 trained facilitator.
Low Ropes Courses
Low Ropes Courses mimic higher courses but are set on or near the ground. Consisting of a series of cabled and roped events, participants are presented with tests of physical strength, stamina, coordination, and agility. Depending on design, courses can be made to primarily challenge individuals, small partnerships, or test entire groups.
The success of a group in meeting the challenge of a low ropes course depends on individuals' ability to work together and support one another. Belay systems used for high courses are generally not present for low course. Instead, risk management is maintained by the use of close spotting. In some cases this is done entirely by trained facilitators; in other cases, participants are taught to spot and charged with protecting their own.
Example Low Ropes Course Elements: Triangle Traverse | Mohawk Walk | Low Wild Woozy | Multi-element Courses.
Low ropes initiatives are best conducted within a group context of 6 or more, led by at least 1 trained and experienced facilitator. Additional risk managers and spotters may be trained from within the group or such roles may be filled by trained and paid staff.
The following are common elements found in the industry. Names may vary
by provider.
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Balance Beam |
Burma Bridge |
Burma Buckets |
Burma Swings |
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Cable Walk |
Cake Walk |
Cargo Net |
Commando Crawl |
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Flea Jump |
Happy Hopper |
Hebbie Jeebie |
Incline Beam |
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Log Swings |
Multi-vine Traverse |
Postman's Walk |
Ship Crossing |
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Wobbly Beam |
Tarzan Swing |
Tension Traverse |
Tire Swings |
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Wild Woozey |
Wobbly Bridge |
High Ropes Courses, Climbing Walls and Zip Lines
High ropes obstacles and climbing walls pose challenges to the individual. They present tests of physical strength, stamina, agility, balance, and flexibility, and they invite participants to confront such emotional issues as the fear of heights, the fear of failure, and the fear of losing control.
They require participants to draw upon reserves of courage and strength and to re-examine assumptions about their physical and emotional limitations. Conducted within a context of group encouragement and support, these programs often lead participants to a heightened awareness of self and to an increase of confidence and self-esteem.
Staff to participant ratios for high elements vary depending on the skill
level and population served, program outcomes, course design and layout,
and time considerations. A minimum 15:2 learner to facilitator ratio is
industry standard.
For more information on our challenge course consulting and
development services, please call
(248) 481-2568 or
visit us on the web at our main site, http://www.adventuresmithinc.com.
