ROPES Challenge Course

Combining elements of the Portable Team Challenge with additional High Elements, the ROPE Challenge is a great way for groups to either work on specific goals, or simply enjoy a recreational team building event. The addition of High Elements creates a significant individual experience for members of the group, focusing on personal achievement and self-awareness.

Our goal is to provide a team building program that is the right fit for your organization.  If we are unable to provide a course that suits your needs, we will try to suggest alternatives.  We will not try to fit you into a program that will not benefit your team.

The Challenge Course at Butler School

The Challenge Course at Butler School is located in Darnestown, MD, about an hour from downtown Washington, DC. Particularly suited for groups of 8 to 50 participants, the ropes course offers a combination of low team elements and high elements to provide a well-rounded team building experience.  The Challenge Course at Butler School was designed specifically to focus on enhanced teamwork, encouraging and increasing leadership, and building a foundation of trust and commitment among the members of your team.

Sample High Elements:

“Leap of Faith” – climb 40 feet up a tree and jump for a tethered ball!  This is one of the tallest platforms in Maryland!!
“Flying Squirrel” – your team pulls you up, and you swing through the air!
“Swinging Bridges” – traverse a rickety plank bridge with the aid of ‘handrails’ at your waist.
“Islands in the Sky” – leap from platform to platform while suspended 25 feet off the ground.
“Swinging Tires” – traverse a set of suspended tires with the aid of cables hanging from above…
“Climbing Wall” – climb our 30 foot wall, with an overhanging obstacle and a few other surprises.
“Zap Line” – fly 350 feet through the air on a cable that is suspended high above the ground.
“Six Ropes” – this low/high element combination has more than a dozen activity possibilities.

Learn more about ROPES Challenge programs…
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ROPES Challenge Course at FLOC Outdoor Education Center

The facilities at the Outdoor Education Center provide a beautiful natural setting for the full ROPES Challenge Course. Situated in the trees and spanning a small creek, the High ROPES Course at FLOC Outdoors is best suited to groups of 8 to 24 participants.

For groups interested in overnight accommodations and prepared food, the Outdoor Education Center provides a variety of packages, from boxed lunch and cabin camping, to Lodge rooming and catered meals.

FLOC OEC HIGH ROPE Challenge is set up in a wilderness setting, providing an intimate experience for small corporate and youth groups. The emphasis is on teamwork and commitment among the members of the group, rather than strictly providing an individual challenge. Each high element requires the assistance of multiple members of the group – from belaying the climbers and spotting the ladders, to lowering climbers down off of the zip line, the group is immersed in the teambuilding experience.

Sample High Elements:

“Giant’s Ladder” – a team activity climbing the rungs of a ladder…
“Burma Bridge” – traverse a cable with the aid of cable ‘handrails’…
“Balance Beam” – climb up a tree and walk across a beam 30 feet high…
“Multi-vine” – traverse a cable with the aid of ropes hanging from above…
“Cargo Net” – climb a huge net suspended 30 feet off the ground…
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ROPES Challenge Course at Camp Shoresh

With courses located in Baltimore and Fredrick, MD, Project Ascent customizes team building, leadership training and adventure programming for groups of all sizes. Both ROPES courses offer state of the art equipment and are constructed to the highest industry standards. Each facility provides catering services as well as pavilion use. Our low team building and leadership training is design to bring and enhance such values as: communication, trust, problem solving, and strengthening group dynamics. All of our programs are designed to bring out the best in individuals and groups.

Sample High Elements:

“Swinging Log” – walk across a beam that swings from side to side!
“Static Course” – switch from cable to cable in this five-in-one activity!
“Bo’sun Chair” – pull yourself from one side to the other while sitting on a swinging chair…
“Tension Traverse” – traverse a cable with the aid of a rope, attached at one end…
“Flying Squirrel” – your team pulls you up 40 feet in the air and you swing out into the trees!
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ROPES Challenge Course at Bishop Claggett Center

The facilities at the Bishop Claggett Center provide the perfect setting for a large group ROPES Challenge Course. Situated on a large field and in the trees, the High ROPE Course is best suited to medium to large groups (50-100 participants) whose goal is enhanced teamwork, communication, trust and commitment.

For groups interested in overnight accommodations and prepared food, the Bishop Claggett Center provides a variety of packages, from boxed lunch and dorm-room overnights, to Lodge rooming and catered meals.

Sample High Elements:

“Cargo Net” – traverse across a cargo net suspended 30 feet off the ground…
“Swinging Bridge” – walk across a swinging plank bridge with no hands!
“Pamper Pole” – climb a pole and jump for a trapeze bar!
“Catwalk” – climb up a net and walk across a beam 30 feet high…
“Multi-vine” – traverse a cable with the aid of ropes hanging from above…
“Giant Swing” – your team pulls you up 40 feet in the air and you swing out into the trees!
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ROPES Challenge at Sandy Spring

The Challenge Course at Sandy Spring provides a combination of low and high rope elements that offer groups the opportunity to challenge themselves in different ways that support the common theme of cooperation and community.

Sample Low Elements

“Wild Woozy” – partners must “lean in” on each other as they venture out on two expanding cables…
“Triangle Traverse” – participants attempt to traverse three cables using rope and teamwork…
“Multi-vine” – teams must traverse a cable using ropes suspended from above…
“Kings Finger” – teams stack atop one another and attempt to put a tire up over a pole that is 12 feet tall…
“Low Team Wall” – teams must help each other up and over a 12 foot wall…
“Mohawk Walk” – teams traverse multiple cables with planning and teamwork…

Sample High Elements

“Giant’s Ladder” – Partners must work together to climb a ladder whose rungs are spread farther and farther apart…
“Postman’s Walk” – Your team belays you across a foot cable…
“Giant Swing” – Your team pulls you up, you pull the release and take the “giant swing!”
“Leap of Faith” – Climb the pole, stand up, and take the “leap of faith!”

Additionally, groups can utilize our state of the art Athletic Center, our 300 seat Performing Arts Center, or a number of conference rooms with digital media available to rent.
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Who can benefit from our ROPES course team building and corporate event programs?

• School groups
• Adults
• Not-for-profit organizations
• Scouts
• Camps
• Religious groups
• Corporations
• Small businesses
• Government agencies
• Sports teams
• Fraternities and sororities
• Birthday parties
• And more

Learn more about ROPES Challenge Course programs…

Adventures Great and small	Where to go? What to Do! Things to Know! Discover the fun and excitement of Independent Adventure Travel
The Corporate Learning Institute	Teambuilding workshops, corporate team building training, rope courses programs and fun events in the Chicago area.
Sportrock Climbing Centers	Providing indoor rock climbing gyms and outdoor rock climbing instruction, with two locations in Northern Virginia.
Calleva Outdoors	Summer adventure camp, school group programs, high quality kayaking instruction, Markoff’s Haunted Forest, and the Potomac Challenge mountain bike race.
Earth Treks Climbing	Indoor rock climbing and outdoor instruction with three gyms in Maryland.
Half Full Fitness and Health	Fitness and Health Coaching in Northern Virginia.
Outdoor Excursions	Kayaking company, specializing in rafting, flat water kayaking, white water kayaking, and white water rescue instruction
Valley Mill Camp	Traditional day camp and kayaking instruction.
The Treehouse Camp	20 acres of beautiful woodland on South Mountain provide an ideal setting for year-round camping and hiking.
Butler School	Butler School and Camps is a Montessori tradition institution for primary, elementary and adolescent age children. The school is located on a beautiful country campus in Darnestown, Maryland
River & Trail Outfitters	Providing expert whitewater instruction near Harper’s Ferry, WV – quality whitewater rafting and kayaking instruction, team building, climbing wall, and cross country skiing.
Upward Enterprises Adventure Programs	ROPES Courses and facilitation services for youth and adults. Located near Buckeystown (Montgomery County), MD.
Keystone Adventure Company	ROPES Course construction, inspections, and training services in the Tri-State area. Built to ACCT Standards and highest quality guaranteed.
Gordon's Guide	Adventure & active travel vacations worldwide! Offering dude ranches, whitewater rafting, houseboat rentals, bicycle tours, mountain biking, fly fishing guides, fishing lodges, vacation rentals, resorts, and over 30 other adventure & active travel categories.
Rainforest Adventure Center Expeditions	Educational activities at the rainforest adventure center in Piedres Blancas, Costa Rica include: tree climbing in the rain forest canopy, cliff and waterfall rappelling, hiking, backpacking, and rock climbing. Educational experiences include: learning about medicinal plants, sweat lodge, and service learning projects
Outdoor Wilderness Leadership School	Leadership and consulting services ranging from expedition rock climbing, orienteering, and ropes challenge courses, to staff inventory workshops, proactive management seminars, and executive coaching.
Current Adventures	Whitewater kayaking, sea kayaking and lake touring in the Sacramento, San Francisco, Monterey and Sierra Nevada Mountain areas as well as trip leading in the Western United States and abroad.
n2backpacking	a collection of trail maps, photos, tales, trip reports and summaries of trips.
Ransdell Associates	The most comprehensive inventory of Myers-Briggs Tests, Strong Interest Inventory Tests, Combined Reports, and Test Packages available for online testing…
MightyGPS.com	MightyGPS.com delivers GPS hardware and software navigation solutions and maps. Low prices. Fast delivery.
Groovy Adventures	Website providing adventure sports and adventure travel opportunities in the US.
JR's Picnics	Company Picnics, Parties, Receptions, Meetings, Corporate Outings, Theme Events, Convention Get-Aways, Tour Groups, Team Building, Employee Appreciation Parties, Retirement or Award Luncheons or Dinners
Adventure Sports Online	online resource dedicated to adventure travel, outfitters, and products.
America Outdoors Association	The America Outdoors Association is an international association representing the world’s finest adventure travel outfitters, tour companies and outdoor educators.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website provides an excellent local weather forecast.
Adventure Ropes Course	Lynx is building many of the finest climbing towers and high and low ropes courses in the country. We work with camps, schools, and adventure companies to design and construct solid, multifaceted towers and high elements at affordable prices.
TheCrag.com	theCrag.com is a project to build a global index of climbs as an online resource for rock climbers.
Project Ascent	Project Ascent, LLC provides high quality teambuilding and ROPES Challenge programs for youth and adults in Maryland and DC.

Experiential Education Resources that we rely on:

Project Adventure	Association for Experiential Education

Wilderdom	OutdoorEd.com

Excellent resources for educators, trainers and facilitators

IceBreakerGames.co.uk - great ideas for ice breaker games

Business Balls – a great source for free team building activities and exercises

The Leader’s Institute – a resource for articles and research in the field of team building

Leadership Strategies – providing professional facilitation training and certification

Below, you’ll find links to the web sites of nonprofit and outdoors organizations that GO-Adventures supports.

Access Fund

American Mountain Guides Association

American Alpine Club

American Canoe Association

American Hiking Society

American Whitewater Affiliation

Appalachian Mountain Club

Appalachian Trail Conference

Association for Experiential Education

Colorado Fourteeners Initiative

Conservation Alliance

International Mountain Biking Association

National Off-Road Biking Association

‘Leave No Trace’ Ethics

Outdoor Industry Women’s Council

Pacific Crest Trail Association

Student Conservation Association

The Mountaineers

Washington Area Bicyclists Association

The Wilderness Society

Winter Wildlands

C&O Canal National Historical Park

Catoctin Mountain Park

The America Outdoors Association

Association for Challenge Course Technology

Professional Ropes Course Association

GO-Adventures makes its gear purchases from these fine equipment providers:

REI Equipment

Hudson Trail Outfitters

Petzl Equipment

Black Diamond Equipment

La Sportiva

Five Ten

Kong Equipment

Karst Sports

GT Bicycles

Specialized Bicycles

Performance Bicycles

Proteus Bicycles

Dagger

Perception Kayaks

Publications:

Men’sJournal Magazine

Outside Magazine

MetroSports Magazine

Visit Western Maryland

Climbing Magazine

Bike Magazine

Backpacker Magazine

Training Magazine

Miscellaneous Sites of Interest:

Altitude Events – a UK-based team building and event management company.

Adventure Travel Guides – OuterQuest.com

OuterQuest.com is the leading resource for adventure travel planning and outdoor recreation. We are a direct marketing company that uses our products, services, & events to promote your adventure travel programs. Our partners are dedicated to enhancing our communities by bringing together individuals and groups in adventure recreation.

If you would like to see your organization listed on this page, please send an email message to our webmaster, with your contact information, a description of your organization, and the page you would like us to link to.
info@go-adventures.com

And, if you know of any great resources that we haven’t included here, let us know! We are always looking for cool stuff we haven’t seen yet…

Here you will find a variety of downloadable forms to help you prepare for your teambuilding or adventure instruction program. Please feel free to contact us with questions, or if you are having trouble with your downloads.
Thanks again, and we look forward to working with your group!

Downloadable Forms (PDFs):

GO-NEXTeams Waiver

What to Bring – Team Building

What to Bring – Adventure Instruction

Teambuilding Forms

Adventure Challenge Sample Itinerary

Portable Team Challenge Sample Itinerary

ROPES Challenge Sample Itinerary

Team Project Event Sample Itinerary

RACE Day Sample Itinerary

NEXTeams Team Development Sample Itinerary

Adventure Instruction Forms

Introduction to Caving Sample Itinerary

Introduction to Mountain Biking Sample Itinerary

Introduction to Rock Climbing Sample Itinerary

Introduction to Wilderness Skills Sample Itinerary

Adventure Gift Certificates are available in a variety of denominations:

Private Guiding – Valued at $200, this certificate entitles the bearer to a one-day privately guided course, to take your skills to the next level. Courses include: Intermediate to Advanced Rock Climbing, Caving, Mountain Biking or Wilderness Survival.

Adventure for Four – Valued at $380, this certificate entitles the bearer to a one-day adventure instruction program for four (4) participants in one of the following activities: Rock Climbing, Caving, Mountain Biking, Wilderness Skills

Rock Climbing – top-roping courses teach the basics of the simplest and most popular form ofrock climbing – knots, belaying, anchors, and movement.

Mountain Biking – learn the basics of trail-riding, or push yourself through challenging single-track with our expert riders.

Caving – beginners and experts alike will be challenged as we explore the wild caves of West Virginia.

Wilderness Skills – orienteering, building fires, finding water, making a shelter etc… Learn valuable outdoor survival skills with our wilderness expert.

GO-Gift Certificate for Adventure

Learn more about Gift Certificates for Adventure…

As the Summer draws near, we take the time to highlight a few of the manufacturers and suppliers that have provided our staff and programs with high quality and reasonably priced gear and equipment. This list will grow and adapt as the seasons change, so stop by from time to time and see what’s happening… And, if you have any suggestions for places to find quality outdoor equipment, drop us a note at info@go-adventuresports.com

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“Your One-Stop Shop For Outdoor Life Great Values on Everything Outdoor!”
by REI.com.

“REI.com sells quality gear, clothing and footwear for outdoor recreation. All products are backed by a 100% guarantee. REI.com customers can enjoy free shipping to any of REI’s 60+ stores nationwide.”

Men’s Clothing, Women’s Clothing, Footwear, Climbing, Camping and Hiking, Cycling, Paddling, and more…
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Wilderness First Aid Kits
by AlwaysBePrepared.com.

“AlwaysBePrepared.com offers a wide variety of first aid and emergency equipment at very reasonable prices.”

Some of their products include:

From time to time we highlight a team building game or problem-solving initiative that has been particularly successful, popular, or just plain fun. These activities are easy to set up, take very little skill or experience, and require little or no specialized equipment. If you try an activity and you like it, let us know! And if you would like to learn what it takes to be a team building facilitator, check out our Training page on the website…

Good Luck!

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Silent Opera

This activity was ‘borrowed’ from another excellent online team building resource – www.teampedia.net – a ‘wiki’ that has been set up to collect great team building activities.

Objectives:
Communication, collaboration, team strategy

Group Size:
Small to Large

Materials:

• 10 – 20 Objects (Cones, Balls, Hoola Hoops, etc.)
• Blindfolds
• Rope Boundary
• Activity Description

Set Up:
Select one volunteer to be blindfolded (this person will be “the collector”) and one volunteer to give vocal instructions. The remaining members of the group are not allowed to speak. Set up the room and position participants according to the diagram below.

Directions:
This activity works on alternative methods of communication. Inform the group that the blindfolded member can speak, but will need to be told what to do in order to accomplish a given task. The person in the middle can only look at the large group but must tell the blindfolded member what to do. The large group will know the task and must communicate that to the middle person without speaking and without crossing the barrier represented by the rope. Lastly, inform the large group of the task (the more specific the task, the more challenging). Tasks may include: collect as many objects as possible or collect specific objects (by color, shape, type, etc.)

Variations:

• multiple collectors

Debrief Questions:

• What happened?
• What was the biggest challenge and why?
• What was it like to be – collector – speaker – actors?
• How is this activity like – school – work – life?

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Silent Opera Diagram