Challenge courses (sometimes called ropes courses) are programs which utilize some of the equipment and techniques of rock climbing to reach a series of predefined goals with a group. Such courses are not designed to teach climbing per se, but rather to use climbing skills as a "means to an end".
Challenge courses have been used in a variety of outdoor, therapeutic, recreational, and educational settings. For over a decade, I directed the challenge course program for the Dan Beard Council of the Boy Scouts of America in Cincinnati. I am now a consultant for the national office of the Boy Scouts of America, reviewing and developing materials and standards used by Scout groups throughout the country.
The national organization which develops standards for challenge courses is the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT). I am active in ACCT, and regularly put on workshops for other challenge course professionals at the organization's annual meetings. My particular areas of expertise are in the issues of medical screening and emergency procedures on courses, as well as facilitation techniques useful with adolescents and young adults.
Most recently, I have joined Project Adventure, the premier challenge course builder and trainer in the country, as medical consultant.
I have limited time availability for consulting work with challenge course operators. In the past, I have helped programs develop and evaluate their medical screening and response policies. Please contact me for further information about this service. |
