CONSTRUCTION

Effective facilitators have long realized that the power of the challenge course is in transferring the successes from the guided discovery arena to the participants’ daily lives. The joy of success is when clients make changes at “home” consistent with the discoveries and successes experienced on the challenge course. The use of metaphor has been significant, but what is even more important is to create isomorphic experiences. These are experiences that progressively parallel the person’s real life so that initiating change and resisting old behaviors is a more practiced and confident decision.

It is important to create (or discover) an appropriate environment in which to place the course. Experience teaches respect of the edges of nature – meadow, woods, hills/mountains, water. The addition of any one edge to a challenge course setting adds a natural aesthetic opportunity for creativity that is helpful to the end we have in mind. When two, three, or all four edges are available, so much the better. The experience becomes indelible; the participant not only vividly remembers the challenge experience, but also more importantly makes discoveries about him/herself and the world and commits to respecting that kind of world in the future. 

Will your site use trees or utility poles? Although either is justified, there are trade-offs to both. And in fact, incorporating both is perhaps most wise.  Poles help one control location & dimensions of your facility,  reducing some maintenance issues due to tree overgrowth and some wear issues. However, they have a higher up front cost and, unless they are designed into the woods, reduces much of the site's aesthetics. 

Trees have the advantage of being natural and contributing readily to one’s aesthetic, creative appreciation and are “free”. However, the preparation of the trees and areas nearby do take labor and machinery, do not allow for pre-controlled dimensional planning, require more ongoing maintenance and present the risk of tree mortality due to disease or injury, such as lightning. But their ambience, shade, wind sounds make an often indelible contribution to one as they enjoy nature. And how do you measure the loyalty it creates in developing a selfless steward-like trait for protecting the natural world, that is contributing to our oxygen levels daily?

The choice of belay technique, number of personnel required, and number of people the course can accommodate are all critical practical considerations. We often devise traffic routes that divide your high elements into a series of three types: ascending (ways up or into), traversing (bridges), and descending (ways down or out of). The growing popularity of Aerial Adventure Parks and Treehouses also add newer choices for you to ponder how to best get people into the outdoor environment, safely.

While it is difficult to generalize (due to the wide scale of program designs), a budget of $1,000-$3,000 per year for an inspection; equipment maintenance budget depends on manufacturers recommendations for user life-wise to plan ahead as this can be costly if you've not planned for it. Training is a separate item and certifications vary with duration, but some occasional professional training is essential. Once PIA has built your course, prudence, insurance industry folks require you to have an annual safety inspection.  Again, assistance or at least the presence of one or more of your staff is essential. 

Each proposal includes a complete overview of the costs involved with a custom challenge ropes course for you. We design truly state-of-the-art stations that are not your average challenge ropes course.  They feature:  Safety - and the most efficient belays - staff to participant ratio;  Spectacular results in a shorter time (critical for corporate groups and school classes of 45-60 minutes);  Vandalism/liability prevention design; range of challenge - easy to difficult; Long wearing materials with “put up/take down” options;   The ability to maximize the aesthetic beauty of your site;  Sophisticated programs maintain interest of all age groups; large (youth or adult learner) groups.