Giants Ladder
The Giants Ladder is an awesome 8’ wide, 70’ high ladder suspended between two redwood trees, with rungs between 3 and 7 feet apart. The Ladder enables groups to practice planning, goal setting, and effective communication. It is less about the physical abilities of individuals and more about the team's capabilities to assess resources, create a strategy, and execute that strategy. Participants hold safety lines for the two or three climbers ascending the ladder at a time. Climbers achieve greater results by supporting each other and receiving coaching from teammates on the ground.
Learning Outcomes:
- Practice effective planning
- Explore goal setting
- Develop skills in intelligent risk taking
- Discover greater success with team support
Balance Pole
The Balance Pole is the most memorable event on the course. Participants accomplish much more than they dreamed, owing to support and coaching from their team. In the facilitated debrief, they quickly make the link to what they could accomplish back at work and in life—if they ask for what they need in order to take risks and succeed.
The 35–foot Balance Pole has a round platform secured on top. Climbers approach the pole in 3 steps; first, they go as far as they can. Second, if they make the top, they try to stand on the disk atop the pole. The third step is to go for the hanging ball, suspended about 8 feet out from the disk.
Learning Outcomes
- Giving and receiving effective coaching
- Building trust among team members
- Individual insights about risk taking
- Achieving greater success with team support
Zip Line
The Zip is for groups who want to finish their Challenge Course experience with an adrenaline rush. You can experience one of the fastest zip lines in the country!
Zip participants climb 65 feet to a platform in the trees and take a "leap of faith" into thin air, culminating in an exhilarating 400–foot glide with a 15–foot free fall leading safely to the ground. For some, climbing the tree is the challenge; for others, it might be standing on the platform and looking down. As with all of the events, the Zip’s challenge is by choice.
Learning Outcomes
- Individual risk taking
- Value of support when taking a “leap of faith”
- A fun-filled, high-adrenaline experience (with possible screaming)
Climbing Wall
The Climbing Wall is a 35–foot wall with rock handholds—great to practice coaching and team support. The Wall has routes for both those who want only a “taste” and those who want to really push their limits. One of the more physically challenging events, reaching the top is a rewarding experience in itself.
Two climbers ascend at a time, communicating their needs to the team, who listen and give constructive coaching. Climbers are encouraged to stretch themselves: they can climb sighted, blindfolded or tethered to another climber. They can go part way up or all the way. The choice is theirs.
Learning Outcomes
- Effective team coaching and communication skills
- Exploring risk taking in a team environment
- Negotiating partnerships for team success