Madison College Recreation

The team building and challenge course program at Madison College offers a wide range of elements that can be used to enhance your experience. While many programs consist exclusively of ground based group initiatives to meet the outcome goals of our client groups, including our low ropes elements, high ropes course or rock climbing walls as part of an experience brings in unique aspects of learning, cooperation and collaboration.

Low Ropes Elements: Our low ropes elements include a Nitro Swing, Incomplete Bridge, Grape Vine, Wild Woozy/Round the World, Giant's Finger, Spider Web and 12' Team Wall. Commonly used as a way to introduce more physical challenges and opportunities for trust building among group members, low ropes elements provide a way to experience the feeling of moving off of the ground yet the logistics of teaching spotting and safety protocols for low ropes elements is short enough that these activities can be included in programs that are on the shorter end of our program options (2 hours and longer).
                
    
Spider's Web                                                          12' Team Wall

High Ropes Course: High ropes courses offer a unique physical and mental challenge. The Madison College course was built in 2015 and was designed to offer participants abundant choices so that each person can create the experience that is right for him or her. With 3 distinct entrance options - a cargo net, rope ladder and firecracker ladder (rope ladder with a single rope so the challenge is increased since the ladder rungs are only stable when the climber keeps them perfectly balanced) there is an option that can work for virtually everyone. Once in the course, participants chose their route through the course and always have at least 2 elements to pick from as they cross elements such as a balance beam, grape vine, horizontal cargo net, boson chairs, swinging logs and more. To exit the course there are multiple options as well - a zip-line, being lowered while on a belay rope or down climbing the entrance cargo net.  

While the challenge is fundamentally individual as each person makes their way across the course elements, high ropes courses offer a wonderful opportunity for group members to seek and to give mutual support, to share an experience in which group members face fears and push themselves to achieve. Typically, the high ropes course is utilized with groups engaging in half day or longer programs. This allows for adequate time to complete group initiatives and low ropes elements prior to the high ropes course and ensures that participants are able to take the time they need to comfortably complete the course.

    

Rock Climbing Walls:  Integrated into the high ropes course are two rock climbing walls. By offering two walls we are able to provide a greater level of choice to participants. Our east wall is a flat while our east wall includes 2 "relief" elements (areas of the wall that extend outward from the face of the wall) which provides a greater level of physical challenge for those looking for that extra push. Climbers are belayed up the wall by others in their group under the supervision of Madison College staff. This active belay system offers an opportunity for group members to support one another and extend their trust to those in their group. With 2 routes per wall, climbers are able to make their way up the wall together and provide assistance to each other as they do.  

The climbing walls are a great tool for highlighting teamwork, trust, and collaboration. While individual challenge is a part of the climbing experience, the group belay system we utilize makes the climbing about much more than just getting to the top of the wall.