The Complete Ropes Course Manual

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The Complete Ropes Course Manual serves as a checklist of procedures, techniques, and responsibilities for Ropes Course facilitators. With this guide, you can review current operational equipment, expand your list of processing questions, manage your course safely, update staff training, and add to the experiential learning cycle. 

Preface
Acknowledgements

1 Overview Introduction to the Ropes Course
Ropes Course History
Indoor Ropes Courses
Karl's Historical Perspective
Facilitator Competencies
Operational Guidelines

2 Safety and Equipment Spotting
Lifting
Belaying
Practice, Practice, Practice!
Equipment

3 Rescues Rescue Equipment
Rescue from Dynamic Belay
Rescue from Static Belay

4 Maintenance and General Inspection Part I: Environmental
Part II: Wood Items and Telephone Poles
Part III: Metal Items

5 Knots
6 Taking Participants Through the Course Preparation and Staffing
General Staff Preparation Check List
High Course Operations Check List
Low Course Operations Check List
Opening and Closing

7 Facilitation Risk
Processing Levels
Processing by Way of the Experiential Learning Cycle
A Model of Ropes Course Group Development
Facilitator Characteristics
Commitment Agreement
Useful Beliefs about People on the Ropes Course
Processing Issues and Related Questions
Handling Difficult Situations

8 Including Participants with Disabilities: Concepts and Planning Strategies Philosophy of Inclusion and Universal Design
People with Disabilities: Attitudes, Terminology, Types
Assessment
Activity Analysis and Activity Adaptation/Modification
Techniques for Inclusion
Considerations with Diversity: Challenging Comfort Levels

9 Including Participants with Disabilities: Technical and Safety Operations Accessibility
Design Criteria for Inclusion
Specific Design Considerations
Technical Operations

10 Elements Karl's Games and Initiatives Reference List
Index of Low and High Course Elements
Generic High Ropes Course Considerations
High Ropes Course Elements
Low Ropes Course Elements

Appendix I Index of Ropes Course Program Forms
Contract Course Notes
Information Letter
Informed Consent for Challenge Ropes Course
Assumption of Risk and Informed Consent
Voluntary Release Form
Participant Information and Release of Liability (Adventureworks, Inc.)
Applicant Information and Release Form
Medical Information Form
Accident Report
Ropes Course Equipment
Ropes Course Evaluation
Facilitator Hour Log
Facilitator Workshops and Training Log

Appendix II Ropes Course One-Day Schedule
Ropes Course Two-Day Schedule
Ropes Course Pre-Meeting Schedule

Suggested Reading List
Glossary
Index
Karl E Rohnke

Karl graduated from Washington & Lee University (Lexington, VA) in 1960. After two drafted years in the U.S. Army, serving as a Medical Technologist, he used that medical training to secure a postion as a Med. Tech at a retirement community in California. This was followed by four years of teaching outdoor education in the Southern California area. Since that time, Karl has been an important "player" in the field of experiential/adventure education. He was a watch officer at Hurricane Island Outward Bound in 1967, and chief instructor at North Carolina Outward Bound until 1971. He left Outward Bound to become one of the founders of the Project Adventure program in Hamilton, MA, and worked there continuously until 1996. During his tenure at PA, he served as director and president of the company. Karl is also one of the founders of The High 5 Adventure Learning Center in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Karl has been the recipient of two A.E.E. (Association of Experiential Education) awards: The 1990 Stratton Practitioner's Award, and in 2000, he presented the Kurt Hahn Address at the national A.E.E. convention. Karl has written over 15 books that relate to the field of adventure education, including The Bottomless Bag Revival, Silver Bullets, Quicksilver, and Funn 'n Games.

Karl says he's retired but continues to travel worldwide presenting clinics about the use of games and initiative problems as applied to various pedagogic applications. He currently lives in Galena, IL with his wife, Gloree. .

Don Rogers

The Complete Ropes Course Manual serves as a checklist of procedures, techniques, and responsibilities for Ropes Course facilitators. With this guide, you can review current operational equipment, expand your list of processing questions, manage your course safely, update staff training, and add to the experiential learning cycle. 


Preface
Acknowledgements

1 Overview Introduction to the Ropes Course
Ropes Course History
Indoor Ropes Courses
Karl's Historical Perspective
Facilitator Competencies
Operational Guidelines

2 Safety and Equipment Spotting
Lifting
Belaying
Practice, Practice, Practice!
Equipment

3 Rescues Rescue Equipment
Rescue from Dynamic Belay
Rescue from Static Belay

4 Maintenance and General Inspection Part I: Environmental
Part II: Wood Items and Telephone Poles
Part III: Metal Items

5 Knots
6 Taking Participants Through the Course Preparation and Staffing
General Staff Preparation Check List
High Course Operations Check List
Low Course Operations Check List
Opening and Closing

7 Facilitation Risk
Processing Levels
Processing by Way of the Experiential Learning Cycle
A Model of Ropes Course Group Development
Facilitator Characteristics
Commitment Agreement
Useful Beliefs about People on the Ropes Course
Processing Issues and Related Questions
Handling Difficult Situations

8 Including Participants with Disabilities: Concepts and Planning Strategies Philosophy of Inclusion and Universal Design
People with Disabilities: Attitudes, Terminology, Types
Assessment
Activity Analysis and Activity Adaptation/Modification
Techniques for Inclusion
Considerations with Diversity: Challenging Comfort Levels

9 Including Participants with Disabilities: Technical and Safety Operations Accessibility
Design Criteria for Inclusion
Specific Design Considerations
Technical Operations

10 Elements Karl's Games and Initiatives Reference List
Index of Low and High Course Elements
Generic High Ropes Course Considerations
High Ropes Course Elements
Low Ropes Course Elements

Appendix I Index of Ropes Course Program Forms
Contract Course Notes
Information Letter
Informed Consent for Challenge Ropes Course
Assumption of Risk and Informed Consent
Voluntary Release Form
Participant Information and Release of Liability (Adventureworks, Inc.)
Applicant Information and Release Form
Medical Information Form
Accident Report
Ropes Course Equipment
Ropes Course Evaluation
Facilitator Hour Log
Facilitator Workshops and Training Log

Appendix II Ropes Course One-Day Schedule
Ropes Course Two-Day Schedule
Ropes Course Pre-Meeting Schedule

Suggested Reading List
Glossary
Index

Karl E Rohnke

Karl graduated from Washington & Lee University (Lexington, VA) in 1960. After two drafted years in the U.S. Army, serving as a Medical Technologist, he used that medical training to secure a postion as a Med. Tech at a retirement community in California. This was followed by four years of teaching outdoor education in the Southern California area. Since that time, Karl has been an important "player" in the field of experiential/adventure education. He was a watch officer at Hurricane Island Outward Bound in 1967, and chief instructor at North Carolina Outward Bound until 1971. He left Outward Bound to become one of the founders of the Project Adventure program in Hamilton, MA, and worked there continuously until 1996. During his tenure at PA, he served as director and president of the company. Karl is also one of the founders of The High 5 Adventure Learning Center in Brattleboro, Vermont.

Karl has been the recipient of two A.E.E. (Association of Experiential Education) awards: The 1990 Stratton Practitioner's Award, and in 2000, he presented the Kurt Hahn Address at the national A.E.E. convention. Karl has written over 15 books that relate to the field of adventure education, including The Bottomless Bag Revival, Silver Bullets, Quicksilver, and Funn 'n Games.

Karl says he's retired but continues to travel worldwide presenting clinics about the use of games and initiative problems as applied to various pedagogic applications. He currently lives in Galena, IL with his wife, Gloree. .

Don Rogers