Ropes Courses build strength, teamwork, appetites for fun

Looking for a physical and mental challenge in the great outdoors? Consider the increasingly popular activity known as a ropes course or challenge ropes course, which tests strength, balance, team-building and problem-solving. At Adventures Unlimited in the Florida Panhandle, our courses can combine ropes challenges of varying degrees of difficulty with the extreme fun of zip lines and even a rope swing that sends you arcing through the air like Tarzan in the jungle!

Ropes courses have been around for almost 100 years, but in recent years have grown more popular with gains in sophistication, safety and fun. Originally designed by a French naval officer to enhance training, many ropes courses now offer “low” courses – balance beams, rope-walking and rope bridges just a few feet off the ground – along with “high” courses. High courses employ highly trained staff that help users into harnesses that hoist them to a platform 75 feet off the ground. Some ropes courses in Florida are built among the trees. Others employ utility poles or steel framework. All have safety lines that turn a fall into a bit of fun.

Ropes courses often involve climbing trees or poles and rappelling down. This provides a great, whole-body workout. Don’t be surprised if you feel sore the next day in places you didn’t know you had muscles. But ropes course also are a tremendous activity for groups. Teams can compete to see who can complete the ropes course the fastest. Other activities require teamwork and trust, to determine the best techniques for making it through an obstacle course. At the Giant’s Ladder, for example, team members must work together to hoist a climber up a rope ladder with rungs that are spaced just far enough apart to make individual climbing almost impossible. The ropes course can be just one activity in an action-packed group adventure.

Adventures Unlimited offers group and individual ropes courses at our outdoor adventure park near Milton, Fla. We have a team of highly experienced staff members who are familiar with the state forest and the river. Call us at (850) 623-6197 with any questions on your next family trip!