The Ropes Course

Teambuilding Initiatives (Low Ropes)

Groups will be given a series of initiatives that they must accomplish together. Each initiative is designed to challenge groups physically and mentally. When each initiative is completed, the group discusses their experience and is encouraged to compare their successes and failures to real life. Teambuilding Initiatives are ideal for groups needing to bond, work on group interaction, and generally function better as a team. Initiatives can be done indoors or outside on our outdoor course—we can even come to your site to lead initiatives. Risk on most initiatives is comparable to typical outdoor play. There are a few initiatives that involve slightly higher risk due to short climbing, but they are reserved for experienced groups have already been highly successful in other initiatives.


High Ropes

Participants on our High Ropes Course challenge their fears by overcoming physical challenges involving climbing and heights. Lakeshore goes to great lengths to minimize risk. Our course is constructed by an ACCT certified organization, Signature Research, and inspected every year. Our facilitators require training and inspect our equipment with strict standards. Risk on our High Course is minimized by following our instructions. The worst injuries that have occurred on our High Ropes courses in our nearly 15 years of operation are simple cuts and bruises. Our High Elements are great for overcoming fears, faith formation, and self realization. Here are descriptions for each of our individual elements:






Ground Zipline

This 400 foot long zipline stretches from one hillside to the other. Participants hook in while still on the ground, and take off running down one hillside. Feet eventually leave the ground, and you go zipping through the air until landing on the hillside across the way. This is our quickest element to complete and our least physically challenging element. This element is perfect for groups with wide ranges of age or physical capacity and a fun way to ease nervous participants into a high ropes experience.






Climbing Tower

Our 35 foot climbing tower has two sides and a variety of difficulties to challenge different skill levels. Our overhang, nicknamed "the hump," could become a bragging piece for a few of your persistent climbers. Participants waiting to climb get to help as ground crew members, anchoring the current climber. A great way to challenge your group, with many possibilities for varying skill and comfort levels.








High Course

An obstacle course in the air, our High Ropes Course offers a wide range of challenges. To enter, participants can climb the Cargo Net or scale the wobbly Centipede. If you chose to go on, you face a range of rope and cable bridges, even a wooden beam, all with varying difficulty. At the end, participants can slide down our zipline or gently float down on our M-belay. The High Course offers several levels of challenge for a wide range of comfort levels


Giant Swing

Our Giant Swing is a thrill ride that gives nearly every participant that funny feeling in their stomach. At the highest point, participants are 40 feet off the ground. When you are ready to let go, you drop and begin swinging back and forth. Definitely the biggest rush of our challenge course elements.


Pamper Pole

Our Pamper Pole is a great test of personal willpower. Participants begin by climbing to the top of a 20-foot tall telephone pole. Next, stand on top of telephone pole with nothing to grab onto. Once standing, the next challenge is to jump and grab a trapeze. This element usually raises the stress levels and really tests body control in those pressure situations.


Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a session take? The length of sessions can vary heavily based on several factors. First, the number of participants greatly affects the length of a session, especially with high ropes (With Team Building, Low Ropes, we split up high numbers into smaller groups, so groups numbers aren't a factor there). Second, the age of a group will affect how long a ropes session will take. A Junior High age group will generally take longer than a Senior High or Adult group. Give your group at least 3 hours in most cases (the ground zip-line is probably one exception) and sometimes 4 hours for a group of 20-30.

Can I use my own climbing equipment on the High Ropes Course? Due to liability issues, Lakeshore only uses its own equipment. We also only use facilitators we have trained.

What's the difference between doing Initiatives at Lakeshore's course or having a facilitator come to us? There is a $75 travel fee for a facilitator to come to your site for initiatives. We have a wealth of initiatives in our program, some of which can only be done on our course. But all of our initiatives have great teambuilding potential. The greatest pro to doing initiatives on our course is it places a group in new surroundings, helping to pull participants out of their comfort zones and open them up to new experiences.

What happens if it rains? We are willing to do lead Challenge Course activities rain or shine, hot or cold, as long as there is no lightening or extreme wind conditions. From there, it is up to the group. We can do some Teambuilding Initiatives (Low Ropes) indoors. We are willing to reschedule if the group decides that the weather is too much of a distraction for a worthwhile experience.

Can adults participate with youth groups on the Challenge Course? Yes, certainly, but we do have some advice for you. Our Challenge Course events are designed to pull participants out of what is comfortable to them, so that they will learn new lessons about themselves and overcoming challenges. For youth, this usually comes when we give them more decision making freedom than they are used to. With this, they struggle with how to complete activities and how to deal with uncomfortable situations like fear, disagreement, and frustration. There are lessons for youth participants whether they deal with these situations well or not. We find frequently, though, that when adults are on the course, they and the youth slide into the comfortable relationship of the adult giving instruction and the youth following. When that begins, the youth are slower to think on their own and quicker to look to others for the answers. We find that with a group of adults and youth, the adults end up being the leaders. That may be fine, depending on what your goals are for your group. But, if you would like for your youth to take a stronger leadership role, we usually encourage adults who still want to participate to participate physically but not make decisions or instruct the youth how they should approach each initiative.

How can my group participate in Lakeshore's Challenge Course? Lakeshore's Challenge Course is only available with a reservation. We have to recruit and pay facilitators, so the more notice, the better. For your group to reserve the Challenge Course, you must fill out a reservation form (see the link below) and send a 25% non refundable deposit (deposits, though nonrefundable can be transferred to another date). There is a link describing Rules and Rates below. To check dates and see if the Challenge Course is available, call Troy at 731-584-6102. There is also a waiver form that every participant will need to fill out and an information sheet that will help us better prepare for your group's special needs. If you have any other questions, give us a call or send Troy an email at troy@lakeshoreuma.com. We look forward to giving your group a new challenge.


Click HERE to view pdf containing Rates and Rules

Click HERE to download Reservation Form in pdf format.

Click HERE to download Challenge Course Waiver Form in pdf format.

Click HERE to download information form for groups participating in the Challenge Course in pdf format.

Revised 9/19/07

For reservations call us at
731-584-6102 or e-mail Troy
at troy@lakeshoreuma.com