Traditional rope courses
Age:
7+
Take a leap of faith
A treetop adventure—swaying bridges, wobbly ropes, daring leaps. How high will you go?
Overview
Traditional rope courses are purpose-built courses, often built in trees. They vary in height and level of challenge and are popular activities for personal development and teambuilding.
Rope courses often feature wires to walk on, platforms to jump from, poles to scale and places to balance. These courses are designed to be challenging and take you out of your comfort-zone in a safe environment.
To take part, you'll need to find a reputable local activity provider with a safe course and qualified instructors.
Traditional rope course activities are defined by ground based belaying. Some centres use a self-belay, continuous belay or interactive safety system. For guidance on these activities, please go to adventure rope courses.
Traditional rope courses are an adventurous activity and should follow the adventurous activity policy and procedure.
Planning checklist
If you're working with an external provider or external instructors to run this activity outside the unit meeting space, follow these extra steps.
- Arrange for a home contact. Leave any route or other relevant details with your home contact and complete a home contact agreement form. Let them know if you make any changes to your plans.
- Tell your local commissioner.
- Tell the activity provider about the ability and experience of the participants and any disabilities, access needs or health conditions that need to be considered when running the activity.
- Choose a reputable and licensed activity provider (where applicable).
- Check the qualified adults hold the correct qualification to be able to run the activity (see the information below).
- Get copies of the instructor qualifications and public liability insurance of the activity provider before you book.
- Ask for a copy of the providers' safety guidelines and risk assessment.
- Make sure you have the correct ratio of participants (girls and volunteers) to qualified adults (those running the activity). This is different to the ratio of leaders to girls.
- Check with the venue that they have the correct equipment and, if needed, specialist clothing that will meet the requirements for your group.
- Source any specialist equipment or clothing needed to run the activity not provided by the venue, and make sure this is in good condition and fit for purpose.
- Check that any equipment is suitably insured by the provider and agree what happens to the equipment if it gets damaged.
Some venues might ask for a disclaimer or waiver to be signed for each person taking part in the activity. This is something which parents/carers must sign on behalf of their child. You can do this along with the consent form. Parents and carers should be given sufficient information from the provider along with the waiver so they can make an informed decision to sign it or not. Leaders can only sign disclaimers and waivers for their own personal participation.
Site-specific sign-off is accepted by Girlguiding, as long as the instructor has a minimum of a Mountain Training UK (MTUK) Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor (MCI) qualification or European Ropes Course Association (ERCA) trainer qualification. Ask the centre whether this is the case. The instructor must be directly assessed by the MCI or ERCA instructor and the certificate signed by that person, and this may not be subcontracted to another less qualified person (no matter how suitably experienced). It must be renewed annually.
If you have any questions, contact [email protected].
Members taking part in traditional rope courses should only use centres where the course and system have been signed off by a person who holds a Mountain Training UK (MTUK) Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor qualification, and who also acts as the technical advisor for the centre’s course.
If you're unsure, contact the adventure team ([email protected]) for further guidance.
Visit the course prior to booking the activity, if possible, and liaise with the activity provider to make sure the difficulty level of the course is appropriate to the participants.
Helmets should be worn when doing this activity where this is considered best practice by the centre for their course.
Make sure girls wear appropriate clothing, remove loose jewellery, and wear closed toe shoes.
The ratios below are given as a maximum. These must be considered as part of the risk assessment and may lessen due to any medical conditions, physical ability or other factors.
Leadership team ratio
As this activity will take place outside of your usual meeting place, the leadership team adult to child ratio is mandatory.
- Rainbows: not a Rainbow activity.
- Brownies: 1:8.
- Guides: 1:12.
- Rangers: 1 Girlguiding leader.
Qualified adult to participant ratio
The activity leader (qualified adult) should determine what size of group is safe. There must be enough qualified adults to ensure the safety of all participants.
The number will be determined by any limitations placed on their qualification, permit or the rules of their operating organisation, as well as the risk assessment. This should take into consideration the location, weather and experience of both the qualified adult and other participants. The leader should assess the risk and any concerns must be raised to them.