Ropes course: a Brief History

Challenge courses, team courses, or simply known as ropes courses, are commonly used for training and education as well as for leisure and team building activities. Let's take a look at its brief history and find out how these courses started.

The ropes course traces its roots from the 1900’s where they were used by soldiers in the military for training. A typical ropes course uses trees as poles for the challenges. Modern ropes courses, on the other hand, make use of different structures such as utility poles and steel materials constructed in a variety of areas including open fields or wooded areas.

Modern ropes courses use belay systems for safety that comprise of wire ropes, friction devices as well as climbing harnesses for participants. Georgs Hebert, which is the founder of the ropes course, is a French naval officer who devised different obstacle courses patterened after the decks of ships. During the period of the World Wars, the "Herbertism" was used as the standard training procedure that the French military began to use.

The first ever ropes course was said to be located in the USA, known as the Colorado Outward Bound course. The course was built of hemp ropes with an obstacle course design similar to the one used by the French military.

At present, ropes courses are used to train and develop physical strength and camaraderie as well as an enhanced team building and problem solving skills among participants. Outdoor Ventures Group, is a ropes course construction company that provides services in managing efficient and low-cost building and development of aerial forest parks. From the analysis and planning, OVG can help build a place where nature can be appreciated and make the courses an enjoyable experience for the entire family.