ADVENTURE LEARNING PROGRAMS

The mission of the Adventure Learning Programs (ALPs) is to challenge people through adventure-based learning to discover themselves and understand those around them. We are a leadership organization that operates under the philosophy of Experiential Education where learners are purposefully engaged in direct experience and focused reflection in order to learn new skills. We offer adventure-based team building workshops that incorporate initiatives, problem solving activities, and high and low ropes course experiences.

Workshops are free for all UW students. However, you don’t have to be a student to request as workshop. If you’re looking for your next office outing, team bonding day, or even just a fun time with some good friends email us as alps@studentaffairs.wisc.edu to set up a workshop and receive a price quote.

REQUEST A WORKSHOP

Develop Your Leadership Skills

We offer adventure-based team building workshops that incorporate initiatives, problem solving, and activities.

Request a Workshop

TEAM BUILDING WORKSHOPS

Teambuilding workshops, aka ground workshops, are very versatile and can be tailored to meet the unique goals of your group. These workshops are unique in that they do not require special equipment like a high or low ropes course and 95% of the thousands of activities we have to offer will not involve getting off of the ground.

Request this Workshop

Length of the Workshop

Workshops can vary in length from 30 minutes (for a quick get to know you workshop) to all day (with more in depth problem solving and leadership development activities) and anywhere in between. You let us know what will work for your group to accomplish your goals.

Availability & Group Size

We offer our teambuilding workshops YEAR ROUND because we can host them anywhere—inside, outside, in a big room, or a conference room. We are more than happy to discuss with you what kind of teambuilding programming we can offer your group.

Minimum group size: 8 people

Maximum group size: We can and have accommodated groups as large as 175 people in a teambuilding workshop. We are more than happy to talk about how we can accommodate your larger group.

What You'll Gain

Our teambuilding (ground) workshops are perfect for working on the following goals:

Getting to know one another
Learning names
Building community
Bonding
Communication
Working with others
Decision making
Leadership
Problem solving
Support
Trust
Conflict resolution
Having fun

Ground Workshop Elements

Teambuilding workshops can include but are not limited to the following activity types:

Get to Know Yous
Problem solving initiatives
Trust activities
Leadership Matrix
Icebreakers
Group games
Name games

FACILITATION TRAININGS

Students stand in a circle with their hands together in a show of teamwork.

For 25 years, ALPs has been training college students to facilitate groups in person.

Request this Training

LOW ROPES COURSE

Students participate in a low ropes activity outside.

The low ropes course consists of elements constructed of wood, cable, and rope that range in height from one foot to 12 feet off the ground. The elements, because of their height off the ground, and the level of difficulty, increases the perceived level of challenge and requires groups to really work together to accomplish a task. It is imperative that people rely on one another to work through the challenges.

Request this Workshop

Length of Workshop

Low ropes course workshops can last for any length over 2 hours. The longer you can spend with us, the more your group will get out of the workshop! The focus of the workshop will be on the low ropes course elements, but we may complement those activities with group games and initiatives as appropriate to meet your goals.

Availability & Group Size

Our low ropes course is open April 1 – November 1

Group size: 12 people

What You'll Gain

Low ropes courses are excellent for focusing on the following goals:

Trust
Communication
Support
Building community
Being vulnerable
Challenge
Bonding as a group
Teambuilding
Leadership
Problem solving
Resilience
Self-efficacy
Confidence
Having fun

Low Ropes Course Elements

Our low elements are located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Challenge Course in Stoughton, WI. Our low elements include:

HIGH ROPES COURSE

The high ropes course is constructed of cable, rope, and wood and suspended from 40’ telephone poles. The high ropes course provides the extraordinary opportunity for participants to navigate challenges 40’ in the air. All climbers will wear a helmet and harness and will be clipped into a safety rope which will be belayed by a trained ALPs staff member. The high ropes course requires a 3 hour minimum workshop length to ensure quality programming and the maximum weight of a participant we can have climb on the ropes course is 275lbs.

Request this Workshop

Length of Workshop

The typical length of a high ropes course workshop is from 9am – 4pm because we incorporate all the elements of our programming in this day, including teambuilding initiatives, some low ropes, and, of course, high ropes course elements. We can do shorter high ropes course workshops that will eliminate some of the teambuilding initiatives and low ropes course elements, depending on the time you have to spend with us, and focus solely on the high elements. The length of the workshop depends on your goals, the size of your group, and what you want to get out of the experience. The longer you spend with us, the more your group will get out of the workshop!

Availability & Group Size

Our high ropes course is open April 1 – November 1

Group size: 12 people

The high ropes course can be a challenging experience for participants and is a great opportunity for participants to face their fears and work through challenging situations with the support of their group. Many of the elements do involve one person climbing at a time with only a few involving the entire group, but there are plenty of ways for the rest of the group to support a climber and be involved in the activity. We follow the tenets of choose your challenge which encourages and supports participants in choosing how they will engage in the activities based on how much they want to challenge themselves that day.

What You'll Gain

High ropes course workshops are excellent for focusing on the following goals:

Personal growth
Skill development in handling stressful situations
Trust
Communication
Support
Community Building
Asking for what you need
Bonding
Leadership
Challenge
Taking risks and being vulnerable
Resilience
Self-efficacy
Confidence
Problem solving
Having fun

High Ropes Course Elements

We have the following elements on our high ropes course:

Climbing wall
Tandem Zip line
Giant’s Ladder (paired activity)
Islands
Catwalk
Team Beams (paired and team activity)
Multivine
Heebie Jeebie
Giant’s Swing
Flying Squirrel
Leap of Faith
Pirate’s Crossing
High V (paired activity)
Quadraphenia

ALPs Challenge Course Policies

Climbing without ALPs staff present is prohibited. Participants cannot access elements unless under the supervision of an ALPs facilitator.
There are inherent risks involved with participation in ALPs programming and everyone must complete and sign an Assumption of Risk form before participating.
Behavior that may endanger you or others are strictly prohibited; ALPs staff have the right to stop any activity when unsafe behavior is exhibited.
No running, jumping, or diving, etc. except when the element is designed for such use and an ALPs facilitator has confirmed that behavior will result in an acceptable amount of risk.
All participants should monitor their own safety. On low challenge course elements, step off safely if you feel unstable.
Weather and activity-appropriate attire must be worn. Secure, closed-toe shoes must be worn during the program. Sandals, flip flops, Crocs, Chacos, and Five Fingers shoes are not permitted.
Loose clothing and loose long hair can potentially be a hazard. Participants should tie back long hair to prevent getting it caught on the elements.
Helmets are required when climbing at height.
Participants on all high elements must utilize an appropriate climbing harness system provided by ALPs.Participants will be fitted and instructed in the proper use of their harness by ALPs facilitators.
ALPs staff will double-check participants’ safety system before they climb and reserve the right to check safety systems at any time.
Report issues or injuries to ALPs staff immediately.
All personal belongings should be secured in a bag or backpack in the pavilion area. We are not responsible for any lost or stolen items.