ChurchSafety

Spelunking, mountaineering, backpacking trips, winter camping, scuba diving, bicycle tours, dirt biking, canoeing, kayaking, rafting, hang gliding, skydiving, rock climbing and rappelling are all activities that can be very positive experiences for adults and young people if properly planned and safety precautions are followed. Check with your insurance provider for any exclusions or restrictions, and review the following simple tips before planning a high adventure trip.

Select qualified leadership. Do you have experienced and qualified adult leaders to lead this trip or will you hire a professional guide to coordinate and lead the trip? High quality leadership is the key to both safety and success on a high adventure trip.

Require quality equipment and get expert training to use it. This is not the place for your decisions to be influenced by shortcuts, assumptions or budget constraints.

Start small. Select a trip and level of challenge that fits the young people who will participate. It is better to start with a couple day hikes and move to an overnight hike before you schedule a week-long trip in the wilderness.

Prepare parents. Parents need to know the specifics (verbally and in writing) about what their young people will experience on the trip. Put all this information on the permission form the parents sign to give consent for the activity. This information helps parents support both their kids and the youth leader.

Plan for emergency response. Experienced guides and outfitters spend their lives handling emergency problems. Their presence with you or their pre-trip training with you is invaluable. Will you have cell phone coverage? How long will your phone batteries work? Do you have the emergency phone numbers for the people you will call?

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