Skip to main content

Zip Lines, Climbing Walls, Challenges and Rope Course Standards

Board of Governors Approved May 5, 2018

 

Introduction

Challenge courses, ropes courses, climbing walls, and zip lines help teams or participants learn to work together, solve problems, and accomplish goals. These standards ensure the safety of Scouts of all ages so they can go beyond their comfort zone, contributing to their social, physical, intellectual, character, emotional, and spiritual development.

 

Our Standards

  1. These standards apply at all Scouts Canada properties and activities.
  2. All zip lines, climbing walls, challenge and ropes courses must be constructed, inspected, maintained, secured, and operated according to provincial/territorial government regulations.
  3. Where provincial government regulations do not exist, all zip lines, climbing walls, challenge and ropes courses must be constructed, inspected, maintained, secured, and operated according to standards set by the Association for Challenge Course Technology[1](ACCT).
  4. Zip line, climbing wall, challenge and ropes course construction, including renovations and additions, must be approved according to the Property Transaction Approval Procedure.
  5. Temporary and permanent structures must all be constructed, inspected, maintained, secured, and operated according to ACCT standards. Regardless of the number of users or the permanence of the elements, the ACCT standards apply.
  6. All structures must pass annual inspection by a person who meets the definition of an ACCT qualified inspector (Quality Course Professional).
  7. Programs and activities on challenge courses, ropes courses, climbing walls, and zip lines must be operated according to ACCT operations standards.
  8. Safety equipment for challenge course, rope course climbing walls, and zip line activities must meet ACCT standards.
  9. The personnel leading activities must be certified according to ACCT training standards.
  10. Everyone planning and leading these challenging activities must be certified according to ACCT standards. The activities and apparatus at Scout property and activities must meet ACCT standards.

 

[1] ACCT web site.

Uncontrolled When Printed: When printed, document cannot be guaranteed to have the current information and should be used with caution. This document is marked “uncontrolled” and the user is responsible for determining if the current version is active. To find the most updated version, please refer to Scouts Canada BP&P on Scouts.ca.