Links: Alpine Tower & Climbing Wall | Bicycle Safety Program | Therapeutic Wilderness Program

THE DARE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ALPINE TOWER & CLIMBING WALL

The Dare County Sheriff’s Office Alpine Tower and Climbing Wall are over 50 feet high and have over 100 events and routes that are adaptable to the beginning climber and to the advanced climber.

Our facilitators are well-trained and safety-conscious and can provide a memorable experience for your youth group, class, business, or other organization

For information and scheduling contact the Sheriff's Office at (252) 475-5980.

INTRODUCING AN EXCITING ALTERNATIVE TO THE TRADITIONAL HIGH ROPES COURSE EXPERIENCE

Experiential education specialists have viewed the ropes course as one of the most effective means of fostering teamwork, trust, communication and cooperation among a group of participants.
The Alpine Tower offers many additional advantages. Originally conceived as a course to be negotiated by a team of four, the tower can be used by individuals as well as groups. Its availability and ease of installation make it accessible to a wide range of populations, from corporate programs and adventure-based institutions to camps, treatment centers, schools, churches, outdoor equipment stores, prisons, hospitals and other residential facilities.
Its impact on the local environment is minimal, and it is virtually maintenance-free. Life expectancy of the foundation poles is over twenty years.
The Alpine Tower experience is a powerful one due to the height of the structure, yet it requires little upper body strength to master, making it ideal for younger and older populations. Some routes are almost as easy as climbing a ladder. The design includes spectacular climbing routes as well as ropes course experiences.

THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE ALPINE EXPERIENCE

The tower experience provides three fairly distinct opportunities. Group problem-solving initiatives can be accomplished in the tower base which focus more specifically on the objectives of the following:

• TEAMWORK
• TRUST
• FUN
• COOPERATION
• COMMUNICATION
• RESPECT FOR OTHERS

The tower can be used for individuals and presents the same challenges as rock climbing and high ropes course elements. This programming option addresses the same objectives as the group initiatives (due to the climber/relayer relationship) as well as:

• ENHANCING SELF-ESTEEM
• PROMOTING PHYSICAL FITNESS
• ENCOURAGING ADVENTURE, RISK TAKING AND ATTEMPT THE UNUSUAL
• ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO SIMPLY TRY THEIR BEST
• TO SERVE AS A METAPHOR FOR DISCUSSING LESSONS LEARNED (TRUST, COMMUNICATION, TEAMWORK, FAILURE, TRYING, ETC.)

And finally, the tower provides an intense partnering experience which dramatically highlights the above objectives of teamwork, cooperation, trust, communication, adventure, and probably, most important of all, compassion. These objectives mesh completely with the overall projected objectives to increase self-esteem in our youth, provide youth the opportunity to experience health risk-taking, and allow them to set reasonable personal goals and achieve. The project offers adult and corporate groups a chance to bump heads with old fears and put on new thinking caps.

It is sometimes difficult to design educational activities that foster the values of compassion and respect. The pairings concept on the Alpine Tower is an extension of the popular and highly successful event of rock-climbing. Not only does it include the climber/relayer relationship, but the added variable of partners, physically connected and naturally needing to work together to ascend the tower with all its obstacles. The true potential of the Alpine Tower experience is reached when partners from differing cultural backgrounds develop compassion, care, respect and understanding for each other due to the perception that their safety depends on working together toward a common goal.

FEE SCHEDULE

The following fee schedule for the Dare County Sheriff's Office Alpine Tower and Climbing Wall includes insurance and a full day of events and climbing:

• Dare County Youth at Risk No Charge
• Dare County Schools Students $10 Each
• Dare County Youth Groups and Organizations $20  Each
• Dare County Emergency Services $30 Each
• In-State Youth Groups $30 Each
• Out-of-State Youth Groups $40 Each
• Adult Groups, Organizations & Businesses $60 Each

THE THERAPEUTIC WILDERNESS PROGRAM

A Therapeutic Wilderness Program designed to provide "at risk" youth with an opportunity to participate in group activities of a positive and beneficial nature that can assist them with making constructive choices in their lives. This is an innovative, seven-day program conducted year-round, which is based on camping in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, and includes daily activities such as:

• whitewater canoeing
• mountain climbing and rappelling
• backpacking and caving
• horseback riding

The Therapeutic Wilderness Program is a great team working, self-esteem and character-building experience in the outdoors.

THE BICYCLE SAFETY PROGRAM

Bicycle safety is also highlighted as an important element in the lives of our Dare County youth. The Dare County Sheriff's Office conducts bicycle safety classes throughout Dare County for various schools, churches, and youth-oriented organizations. These classes are designed to focus on teaching children about traffic laws, bicycle safety, the mechanics of bicycle riding, safety equipment, (including helmets, and elbow and knee pads), and bicycle maintenance.

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