Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 2f171756b657c152173c9bd8ca09e29b44019177917f7af90c957eb340e5e4c4

# The Wall

A team plans and executes a strategy to transport every member over a specialized challenge ropes course wall using spotting and physical cooperation.

**Time:** 30 minutes. Source suggests up to 20 minutes for the physical challenge; UWT allocates 30 minutes total to include safety briefing, planning, and debrief.
**People:** 8 to 16. Whole group working as a single coordinated unit with designated lifters, climbers, and spotters on both sides of the wall.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Transport all group members over an obstacle wall safely while adhering to strict spotting and capacity rules.
**Use it when:** On an accredited challenge course or adventure facility when an experienced, physically prepared group wants to practice real-time physical safety, spotting, and role coordination.
**Skip it when:** In standard meeting rooms, virtual sessions, or with groups that lack spotting training, appropriate physical fitness, or prior consent for direct physical lifting and body contact.

## Materials and tools

- 1 certified challenge course scaling wall (typically 10 to 14 feet high with safety landing zones, platforms, and padding conforming to ACCT or local safety standards)
- Appropriate protective headgear and personal gear if required by facility standards
- 1 stopwatch or countdown timer

## Before participants arrive

1. Confirm the wall, landing mats, and descent structures meet current adventure course safety certifications.
2. Verify that all participants have had formal spotting training prior to starting.
3. Inspect the area for hazards and clear all loose items, jewelry, and unsuitable footwear.

## Say this to open

Our task is to get every member of the team over the wall safely. Every person off the ground must have dedicated spotters at all times. No more than four people may be on the top platform or wall structure at once. Participation in lifting or climbing is entirely voluntary, and non-climbing safety roles are essential to complete the challenge. Take five minutes to plan your sequence before anyone touches the wall.

## How to run it

### 1. Review rules and safety roles (5 minutes)

Gather the group on the smooth approach side of the wall. State the core safety boundaries: any person off the ground must have active spotters under them, everyone not actively lifting or climbing serves as a spotter, and no more than four people can occupy the top platform at once. Explain the non-climbing roles: ground spotters, safety marshals, and strategy coordinators.

### 2. Plan the ascent sequence (5 minutes)

Give the team five minutes to agree on their lifting order, communication signals, and spotting placements. They must determine how the first climbers get up, how intermediate members are hoisted, and how the final members will be assisted from above and below.

### 3. Execute the wall crossing (15 minutes)

Start the timer. The team executes their plan. Pause the action immediately if spotting lapses, foot placement is unsafe, or more than four people reach the top structure. Allow team members to adjust strategy in real time. The task concludes when all participants have either crossed the wall or fulfilled their chosen safety coordination roles safely.

### 4. Debrief the safety coordination (5 minutes)

Convene the entire group in a seated circle near the course. Invite reflections on how the team handled physical risk, communication under stress, and role distribution.


## Debrief questions

- What specific communication kept climbers and spotters safe during high-effort moments?
- Where did the original strategy break down, and how did the group adjust in real time?
- How did having distinct roles (spotters, lifters, coordinators) impact the group's success?

**Finished output:** Successful completion of the course challenge with all group members safely transported over the wall or completing their chosen safety support roles.

## Remote

This activity requires a certified physical ropes course wall and in-person physical spotting; it cannot be run remotely. For a remote team problem-solving challenge with constrained roles, use an online logic puzzle or tabletop simulation instead.

## Hybrid

Hybrid delivery is not supported due to the direct physical spotting requirements and strict safety rules of challenge course elements.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may opt out of climbing or lifting at any time without explanation by taking on ground spotting, timekeeping, or route safety observation roles.
- Individuals with joint issues, balance concerns, or discomfort with physical lifting can contribute exclusively as vocal spotters or floor strategy marshals.

## If the session gets stuck

**Spotters lose focus or drift away while watching climbers.**

Call an immediate freeze. Reassign specific spotter positions before allowing the climber to continue moving.

**The team struggles to get the last one or two climbers up without ground bases.**

Remind the group to pause and reconsider mechanical advantage, handholds from the top, or alternative reaching strategies without compromising spotting.


## Terms used here

- Spotter: A person positioned on the ground with hands raised and ready to protect a climber's head and upper torso in the event of a slip.
- Smooth face: The sheer vertical surface of the wall that does not contain climbing holds or foot brackets.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Playmeo, where it is presented by Mark Collard as a classic ropes course initiative.

Retained the defining rules from Playmeo (pass all members over, max 4 on top, continuous spotting for anyone off the ground, 20-minute operational window). Added structured planning time, strict physical safety boundaries, concrete non-lifting roles for accessibility, and facilitator debrief questions.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/challenge-ropes-course/the-wall/)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/challenge-ropes-course/the-wall)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/challenging-team-event-for-building-trust-safety-the-wall/