The Adventure Summit 25 Program leaders for Pine Ridge secured the return of the Council’s climbing and rappelling program at Giant City State Park on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Now we need trained Instructors to make it happen.

The Council’s Climbing & Rappelling Comm. is conducting a training weekend and certification day to make sure units that think of Pine Ridge as one of their outdoor Scouting homes get the adult Climbing/Rappelling Instructor training.

•  Leaders don’t need to be great climbers; you’ll be trained to be safe program leaders
•  Leaders will be trained at S bar F Scout Ranch. This site specific training will enable Instructors to lead Scouts at both Giant City SP and S bar F once the Instructors are certified. The plan is to get the training and certification done in time for April 26th at the Adventure Summit 25.

Training & Certification Day details:

Training weekend: Saturday Mar. 22, 8:00 AM – Sunday, Mar. 23 to about 4:00 pm, training on the climbing and rappelling cliffs at S bar F both days. Have to attend both days.

• · Lodging in the Swift Lodge on Sat. night and Fri. night if you don’t want to travel to S bar F early on the morning of Mar. 22. Swift Base lodge is heated and has bunk arrangements for 35. A wood-burning fireplace, indoor water, full kitchen, showers, and bathrooms with flush toilet facilities are all included. Scouting units provide their own cooking gear and firewood.

Certification Day: Sunday, Apr. 13 starting at 8:00am until everyone is certified at Giant City SP, Devil’s Standtable climb site

•  Instructors will successfully demonstrate the needed skills needed to set up and run a safe and fun program for Scouts.
• This is the Sunday of the Anpetu-We Spring Reunion, we aware of that and that Sunday is Palm Sunday. To accomplish the training and demonstration of leader skills in time for the April 26 climbing at Adventure Summit 25, we’ll spend time on training weekend arranging a schedule to ensure Scouts needed to climb will be there.

Training fee and Instructor age: training fee is $25 which includes patches and manual. Must be 18 take the Climbing Instructor Training.

Hope you can join us and again we can’t kick off the revival of Pine Ridge Climbing without Certified Climbing Instructors.

Shawn Banks, Adventure Summit 25, Pine Ridge Program Lead

mrshawnbanks@gmail.com, 618.889.6222

Terry Pogue, Council Chair, Challenge Course/Climbing

terrencepogue@yahoo.com, 314.780.9023

Bob Backer, Training Chair, Challenge Course/Climbing

rcbacker@att.net,314.852.0682