Project Location/Destination: Out of town - Madeira, Portugal
Faculty Leaders: Thad Hallstein & Edward Mahoney
Dates: Friday, March 10 - Saturday, March 18 (Please note project begins on Saturday, March 11 and ends on Saturday, March 18)
Cost: $2950
Special Considerations:
See below.
Objective
Madeira Swiftwater Canyoneering Challenge is a week-long wilderness risk management and leadership seminar. The program uses the medium of swiftwater canyoneering to teach important lessons on how to identify, control and mitigate risk.
Description
Swiftwater Canyoneering is a sport that has been practiced for over a century in parts of Europe. The technical definition is the descent of a canyon along its watercourse. The sport combines a mixture of hiking, down climbing, rappelling, and sometimes jumping to solve the many problems this difficult terrain creates. Days will be long and highly physical. Starting with our first introductory canyon students will systematically be taught important skills and techniques. We pair these techniques with important lessons In Risk Management, Judgment, Leadership and Emotional Awareness. As the course progresses students put their new skills into practice. The course culminates in a final day where, under close supervision, students lead the descent of an appropriately challenging canyon.
Student Requirements and Expectations
Students will need to be physically active and ready to undertake a mentally and physically demanding adventure. Students will experience cold water and exposure to heights as a part of their adventure. It is through overcoming these obstacles that the underlying lessons are learned. A fear of heights, tight spaces, or cold water immersion doesn't disqualify anyone from participating. We encourage an open dialogue; if a student is interested in challenging their fears we will work with them to help them move through and overcome their fears. We will be in remote areas on a remote island. Accommodations will be bare-bones and food will be simple and nutritious to provide fuel for the demanding physical activities. All students will need a passport that expires no sooner than 6 months after the end of project week.
Passport information
The passport application and renewal processes have change dramatically since pre-COVID. If you do not have a passport or it is about to expire, please take care of this immediately if you are assigned to this project.
Students who have a valid, non-US passport, should see their project leaders as soon as possible because travel guidelines may be different for them than for US citizens.
About the Faculty
Mr. Hallstein teaches theater stagecraft and architecture/CAD drafting in the performing and visual arts departments, and is a scenic and lighting designer, craftsman, and technician. Mr. Hallstein is an avid outdoorsman who has climbed, canyoneered, and hiked all over southeast Utah, southern California, and throughout the mountain west as well as Iceland, Cuba, and Europe. Mr. Hallstein has previously led students on Canyoneering and Rock Climbing projects in Utah, as well as a river kayaking project week expedition in Nicaragua. Mr. Hallstein enjoys working with students to develop multidisciplinary skills in theater technology, such as carpentry, painting, lighting, and rigging, combining artistic and physical craftsmanship with organization, logic, and project management. He is similarly committed to helping students develop the combination of real-world problem solving and physical skills inherent to outdoor education. Teaching students strong safety practices is also a major focus in his stagecraft teaching, and outdoors. Mr. Hallstein has been certified in CPR and first aid.
Mr. Mahoney teaches Mathematics and has led outdoor education student trips to Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Morocco, China and Utah. He has been certified under the American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) as a top rope rock-climbing instructor, Wilderness First Responder Certificate from NOLS/Wilderness Mountain Institute. Mr. Mahoney loves challenging outdoor activities and is excited to explore this part of the world.
Tentative itinerary (Additional information!)
Special Considerations
Accommodation considerations - Students will be expected to sleep in shared accommodations.
Accommodation considerations - Students will sleep in tents.
COVID related information - Some venues may require proof of COVID vaccination or negative test. Students are encouraged to travel with this information and provide it, if required. Please contact the project leaders or School Nurse with any questions or concerns.
Equipment requirements: hiking gear - Students will be responsible for bringing and carrying their own backpack, large enough to hold their own rain gear, water bottles, additional attire for layering, depending on the weather
Expectation for physical activity - This project will require a significant amount of physical exertion and possibly some physical discomfort. Students on this project should be willing to deal with discomfort, at times, in inclement weather. Students are expected to be able to participate fully in all these daily activities.
Food limitations and allergies - Students with food allergies and food sensitivities should understand that there may be times that food options will be limited. In addition, there may be cross contamination risk of allergens, as there will be times where outside food vendors will prepare our meals. Please contact the project leaders or School Nurse with any questions or concerns.
Passport Requirement - Students must have a valid passport that expires more than six months upon return.
Scheduling (Out-of-Town) - This project will have time commitment outside of the M-F (8-4) typical school week. Please note that there is an expectation that students are able to attend the whole time the project is running.
Supervision during the day - Students might be unsupervised for short periods of time during the course of the day.
Transportation considerations: Latin faculty - Students will be transported by Latin School faculty chaperones drivers.
Transportation considerations: Not meeting at Latin: Students may meet faculty leaders or be dismissed from a location other than Latin.