Seminar in the Mountains: Organizing a Via Ferrata Team Building

Choosing this Team Building activity for your event is a real strategic choice. You can do it at altitude or in a natural setting with cliffs, as long as there are predefined and, above all, safe routes.

When you do a Via Ferrata course, you are obliged to communicate actively with the people around you, in order to ensure the smooth running of the activity and the safety of everyone. This will therefore develop skills related to communication and interpersonal exchanges.

Via Ferrata is also a way to encourage your employees to get out of their comfort zone, by taking on a challenge in their professional life. Knowing that most of your employees will perceive this activity as a challenge, it will also be an opportunity for them to interact and motivate each other to carry out this activity. This will therefore amplify the motivation of your employees, and give them a boost of confidence in their abilities.

Once the course is finished, your teams will also be able to feel a sense of collective accomplishment, and pride in having managed to go all the way.

With the stress generated by direct contact with the void, your employees will also potentially have to make choices or make decisions quickly, which they can then apply in the professional sphere.

In France, there are many Via Ferrata spots and routes throughout the country.

The most famous are located in the PACA region, more precisely in the Alps, known for its cliffs and mountains. For example, you can do Via Ferrata in the impressive Gorges du Verdon, the largest European canyon.

Going further north and getting closer to the Alps, you can for example choose the Via Ferrata de la Grande Fistoire, located between Sisteron and Gap. It is one of the most famous and offers routes of all difficulties.

If your employees are among the most daring, you can take on the challenge of the Via Ferrata des Evettes, in Chamonix, which will offer you an unforgettable view of Mont-Blanc.

If you are organizing a seminar in Grenoble, you can during this one reserve a half-day to do the course of Via Ferrata de la Bastille. On this course, you can discover the Alps from the heights of the metropolis, surrounded by nature and the historic site of the Bastille.

If you plan to organize your event in the South-West, you will find some Via Ferrata routes in the Pyrenees, such as that of Siala.

To ensure the safety of everyone and the smooth running of your Team Building activity, it is essential to equip participants to protect them. The mandatory accessory when taking a via ferrata route: the helmet! Indeed, during the course you will often find yourself hanging on cliffs. Cliffs can also mean falling rocks and therefore the risk of impact and injury. The helmet can therefore limit injuries in the event of falling rocks and cushion the impact as much as possible. Another mandatory safety element in the context of your Via Ferrata activity is the harness. This harness is often called a "lifeline", and for good reason. It is what will allow you to enjoy the activity without worry, and allow you to stumble and get back up without worries and without injuries. It is important before starting that your harness is well adjusted to your size to avoid slipping. With this harness, it is important to provide carabiners that will allow you to attach and detach from one module to another very easily. However, it is important to take carabiners specific to the Via Ferrata, in order to ensure the safety of all participants. Throughout the official Via Ferrata routes, you will have cables to which you can attach the carabiners and let them slide as you move forward. If you are not used to touching cables all day, you can also provide gloves to minimize friction and irritation that you may experience after this activity. Similarly, for maximum comfort you can recommend that your teams wear hiking shoes with a sole that has good grip to avoid slipping on the more difficult passages during the course. When you arrive on site, a guide will explain the route to your teams, it is very important that you follow their instructions in order not to find yourself in a dangerous situation. Finally, to fully enjoy the activity throughout, you can encourage your employees to take a water bottle and snacks such as cereal bars or applesauce. Thus, if during the course they feel a little tired, they can remedy it with this.

If you are organizing a corporate seminar and want to include a Via Ferrata outing, you will need to strategically organize the planning of your event.

Indeed, you should allow at least half a day dedicated to this activity, including the time for explanations, equipment, the route, and breaks along the way.

For example, you could dedicate a day to outdoor activities, such as hiking or a yoga class during the other part of the day.

If you decide to do the Via Ferrata at the beginning of your event, it could act as an icebreaker between the various participants in this professional gathering.

Finally, choose a route with a difficulty level suitable for all members of your teams, so that everyone can enjoy this activity. To offer lasting memories to your company, and at the same time enhance its image, you can also document this activity with photos and videos captured throughout it.