Todd man keeps his clients on the ropes
By Scott Nicholson

Ken Jacquot of Todd believes there is adventure in adversity, and his business is putting people on the ropes.

Jacquot designs and manages outdoor adventure courses through his company, Blue Ridge Learning Centers. The company recently finished construction of an outdoor experiential tower and course at the Blowing Rock Conference Center, with the goal of helping groups resolve team issues.

Jacquot had always been interested in outdoor activities, having gone through the Boy Scouts and pursuing rock climbing. “It had a high impact in my personal development,” he said, and decided to turn that love into a way to help others through outdoor experiences.

“There wasn’t an industry then,” he said. “Now there are university courses in it.”

Jacquot has been designing towers for the past 12 years, and now designs and builds them all over the Southeast and even internationally. The company also has a management component that helps plan activities according to a group’s needs and desires.

The company built a system for Camp Broadstone in Valle Crucis and the completion of the Blowing Rock course has provided opportunities for school, church, civic and corporate groups to learn together and play together.

“I think it’s a great resource for the community, and it’s available for people with disabilities,” Jacquot said, adding the term for the course is “universal” because people of all physical ability levels can participate.

He describes the Blowing Rock Conference Center course as “more of an up-and-down adventure,” with he goal of passing a series of challenges to reach a center platform 65 feet in the air. Jacquot describes the effect as similar to navigating the rigging on a pirate’s ship.

Jacquot and program manager Kevin Russell tailor each day or half-day group experience based on interviews with those planning the adventure for their group. Jacquot said, “It depends on the goals of what group is coming in, whether it’s trust, conflict resolution or problem solving. It’s about self-awareness and how to interact within the group.”

The goal is both personal growth of participants and the improved mutual functioning of the group. “We want people to understand as they go through the day and through their lives that they are making conscious choices and to be very much aware of making choices,” Jacquot said. It’s very difficult to go through a course like this without thinking.”

Individuals take personal responsibility for their route across the course, making safety decisions while also relying on others.

Once reaching the pinnacle of the course, there are options like a 600-foot zip line, which carries the person on a James Bond-like ride on a wire, or a swing 35 feet in the air. Jacquot said safety is important in the course design, and he has served on the challenge course industry’s national board working on such issues.

Groups begin on the ground with a needs assessment, allowing Jacquot’s staff to assess skill levels and give participants some practice. Jacquot said the idea is to generate “perceived risk,” where the person is tackling a challenge with a minimum of physical danger, but gets the feeling of taking chances.

Costs are between $35 and $100 depending on the type of experience desired. Group sizes usually range from about eight to up to 40, though if larger groups want a challenge course, the larger group is split up and sent on different courses. Jacquot said his company and the convention center, who are partners in the venture, aren’t targeting a tourist base.

“We want organizations that are looking to do something different,” Jacquot said. “We want people to get something out of it, not just have an amusement experience.”

Blue Ridge Learning Centers hopes to add more structures at the Blowing Rock Conference Center, including an indoor course, climbing wall, and an outdoor climbing tower.

Jacquot said he wants participants to leave with a positive experience, not a sense of failure, to make personal breakthroughs “and learn about themselves and the group. “It’s not duress, it’s choice,” he said.

If a group member decides not to tackle the course, Jacquot defends that person’s decision to the group. 

He said those who stand up to the group might be working through their own issue and that might be the positive experience of the event. “Peer pressure can be strong, and people should own their reality and be true to themselves,” he said.

The Blowing Rock course features cargo nets, a Burma bridge, a cat walk, bosun’s loops, and a cable walk. Some groups stay at the convention center for multi-day programs while others have all-day or half-day programs on the discovery courses. For more information, contact Jacquot at 265-0602 or online at www.brlc.net.

• Scott Nicholson may be contacted

at nicholson@wataugademocrat.com.