Outdoor Pursuits Challenge (L3OED)
Overview
The Outdoor Pursuits Challenge Course is open to any Year 13 student. You do not need to have any previous outdoor experience to do this course, although does naturally follow on from the Level 2 Outdoor Pursuits Challenge course. The activities are suitable for students of any ability level yet offer scope to challenge each individual.
What will I learn?
The Level 3 OP Challenge Course offers Year 13 students the chance to participate in a broad range of outdoor experiences. Across the whole year students will learn and apply skills in activity planning, preparation and delivery, and through guided reflection will review and evaluate each experience.
No prior experience is needed in any particular pursuits and students of all abilities will be catered for with a differentiated approach to instruction. At all times a challenge by choice ethos will underpin the course.
The practical pursuits include:
Canoeing and rafting: develop skills to be able to paddle on whitewater rivers up to Grade 2 level in rafts and/or canoes, and an option to raft on Grade 3.
Mountain Biking: Riding skills taught on local tracks, Bike Glendhu, and an optional extended trip away from Wanaka.
Rock-climbing: Covers all aspects of climbing including top rope and lead climbing.
Tramping: A multi-day tramp may be offered during the course.
Skiing or snowboarding: An optional 6-week programme of snowsports lessons. Students train in small groups with instructors.
Alpine skills: An overnight alpine trip / snow camping experience is available to students who wish to have that experience.
Learning takes place through a mixture of theory and practical instruction sessions, classroom discussion and activity reviews. One afternoon per week is allocated to practical lessons. The weekly practical sessions start at lunchtime and continue through until 5.00 pm.
The course themes of teamwork, personal challenge, self-responsibility, communication skills and goal setting are all introduced and reinforced through each activity. Each experience is reviewed to enable transference of learning back into future activities, or to other aspects of school life.
What should I have done already?
There are no formal pre-requisites. All activities are structured to allow you to learn everything from scratch. If you do have previous experience you will have an opportunity to take more responsibility for helping the group. Activities can be differentiated to allow each student to be challenged at the level that suits them.
Assessment outline
Assessment regulations
Most standards include an element of practical assessment that occurs during the outdoor sessions. Because of this, it is generally not possible to provide opportunities for reassessment.
End of course qualification
Contributes to NCEA but is not a subject recognised for University Entrance.
Where does this course lead?
This course could lead students to further training or careers in the outdoors (guiding, instructing, adventure tourism). It will hopefully prepare students with the skills, confidence and sound judgement to continue to be independent and active in a range of outdoor leisure activities.
Indicative costs
A general course contribution is requested to cover the weekly costs associated with provision of transport, employing additional specialist outdoor instructors, admission costs to public venues, and hire of specialist outdoor equipment.
Overnight or extended trips are optional, and are costed separately. Fees for those trips are invoiced at the time of the trip. This includes the optional snowsports training programme in Term 3, for which a lesson package needs to be purchased directly from Cardrona/Treble Cone.
The Outdoor Pursuits Student Handbook contains more detailed information about the course, the costs, and the equipment required.
For all other indicative course costs please see the course costs page.
Safety
MAC has achieved AdventureMark certification for its Outdoor Pursuits programmes. This is an internationally recognised safety certification that confirms our school meets the highest levels of safety in adventure activities. This certification recognises our school’s long-standing commitment to safety in its delivery of our nationally renowned Outdoor Pursuits courses and applies to rock climbing and abseiling, white water kayaking, canoeing and rafting, mountain biking, canyoning, and alpine hiking activities.