Enclosed in a forest of fir trees rests a giant teeter-totter, huge swing, zip lines, trapeze jumps, a slide, and a ladder large enough to put Jack’s beanstalk to shame.

Those props and others are features of programs offered through Adventure Dynamics Inc., a privately-owned aerial adventure park and challenge course, says Will Parks, owner and director.

Located at 12410 Pine Bluff Road in the Nine Mile Falls area, the course offers four primary activity programs: aerial adventures, team-building events, a combination of the two, and portable team-building services. The company “has the capability to work with anyone,” says Parks, including corporate groups, nonprofits, schools, churches, families, and couples.

The aerial adventure program entails three hours of activities on the trapeze jumps, a high-challenge arena, zip lines, and other elevated activities, says Parks.

That program can be offered as a birthday party or fun event, he says, adding, “It’s a great activity for a family, or a ladies’ night out, a men’s group, or just about any group.”

In addition to its Aerial Adventure program, Adventure Dynamics offers three team-building programs, he says. One doesn’t feature the same activities in the Aerial Adventure, but another program offers a combination of team-building activities and the high-adventure park.

One feature of those programs is the giant teeter-totter. Guests try to balance their entire group on a 12-foot-by-eight-foot extended platform.

“Most of the team building is around problem solving, communication, planning, use of resources—all of the things (involved) when a team works together,” he says.

For the portable team-building program, employees set up about 12 stations, and teams move from station to station, says Parks. Stations can be set up in a greenspace, a large indoor meeting room, and other areas. Afterward, there’s a debriefing.

“All of that comes into an action plan,” he says. “What did we learn today, and how can we bring it back to work?”

Parks says safety is the highest priority for Adventure Dynamics, and the company works to ensure every activity offered for a specific group is physically possible for all members.

“We have an impeccable safety record,” asserts Parks. “We’ve had over 100,000 people and have never had a serious injury. Safety is a big deal to us.”

Last year, there were no injuries, and in 2016, there was a single sprained ankle, he says.

Parks says the company has served several groups throughout its three-decade history.

For 26 years, Adventure Dynamics has worked with Eastern Washington University’s Successful Stuttering Management Program, an intensive program designed to help people manage and control both stuttering and its emotional response, its website says. 

Adventure Dynamics offers half-day and full-day programs and starts scheduling private events in April and closes to the public around October, says Parks.

Parks says pricing works on a sliding scale of roughly $35 to $65 per person. For a three-hour aerial adventure, Adventure Dynamics charges $350 for the first 10 guests and $25 for each person after that. 

For half-day events, team building programs for school fieldtrips cost $375 for the first 10 guests and $25 for each additional person, says Parks. For nonprofits, its $475 for the first 10 and $35 for each guest after that. For corporate groups, Adventure Dynamics charges $575 for the first 10, then $50 per person. Those numbers jump for full-day activities.

In 2017, business revenue was $150,000, says Parks.

“Of course, we’d like to increase that and add more programs,” he says.

Typically, Adventure Dynamics has seven employees during the peak season, but Parks says he’s able to hire two more this year due to tax reform.