My son and I spent the day at TreeUmph, and we had a blast. It's fun and challenging. The courses progress from easiest to most difficult, so you practice as you go, and you end up being able to do things you might not think you'd be able to do. Of course, you're also more tired for the challenging courses, but we were fine throughout.
Here are a few things visitors might want to know:
FACILITIES -- TreeUmph is very much a rope course and zipline out in the woods, rather than an amusement center or park. There's a ticket window, a place to buy snacks (protein bars, candy bars, bottled drinks), a few t-shirts for sale, restrooms and the rope courses. There are five rope courses that get progressively challenging. The fifth course is actually an additional route off the fourth course. My son and I had only been on rope courses and ziplines once; we were able to do four of the five. We didn't attempt the fifth after seeing the fear in the eyes of grown men and women who came off the course.
INSTRUCTIONS / STAFF GUIDES -- It's important to know that you'll receive introductions and safety information before starting, then complete a simple sample course, then basically be set free on your own to do the courses. Don't expect the guides to truly guide or provide ongoing instruction. The entire day we were there, the staff were not around and/or not paying attention. There are guides at or near each of the various courses, but they are not checking people at the start the course, nor providing guidance, tips, etc. For example, a child was on a course he should not have been on, and no one was there to notice until nearly the end of the course, and even then, it was only because another person was stuck in front of the child. If someone gets stuck, they yell for a guide. We saw several instances where the person who was stuck called for a guide, and a person on the ground ran off to find one.
SAFETY OF CARABINERS -- The primary safety mechanism is that you are attached to a wire by straps and two carabiners. One carabiner stays on the wire at all times, and as you move through the course, you detach and move one carabiner at a time. If you fall on the course, you are attached to the wire, so you're safe. But if you remove both carabiners, you've removed yourself from the safety system. Our only other experience with rope courses and zip lines is US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC, where there carabiners operated in a way that prevented you from removing both carabiners from wire. TreeUmph does not have such a system, so it's up to users to ensure they are clipped to the wire at all time. Thus, for parents, it requires them to monitor their children even more closely, something that may not be particularly easy while moving through a course with multiple children. This may be standard for these kinds of courses, I don't know, but novice parents like me might want to know.
EQUIPMENT CHECKS -- The only time guides check equipment is when you arrive at the course, and people on the course are told not to touch their equipment. I did notice my equipment loosening slightly, but at no time did I feel my equipment was coming undone. If equipment loosens throughout the day -- or if children play with adjust it -- it's up to the participant to identify that and find a guide.
GLOVES -- You want gloves to protect your hands as you move through the course, including holding on to the metal safety wire if you need to. You can add gloves for $3 per person. They are cloth disposable gloves that work well enough to protect your hands, but we also saw people with cycling gloves, garden gloves, etc.