Bamboo Man Adventure Club - Intermediate Challenge

The Bamboo Man Challenge Intermediate Category
ACTIVITY	OUTLINE DESCRIPTION	DISTANCE
1. Trail run	Fang National Park to Huay Bon Dam.	12 kms
2 & 3. Rock climbing & abseil section.	A belayed climb before the cave section of the trail run, followed by an abseil section back to the trail.	N/A
4. Swimming	Huay Bon Dam – roped circuit	0.4 kms
5. Canoeing / Rafting	Huay Bon Dam – roped circuit	0.8 kms
6. Mountain bike ride	Huay Bon Dam to the club house at MRVR	35 kms
7. Mountain bike trials circuit	3 times around the custom built trials circuit at the Bamboo Man Adventure club house	2.25 kms
8. Obstacle course	Custom designed course at the Bamboo Man Adventure club house	N/A
9. Assault course	Custom designed course at the Bamboo Man Adventure club house	N/A
10. Mental challenge	Lecture room at the Bamboo Man club house	N/A
Projected time to finish – 8 to 10 hrs Total Distance – app. 46.5 kilometres

DETAILED DESCRIPTION - BAMBOO MAN CHALLENGE COURSE INTERMEDIATE CATEGORY

Intermediate Challenge Course

Trail Running

Swimming

Rock Climbing

Abseil Section.

Caneoing / Rafting.

Mountain Bike Ride

Mountian Bike Trials Circuit

Obstacle Course

Assault Course

Mental Challenge

1, 2 & 3. TRAIL RUNNING - Intermediate

Description - The trail run starts from the National Park's headquarters at the Fang Hot Springs.
Participants set off along an 8 km well marked route that contours around the hills at the base of the Poo Muen range. The trail runs through dense bamboo jungle, over streams, up and down steep gullies.

You stop to undertake at a rock climbing section and a little further along an abseil section, before you continue running along the trail to a . to the top entrance of the Huay Bon cave system. Entering the caves, you make your way down to the lower entrance and emerge on a trail that leads to the forest temple of Huay Bon Caves.

Time penalties and scoring system – There is a 40 minute penalty for missing the rock climbing section, and a 30 minute penalty for missing the abseil section.

Team members must complete both rock climbing & abseiling sections or the team will be penalised 160 minutes for the former and 120 minutes for the latter.

The time taken for the phase is added to the individual's or the team's total challenge score.

4. SWIMMING – Intermediate

Description - The swim takes place on the placid waters of the Huay Bon Dam, the water supply source for the town of Fang and its surrounding villages. The dam itself nestles in the foothills of the Poo Muen range, some 70 metres above the valley floor.

The swim route is along a straight 400 metre course following a 'floating line' ( a 1 inch manila rope with inflated motor car tyre inner tube floats at 10 metre intervals along its length).

Note* The inner tubes act as safety stops for those who tire along the way, and the route is patrolled in kayaks by safety personnel.

Time penalties and scoring system – The time taken for the phase is added to the individual's or the team's total challenge score.

5. CANOEING / RAFTING – Intermediate

Description - Canadian Indian Trading canoes are used for this phase. They can seat up to 4 canoeists. Individual participants take one canoe, whilst teams must construct their own bamboo rafts before they set off along the (opposite) side of the swim line to the far end of the dam some 400m distant.

They round a marker buoy at the 400m point and then return back along the length of the swim line (on the same side) to the canoe phase starting point thus completing the canoeing/rafting phase.

Time penalties and scoring system – The time taken for the phase is added to the individual's or the team's total challenge score.

6. MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE - Intermediate

Description - The route leaves Huay Bon dam and takes you along dirt roads to a crossing point on the Ban Thaton – Fang road. You then follow paths through rice paddy and farmland. Negotiating numerous gullies and obstacles such as single or double pole bamboo bridges that span the Fang river as it meanders through the fertile Fang valley.

Most of the 35 km ride is on relatively flat land. You cross the finish line at the Bamboo Man Adventure Club and go directly into the mountain bike trials circuit phase of the challenge.

Time penalties and scoring system – The time taken for the phase is added to the individual's or the team's total challenge score.

7. MOUNTAIN BIKE CIRCUIT - Intermediate There are different skills sections within the circuit for basic, intermediate and advanced category participants.

Description – Basic level participants must complete 3 full circuits of the custom designed 750 metre mountain bike circuit that runs around the perimeter of the Maekok River Village Resort Organic Farm.

The permanent obstacles consist of numerous humps, ditches and slopes. In addition, we add various 'skills sections' to test the ability of the riders to negotiate different obstacles / terrain.

Several 'skills sections' are marked as mandatory elements for each of the basic, intermediate and advanced level category participants of the Bamboo Man Challenge.

Time penalties & scoring system - penalties are accrued at 10 minutes per skill section not attempted, or not completed. All team members must complete each skill section in order not to be penalised at 40 minutes per skill section, per team.

8. OBSTACLE COURSE - Intermediate

Description - The obstacle course is a 7 metre high, 21 metre long frame over a 2m deep water pit. There are a range of obstacles at the + 1m and + 6 metre levels: single rope traverses, Burma bridges, 8 inch beams, 3 inch beams, swinging log bridges, monkey ladders, and bamboo bridges. Solid ladders, knotted ropes and unknotted ropes connect the two levels at either end of the frame.

A circuit consists of once around the frame (up to the +6 metre level , across the frame, down to the bottom level, then a return across the frame at the + 1m level to the start point). The full course consists of 3 circuits, using a different method of ascent and crossing on each circuit.

Time penalties & scoring system - penalties are accrued at 10 minutes per obstacle not attempted, or not completed. All team members must complete each obstacle in order not to be penalised at 40 minutes per obstacle per team. The total time taken counts towards your total bamboo man challenge score.

9. ASSAULT COURSE - Intermediate – common to basic, intermediate and advanced category participants.

Description - Our military style assault course consists of a number of obstacles to be negotiated over a 100 metre long course: walls, ditch crossings, tunnels, swings etc.

Team participants attempt a modified course but must carry a 'wounded man' (dummy) with them over the course. The time taken for the last member of the team to complete the course is recorded and added to the team's challenge time total.

10. MENTAL CHALLENGE - Intermediate

Description - The challenge consists of 6 tests on such subjects as: Acuteness, spatial recognition, physical analysis, numerical deduction, observation, and critical dissection.

Participants are given 30 minutes to complete the tests and can score a possible total of 150 points. They may of course choose to finish this phase as quickly as possible in order to gain a time advantage.

Penalties & Scoring system - Individuals are penalised at 1 minute per point for every point they fall short of the total possible score – 150 points.

Individual team member's scores are combined to form a team total which is deducted from the possible maximum team score of 600. The team is penalised at 1 minute per point for every point each member falls short of the possible combined total of 600 points.