UBC Ropes Course

Melinda Hainsworth
Melinda is PAL’s Administration and Programming Director. She came to Vancouver from Pennsylvania in 2002 and never left. Melinda has an Honours Bachelors degree in Recreation and Leisure Services Management with a minor in Psychology. If Melinda isn’t at the ropes course or running other events for Pacific Adventure Learning, she can usually be found climbing or biking in Squamish, skiing in Whistler, or hiking in some remote location.

Her favourite moments at the course include watching new relationships form between students or co-workers brought on by a challenge or a problem, witnessing individuals overcoming their inhibitions or fears, and allowing participants to be reminded that playing is a great way to learn as well as have fun.

Stephanie Grand
'I am from France but have been living in Vancouver for 4 years. I am in the final year of my PhD in environmental science at UBC and I focus on soils for my research.
I am an avid rock climber and I spend a lot of time in beautiful Squamish in the summer. In the winter I find other places to climb, including Penticton, Frenchman's coulee (Washington), Smith Rock (Oregon) and Red Rocks (Nevada). I am also a level 2 climbing instructor and have been teaching on and off for almost 10 years now.
This is my third season working at the ropes course and I love it... I look forward to seeing you at the course!

For me the most rewarding part of working at the ropes course is when I see people feeling confident enough in their team's support to really challenge themselves and get over some of their fears... It's amazing to see someone walk away from the course with better self-confidence and a sense of belonging to the group. The smile on their face is just incredible. I do believe that in many cases this experience stays with them and inspires them for years to come'.

Courtney Szto
I started with Pacific Adventure Learning as an intern through the Human Kinetics program at UBC. I had never worked at a ropes course before PAL and had never done much recreational climbing; but, “learning the ropes” is exactly what I did during my 3 month internship with PAL. My favourite thing about the ropes course is watching groups of individuals develop into teams. I believe that the essence of the ropes course is best summed up in a quote by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, “Get outside yourself. Get outside your environment. Do something for other people.” I have yet to see a group come through the course that has not achieved all three. In my spare time I enjoy playing tennis, hockey and golf and try to get in volunteer work whenever I can.

Sarah Phillips
Sarah got her start in adventure-based learning at Sargent Center in New Hampshire, USA. She then spent some time working at a camp in Ontario before landing at the UBC ropes course in August of 2004. Sarah has recently completed a degree in education and now divides her teaching time between Vancouver classrooms and the ropes course. She fills the remainder of her time with studies at Regent College, recreational field hockey, hiking and knitting.

My favourite part of any day at the ropes course is when the group comes together to successfully complete a task for the first time. I love seeing their response to their first taste of success. What's even better is their eagerness to try the next task and implement what they have learned.

Francine Ng
My name is Francine Ng, and I’m currently an Education student at UBC in the Two-year Elementary program. I’ve been climbing on and off for about three years—mostly outdoors. I got into ropes courses while working at summer camp in 2005 and really enjoyed it! I’ve also facilitated at leadership camps for young adults and youths—it’s always really interesting seeing how people work together and how they grow as individuals and as a team.

Aside from the outdoors stuff, some of my other interests range from taking part in Theatre Sports (I’m a member of a Richmond troupe), volunteering (I facilitate workshops for the Crisis Centre), and …chocolate.

Steve Hainsworth
I serve as a corporate facilitator and PAL's resident Emcee. I can be found high above the ground safely guiding clients on our UBC ropes course, hosting PAL's corporate events, and all too often, quacking like a duck as part of some new and crazy game for school kids. My energy and enthusiasm for adventure and learning were developed through many summers as a camp counselor; and eventually camp director taking me across Canada and the USA, to New Zealand and to Thailand.

Favourite Memory: I'll never forget getting a hug from one of our participants recently. It took her nearly 30 minutes to step off the tree platform and onto the cable, despite the overwhelming support from her colleagues below. Sure enough, she summed up her courage and side-stepped her way across our Multi-Vine. The instant she touched the ground her face lit up with tremendous satisfaction. She ran over and gave me the tightest hug I've had in a long time. It’s seeing breakthroughs like these that make our job at PAL so worthwhile. 2nd FAVOURITE Memory: While emceeing a very "rambunctious" post-GREAT RACE party, the fine men and women of the Vancouver Police Department showed up to serve us with a noise violation...Hey its not a party till the cops come!