Welcome to Venture Out!
We Help Make Groups Effective Teams
Venture Out is the University of Missouri-Columbia’s outdoor experiential education program. Venture Out specializes in group teambuilding utilizing high ropes and on-the-ground challenge courses. Each course is customized to meet your group’s needs and accomplish your group’s goals. Venture Out serves the entire Mid-Missouri community, and our low ropes (on-the-ground) courses are accessible for everyone. From corporate professional development events to birthday parties for kids of all ages, we have a course option for you.
Venture Out courses are fun and effective tools your group can use to build trust, learn conflict resolution skills, practice successful communication strategies, and more. We host groups of 8-100+ participants for teambuilding courses all year long. We can host your group at our complex, or at the indoor or outdoor location of your choice. See what people are saying about us.
Our Courses
- Team Challenge Course (on-the-ground teambuilding): During a Team Challenge Course, our staff will present your group with a series of on-the-ground challenges that focus on trust, effective communication, conflict resolution, and other leadership topics. This is our most accessible course, and is customized to fit your group’s needs and goals. Venture Out can host your group at our complex or at the indoor or outdoor location of your choice. Many groups choose to combine a TCC with one of the high ropes options.
- Odyssey High Ropes Course: Our newest and most popular course, the Odyssey Course takes the teamwork in a Team Challenge Course and adds the additional challenge of being 35 feet off the ground. Participants use each other to navigate this teamwork-focused high ropes obstacle course. After working together to complete the course, participants zipline to the ground.
- Alpine Climbing Tower: Individuals scale a 50-foot climbing tower at their own pace while they work to set and accomplish personal goals. Participants belay each other, which facilitates trust and communication among individuals. This is great for larger groups and a wide range of climbing abilities.
- Winter Orienteering: Orienteering involves using a topographic map, magnetic compass, and land navigation skills to find your way to a series of checkpoints, almost like a treasure hunt! Orienteering is a unique way for groups of all types to build trust, learn map reading and land navigation skills, and venture off the beaten path (literally). We offer this course in the winter months only (November through March).
Find out more about and see pictures of all our courses on their individual pages under the “Courses” tab or by looking at the Programs page.
Our Philosophy
Hands-on learning and conscious risk-taking are essential components of promoting self-discovery, courage, vulnerability, and individual and team growth. Venture Out believes all participants are both teachers and learners, all participants have strengths and value, and success is defined by everyone in the group succeeding, although success can look different for each member.
Our program philosophy includes three principles:
- Safety: Venture Out facilitators promote the physical and emotional safety of our participants.
- Respect: Venture Out facilitators create and maintain respect within the group.
- Challenge By Choice: Our “Challenge by Choice” philosophy means facilitators do not force participants to do anything. Instead, facilitators push participants to push themselves.
MizzouRec Climbing Wall
Venture Out also manages the MizzouRec Climbing Wall. We love teaching new climbers about the Columbia climbing world! We are also able to teach members how to belay and tie in to our 35.5 ft rock wall. The MizzouRec Climbing Wall features a bouldering wall in the front, our top-rope wall, and free rental gear in our office in the back of the space. Find out more on our MizzouRec Climbing Wall page.
Connect with Us
We’re looking forward to working with you and your group. To request a quote, send us an email at ventureout@missouri.edu or call 573-884-1764. You can see photos of our courses on our Instagram page and on our Facebook page. To see our availability and to request a course, see the “Request” tab at the top of the page.