FindandGoSeek

AUGUST 2010
Our 11 year old son participated in the 5-day Rock n' Ropes adventure day camp and has already decided that this is one he will be signing up for again next year! This camp is great for kids that really need a lot of activity. Days are spent climbing, scaling the walls, building trust with other campers, doing the challenge course and working on mapping/compass skills. When things get hot, kids get a chance to swim next door at the indoor pool of The Essex Resort & Spa (twice). They also get two cooking classes at the Culinary Institute within the hotel. My son made homemade pizza, Caesar salad, homemade pasta and baked Alaska. He particularly enjoyed the flambe part!

I thought the staff was terrific (and so did he). Each night we got an email with a link to an online photo gallery of shots an movies from the day. It made it very easy to see just how much fun the kids were having.

JANUARY 2010

Our son choose to have his 11th birthday party here with 7 friends. NLRI was absolutely the best place ever to have a winter party for eleven year old boys! The kids were entertained from the minute they got there and they were all begging to stay at the end.

From my parental point of view I loved having hosted a party for boys this age outside our home, at a unique location, that involved physical activity and got them outdoors in the winter. I knew that even if there wasn't snow for tubing, we would still be able to do the winter adventure course. The adventure course also provides a "forced" opportunity for all the kids to get to know each other as they have to work together as a team to get through it. At other types of parties, often at this age kids, separate into cliques.

From my son's point of view, he and his friends couldn't get enough of the tubing and the zip lines. So much so we almost missed cake!

The NLRI staff is amazing. They put safety first. They are kind and patient with the kids and encourage them through everything making each one feel really good about what they have accomplished.


SEPTEMBER 2009

Our 10 yr old son went to a birthday party at NLRI and claims it was "the best party I have ever been to Mom!" From start to finish the staff was top notch. They were laid back enough to let the kids have fun, yet firm enough to enforce the rules and put safety first.

The kids met up on the gigantic playground which I would have thought 10 yr old boys would have outgrown by now, but nothing doing. It is so big, it made for the perfect game of tag. They also hung out there afterward waiting for parent pick up.

Once the party got going, the staff helped each kid get fitted with proper equipment (helmets, harnesses, etc) and off they went learning to navigate the climbing walls first, then on to scale some higher walls. After that they hit the ropes course. This place is filled with cargo nets, balance beams, an earthquake bridge, and tightropes all like 25' in the air! This is not for those with a fear of heights! But the kids were loving it! And all the while they were team building, if you will, or cementing their friendships even further.

At the end they zip line it to back to the clubhouse to have cake and finish up.

Bonus: The instructor is taking pictures the whole time from his vantage point and emailed them to us in a mini photo album before we got home. ...more

We are dedicated to a very high level of customer service and were saddened when we read jmstew22's review 9.2.2011 of our "clerical and office workers" during his visit to NLRI. We have reviewed that day's activities and will work to make sure it's not repeated. Sorry JM!
Frank Hassler
General Manager
Northern Lights Rock and Ice
northernlightsvt.com

NLRI is a great place to take groups for a unique bonding experience. I took a group of kids ages 10-16 and they worked together as a team to get through the course. They asked if we could go back the next day! The instructors provide excellent care, safety and fun to the event and without them this wouldn't get as high a review.

One problem: the clerical and office workers have never heard of customer service. Rude, inconsiderate and far from friendly. If the kids didn't like the instructors as much as they did I may not head back there. Thankfully 99% of our time was spent with the instructors....more

My 10- and 12yo just finished a Rock and Ropes Summer Camp, and they both scored it an 11 out of 10. From my perspective, the program and coaches were amazing. A couple quotes from the kids: "That's where I'm going to work in a few years." "I'm doing a lot of things I never imagined I would do." They both loved the cooking workshops and swimming at the Inn too.