Experience Ties Into Mission of Adventure, Sustainability, Leadership, and Service

MOUNT HOPE, W.Va. — Thousands of campers from across the United States will be the first to experience the Boy Scouts of America’s new summer high-adventure program beginning this weekend at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve. Boy Scouts and Venturers will arrive at the Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base for an exciting seven-day/six-night program offered each week, Sunday to Saturday, from June 8 through August 23, 2014.

The BSA offers three different program tracks at the Summit Bechtel Reserve (SBR) —introductory, intermediate, and advanced high-adventure experiences. The introductory offering will allow participants to experience each of the SBR’s primary adventure areas. Intermediate programs will focus on four areas: The River (rafting and kayaking), Helmets and Harnesses (climbing, zip, and ropes courses), The Marksman (shooting sports), and Wheels (mountain biking, skateboarding, and BMX). All SBR high-adventure programs will be centered on its core mission areas: adventure, sustainability, leadership, and service. This will include each group performing a service project, designed to give back to the state of West Virginia.

“We are proud to offer world-class adventure activities to thousands of kids this summer through the official opening of the Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base at the Summit Bechtel Reserve,” said Dan McCarthy, SBR director. “Experiencing the outdoors takes young people to the limits of what they think they can do and often beyond, while teaching them confidence, teamwork, and leadership skills that last a lifetime. Through the generosity of members of the Scouting family and our partnership with the state of West Virginia, we look forward to delivering an exciting high-adventure program this summer and further expanding our programming in the years ahead.”

The SBR features 36 miles of mountain biking courses, 13 acres of sport shooting, more than five miles of zip lines, nearly 10 miles of canopy tour zip lines, and much more—in addition to the monster whitewater and world-class climbing offered by the region’s natural landscape.

Scouting friends and family are also welcome to experience the fun at the 100-acre adventure and educational hub, the Scott Summit Center. Visitors to the Scott Summit Center will enjoy action and adventure sports activities located at Action Point and Boulder Cove as well as the educational opportunities at the Sustainability Treehouse, the wetlands along the John Gottschalk Boardwalk, and CONSOL Energy Bridge. The SBR will be open to visitors who purchase passes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays beginning June 13 through August 16, 2014.

Located in the New River Gorge region of West Virginia, the SBR sits on 10,600 acres of forested mountains adjacent to more than 70,000 acres of the New River Gorge National River area. It will serve as the permanent home for the BSA’s iconic national Scout jamboree, a celebration of Scouting held every four years, and will host the 2019 World Scout Jamboree.

The Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base is one of the BSA’s four national high-adventure bases. The others are Florida Sea Base in Islamorada, Florida; Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico; and the Northern Tier in Ely, Minnesota.